Hello beer lovers and welcome to another edition of the
NorCal Beer Blog's brew review.
From a dimly lit hotel room in San Antonio, Texas I reviewed
a handful of beers while away on business. I was happy to find a store that
sold mixed 6’s and I picked up a six-pack of various beers for review. I tried to pick beers that aren’t available
in NorCal. The next six reviews are from
my time in San Antonio.
Tonight’s featured beer is Saint Arnold Brewing Company
Santo Kölsch. I had a chance to visit the
Saint Arnold Brewing Company a couple years ago while in Houston, TX. Since I was there on a business trip I was
finding it difficult to get over there, but knew I had to. When I finally
arrived I found out that the tasting room was due to close in around five
minutes. I got to talking to the folks
there and after talking brewing for those five minutes (and drinking around
three tasters) they let me hang out for another 30 minutes or so to try the
other offerings they had. Super cool
folks at Saint Arnold.
From the Saint Arnold Brewing Company’s website:” Santo is a
black Kölsch, which technically doesn’t exist as a style, but this is as close
as we can come to describing it. Essentially it is brewed using a Kölsch recipe
with the addition of Munich and black malt. It is light bodied and floral yet
with a distinct dark malt flavor. Our goal was to create a dark yet refreshing
beer that would pair perfectly with a plate of enchiladas.”
Let’s get started!
Appearance: Pours a very dark brown with amber hues, an
off-white frothy head and nice lacing.
Aroma: Sweet and roasted malts with a touch of coffee,
caramel and chocolate. Very faint floral
and citrus hop scents.
Taste: Much like the nose with a nice blend of dark
chocolate and coffee combined with sweet malts and a light hop presence.
Overall: Although this is not a traditional German Kölsch, Saint
Arnold Brewing Company’s Santo Kölsch left me wanting another (I had only
picked up one). At 4.7% ABV I could certainly
see have a few of these. If you find
yourself in Texas certainly try this offering from Saint Arnold Brewing
Company.
Cheers!
Mark Harvey
Mark - Glad you enjoyed Santo and I hope you'll be able to swing by Saint Arnold the next time you are in Texas. Just FYI for your readers, Santo was awarded a World Beer Cup Bronze for American-Style Dark Lagers earlier this year. Cheers!
ReplyDeleteDisclosure: I help Saint Arnold with PR.
Thanks Dan and congratulations on the World Beer Cup Bronze. Solid beers there at Saint Arnold. Next time I find myself down in Houston I'll most certainly swing by. I wouldn't miss it!
ReplyDeleteCheers!
Mark Harvey