So you want a kolsch but your granddad fought in The Big One so you don’t want to give those pesky Germans any of your money. Or maybe you’re a proud supporter of truly micro microbreweries and don’t want to go to Megabox Store for your German-style beer. Either way, I’ve got you covered.
Travel to Santa Cruz, California and not only will you find surf, sun, and a boardwalk that’s one felonious tilt-a-whirl operator from a front page headline, but you’ll also find Santa Cruz Ale Works beers on tap. The brewery is only a few years old, but they produce four beers: your mandatory California IPA; your West Coast mandatory oatmeal stout; your craft brewery mandatory hefeweizen; and their ringer, a German-style kolsch.
Santa Cruz Ale Works kolsch is hoppy and clean, light-bodied and just a little lemony. Color is lighter than your average pilsner. I paired mine with a spicy pasta dish, and it was the perfect complement. This is a beer that doesn’t hang around long—very little aftertaste—and doesn’t fight for the spotlight.
Serve it icy cold after a day on the beach, and seriously: stay away from that tilt-a-whirl. I swear I saw that ride operator on Cops a couple of years ago.
Brewery: Santa Cruz Ale Works??
City: Santa Cruz, California??
Style: Kolsch?
ABV: 5.0%?
Availability: Seasonal