Saint Arnold's Lawnmower Review

The Kolsch beer style originated in Cologne Germany. Considering the German’s passion for beer, it is not surprising that the Cologne Brewery Association provided a strict definition of the Kolsch style. Kolsch beers are “Pale, highly attenuated, hoppy, clear, top-fermenting beer with an original gravity between 11 and 16 degrees Plato.” Unless you are a home brewer or a Beer Judge (or a professional brewer), that definition probably sounds like beer-geek talk. In this article, I'll explain the Kolsch style and compare it to a popular Kolsch beer, Saint Arnold's Lawnmower.

Today, many microbreweries are producing their version of the refreshing beer style, Kolsch, including Saint Arnold Brewing Company in Houston, Texas. Saint Arnold’s Lawnmower has won the Bronze Medal at the Great American Beer Festival in 2000 and 2006 and the Gold Medal at the Great American Beer Festival in 2007.

Saint Arnold recommends paring the Kolsh with Blackened fish, salads, and grilled veggies. We paired the Lawnmower with our Easy Beef Fajitas, after all, we are in Texas and Fajitas is a Tex Mex delight.

Appearance

According to the Beer Judges Certification Program (BJCP), a Kolsch should be very pale gold to light gold, clear and have a delicate white head that may not persist.

When I originally poured the Lawnmower into the glass, it had a nice white head that dissipated quickly. The beer has a nice light gold color and clear.

Aroma

A Kolsch should have a low malt aroma. Other aromas that may be present include fruit, hop, or sulfer/winey, but these aromas will be subtle.

Saint Arnold’s Lawnmower has a light malty aroma. The pleasant malty aroma gently blends with a slight floral after-scent as the beer warms.

Some reviews have said the Saint Arnolds has a “floral hop aroma”, but we picked up the malt aroma more than the hop.

Flavor

The Kolsch style balances the malt with a medium bitterness. The hop flavor should be a noble hop. There can be an almost imperceptible fruity sweetness. Overall, the flavor should be clean with no diacetyl or fusels.

Upon the first sip of Saint Arnold’s Lawnmower, we tasted a clean beer with a nice well balanced hop flavor. We did not pick up on any fruitiness. The hop did not overpower the malt. We tasted both the malt and hop, with a crisp, dryness. The malt was not sweet, but present in the balance.

Some of the reviews for the Lawnmower said they tasted grassy overtones. Unless Saint Arnold’s changed their recipe after those reviews, I have to differ with the reviewers. Saint Arnold’s Lawnmower does not have a grassy flavor. Nor does it have an earthy flavor. The beer’s flavor is a clean malt and hop blend. The hop is more floral than earthy or grassy.

Mouthfeel

Kolsch ranges from medium-light to medium body mouth feel and medium to medium-high carbonation.

We rated Saint Arnold’s Lawnmower as a medium-light mouth feel. You definitely know you have a beer with character when drinking the Lawnmower.

Overall impression

Saint Arnold’s Lawnmower lives up to the Kolsch style. A clean, crisp, refreshing beer named appropriately for Texas. This is a beer you want after working outside, possibly mowing the lawn. It goes down smooth. Server it ice cold to relax in the Texas heat!