Join us on July 15th for the return of an Ardent favorite, Rye Kolsch!

This beer was originally conceived and created by our own taproom manager, Lincoln Smith. The kolsch style comes from Cologne, Germany, and is brewed with ale yeast, then lagered in the fermenter for five or six weeks. Lincoln first tried kolsches when working as a brewer’s apprentice, and he loved the clean, crisp style. Around the same time, rye was becoming an increasingly popular ingredient in the brewing world—Terrapin’s Rye Pale Ale, for example. To Lincoln, the spiciness inherent in rye seemed a perfect match with the drinkable kolsch style. After studying at the Siebel Institute in Chicago, Lincoln returned to Richmond with a recipe for Rye Kolsch. He met a few guys with a brewing co-op in Church Hill—the early days of Ardent—and worked on perfecting the brew. From 12 gallons in our Brickman’s Garage co-op to 900 gallons on the brewery’s first Rye Kolsch release day, we love brewing this unique beer.

Tasting notes: The Rye Kolsch uses rye malt instead of wheat for this German pilsner-style ale. The malt, balanced with noble hops, adds a delicate spiciness and slight fruit note. The Rye Kolsch is light golden in color and drinks very easy. 4.7% ABV, 25 IBU.

ZZQ will be here with delicious Texas craft barbeque from noon until they sell out, and Intergalactic Tacos will join us at 4pm. Come out for a day of good beer, good food, and good company!