Summer often has beer fans looking for lighter beers. MobCraft has an appealing option with a style that’s often hard to find: the kölsch.
What is it? Oddball from MobCraft Beer of Milwaukee.
Style: Some brewers say the kölsch does a great impression of the pilsner. Both are light golden, clean and crisp. The kölsch in particular is often very effervescent with subtle fruity-floral sweetness with hints of pear and melon. They are light- to medium-bodied, often with dryness. They have light hop character, but are not bitter. Kölsch is associated with a beer from Köln (Cologne), and in Germany it’s brewed to strict standards, with 10 to 20 percent wheat. It finishes between 4.8 to 5.3 percent ABV.
Background: Oddball has been a surprising hit for MobCraft, and it’s become the brewery’s #2 best-selling beer behind the Great America Beer Festival winner Bat $H!T Crazy. “We decided to make a good old-fashioned beer, something that seems odd to those who know us, which is why the name,” explains MobCraft co-founder Henry Schwartz. MobCraft started making its beers in 2013 with the help of House of Brews in Madison. Last summer it opened its own new production brewery in the Walker’s Point neighborhood of Milwaukee. MobCraft has become well known for tapping into social media for beer ideas and audience preferences. It’s a process that has generated unique flavors and some outright strange brews. Among a few examples: a baklava imperial white ale, a Belgian dubbel with blueberry waffles and maple syrup, and an imitation of a Wisconsin Old Fashioned.
Having a more traditional style like a kölsch rise to brewery’s forefront reflects the public’s interest in lighter-bodied lower-alcohol beers that are still flavorful, says Schwartz. Schwartz says he found that Oddball was a beer that patrons were enjoying in the taproom: “It was consistently chosen over pilsners and golden ales,” he says.
Oddball has a light-colored malt bill with a touch of oats for additional texture and body. It’s fermented with a German kölsch yeast that leaves it clean and subtly fruity. For hops, MobCraft uses Wisconsin-grown Willamette and Sterling.
Oddball has also become a solid seller at Miller Park among those looking for local craft beers. In early spring, Schwartz and the MobCraft team were among about two dozen Wisconsin breweries to vie for tap and shelf space. This season the Milwaukee Brewers’ home park expanded its craft beer offerings. “They had all of us pitch beers. There were about 30 people with clipboards and notebooks tasting like at a beer fest, and they really liked Oddball,” says Schwartz, so it’s now sold at a handful of beer stands inside the park that sell 16-ounce cans. Just getting on the park’s beer list is an accomplishment, and to stay on it means sales remain strong.
Oddball finishes at 4.5 percent ABV and an estimated 30 IBUs. It’s sold year-round in four-packs of 16-ounce cans for around $10-11. In Miller Park, it sells for $10/can.
Tasting notes:
- Aroma: A floral, herbal, light earthiness.
- Appearance: Clear golden color with a thick white head.
- Texture: Medium-bodied with round softness, yet clean and crisp throughout.
- Taste: Light floral herbal hoppiness with a hint of pear in the background.
- Finish/Aftertaste: Crisp, sharp and dry (when served cold).
Glassware: There’s no shame in enjoying this beer right out of the 16-ounce can while watching a ball game. However, a kölsch is best served in the German stick or stange (a tall, clear cylinder of about 6-7 ounces, with no taper).
Pairs well with: cool summer lunch fare of salads and sandwiches, or a hearty brat.
The Verdict: This is a pleasant kölsch with floral and fruity accents. Sterling hops stand out with their herbal, earthy, spicy dryness. It’s clean and crisp, well-suited for summer. There’s a little more body to Oddball than traditional German standouts like Gaffel and Krüh. However, that’s not a fault because there is so much kölsch flavor. And, serving it very cold at refrigerator temperatures will enhance its refreshing qualities. This is a nice summer beer, ideal for outside activities.
