Madtree Lift
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Tasting Notes
Lift pours with a clean, lightly grainy aroma with delicate floral and honeyed notes — hallmarks of a well-executed Kölsch. On the palate it delivers soft malt sweetness balanced by a mild, rounded bitterness from noble-style hops, with very little fruity ester character. The body is light but not watery, finishing dry and clean with a gentle hop snap. It's a precise, unfussy beer built around subtlety rather than bold statement.
About the Brewery
Madtree Brewing is based in Cincinnati, Ohio, and opened in 2013, making it one of the earlier craft operations to scale significantly in that market. They're probably best known for Psychopathy, their flagship IPA, but have built a well-rounded lineup that spans lagers, wheat beers, and seasonals. Their taproom in the Oakley neighborhood has been a consistent anchor of the Cincinnati craft beer scene, and they distribute broadly across the Midwest.
Food Pairings
Lift's dry, lightly malty character makes it a natural match for roasted chicken, where the beer's subtle sweetness plays off savory skin without competing. A classic bratwurst with mustard mirrors the beer's German-adjacent roots and lets the clean bitterness cut through fat. Mild cheeses like Havarti or Muenster won't overwhelm the beer's delicate profile, and a simple herb-dressed green salad finds a complementary lightness in the finish. Fish tacos with a citrus slaw also work well, since the beer's neutral grain base won't fight the brightness of lime.
Style Guide
Kölsch is a pale, top-fermented ale that is then cold-conditioned like a lager — a hybrid process that gives it the clean, crisp character of a lager while retaining a faint softness from ale fermentation. It originates from Cologne, Germany, where it is still brewed under a protected appellation, meaning only breweries within Cologne can technically call their beer a Kölsch. ABVs typically run between 4.4% and 5.2%. Compared to a standard American lager it offers more malt nuance and subtle fruitiness, and compared to a wheat beer it is far drier and less yeast-forward.