A good Kölsch is grassy, crisp, smooth, and has a light wheat texture. This beer has all those descriptions, but lacks a little quality. You see, not every brewery can make a great Kölsch. They may try, but only a few succeed (i.e., the breweries in the town of Köln, Germany). Dundee has a pleasant sipping beer to enjoy in the backyard during a BBQ on a hot day in this rendition. However, the mouthfeel is a bit heavy and once this beer warms a little you will be left with something close to a macro beer minus the skunk.
All the ingredients are here. A good hop selection that does add a grassy, herbal, minor spice to the beer, a light malt profile which gives a gentle wheat finish, and moderately bready yeast character. However, the classic crispness and smoothness I longed for were not to be found. While it is true that this beer is thirst quenching when cold, I did not receive much of a “lagered” beer as most Kölsch beers have. The yeast seems to be too ale-like leading me to believe that this beer could have benefited from a longer cool conditioning period.
Don’t get me wrong, this beer had its good moments and I would return to it if I had to. It just seems ironic to me that Genesee Brewing Co brews this beer when it produces a cream ale. All for the sake of having a “craft” line of beers I guess.