Blonde Ale
Wind River Brewing Company

Blonde AleBlonde Ale
Beer Geek Stats | Print Shelf Talker
From:
Wind River Brewing Company
 
Wyoming, United States
Style:
American Blonde Ale
Ranked #159
ABV:
5%
Score:
84
Ranked #22,713
Avg:
3.67 | pDev: 8.72%
Reviews:
18
Ratings:
33
Status:
Active
Rated:
Sep 17, 2023
Added:
Jul 17, 2010
Wants:
  1
Gots:
  1
Wind River Blonde Ale is a pale golden beer that is lively, light and refreshing. It is the first bere to be packaged in a can in the State of Wyoming.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by msubulldog25:
Photo of msubulldog25
Reviewed by msubulldog25 from Oregon

3.27/5  rDev -10.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3
From a 16 oz. can to an imperial pint glass. What a cool thing it is to have good friends who'll pick up obscure beers for you, without you even asking. Thanks for going to Yellowstone and thinking of me, Bryce...

Silvery can with an icy blue lake reflecting majestic mountains. 'Brewed with Wind River Glacier Water'. No packaging date.

A: 'Blonde' in this case equals a dull sunshine-gold. A super-fine haze cuts clarity only slightly, a fair amount of carbonation rises to a meager 1/4" head (one that disappears thickly to a thin white ring and wispy swirl). Lace struggles to stick, a few droopy ribbons and specks glide as snails down the glass.

S: An interesting nose, grassy and flowery, a clover-y spice. Sweetness is barely held in check, but the strength wins a better-than-average grade.

T: Honeyed sweetness, hay and biscuits then a counterbalance of spicy hops to lend just enough bitterness. Hints of lemon zest and sweet apple flesh, even a bit of ground clove. Doughy and a little nutty in the finish.

M: Hmmm, slick and tired feeling. Not much carbonation in the mouth, despite a decent amount rising in the glass. Cool and light-bodied, juicy but overall underwhelming.

D: Without a date on the package, it's tough to know about freshness, but I suspect this wasn't at its peak. Giveaways: duller appearance, malt dominance, lackluster feel. I've enjoyed some very inspired blonde ales, but this isn't one of them (at least not how it's presented here). Wouldn't mind another try, but two strikes and this one would be out.
Sep 28, 2010
More User Ratings:
Photo of mpruden
Reviewed by mpruden from Ohio

3.96/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Served on tap at the brewery in a snifter.

Appearance: Golden, any head at the bar had reduced to a foam ring that lingered by the time it was served at the table; there was also finely-bubbled lacing.

Aroma: Pine, grain, and bread: very nice.

Mouthfeel: Medium thin, plenty of carbonation.

Attack: Follows the nose perfectly.

Finish: Peppery, then hop bitterness.

Overall: This has long been one of my favorite blonde ales, and I generally take a couple six-packs back home with me from vacation. It’s a great pairing with the brewery’s Caesar salad.
Sep 17, 2023
Photo of JerzDevl2000
Reviewed by JerzDevl2000 from New Jersey

3.68/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
This was another beer that I picked up at the Whole Foods in Jackson when I was out there a few months ago. Never had anything from Wind River before and although this was a very basic take on the style, it was indeed lively, light, and refreshing as stated in it's description.

Golden, bright, and hazy, this had a nice appearance when held up to the light as it was topped off with a full and thick head. Once that settled down, there wasn't any lacing to be seen aside from one thin and well-defined ring near the center of my pint glass. Barley, sweet malt, and floral notes were in the nose as the taste had hints of cherry juice, bread, and mineral water emerged in the taste as this was more varied than my initial impression led me to believe although this wasn't heavy or complex in the end. Full in body and a bit dry in the back, this almost needed a chaser of water to get it down although I could have easily quaffed another after finishing this off.

Hard to detect the booze here as this was the ideal iteration of a session beer. No date was to be found anywhere although I loved the topographical map that was on the can once I peeled the label off1 Not a lot of hops here but if you enjoy American Blonde Ales, this would be a good choice before hitting the trails or slopes out west.
Jan 26, 2023
Photo of StonedTrippin
Reviewed by StonedTrippin from Colorado

3.55/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
a really light and really basic blonde ale, but true to style and decent, the second or third such beer ive had from these guys, who to me so far appear to be doing the fundaments pretty aptly, but not really inspiring me too much. this is a little flat in the glass by the time it gets to our table, short fizzy head at this point already on the decline. light and not perfectly clear but close, yellow beer looking. the aroma and flavor are the same, some trace minerals in the water and a slightly cheap metallic impression, but also grainy in a good way, in a way these rarely are, which is to say i can taste the malt but this is still dry and minimal, and the body remains light too, its just that its not generic on the grain front, not necessarily all pils either, quite good on this front. the ferment is a little amateurish to me, but overall this is solid, especially when ice cold and tight. the carbonation is close to high enough, the lightness is obvious and appreciable, and its not without some flavor, even if the hops are almost irrelevant. it might need a food context, but in the context of some buttery greasy spicy chicken wings, i think it did a bang up job. would order this again in that context, fried food, spicy food, mindless sports beer, its better than others in this space. while still not particularly great, it fills a niche...
Sep 03, 2021
Photo of zeff80
Reviewed by zeff80 from Missouri

3.52/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
On tap at Jedidiah's in Jackson Hole Airport. Poured a clear, pale golden color with a good-sized, off-white head of foam. It smelled of toffee, caramel, floral notes and some citrus. Sweet caramel and toffee taste with a very mild bitter bite. Crisp and smooth finish.
Jun 27, 2021
Photo of Grass2Cash
Reviewed by Grass2Cash from Wyoming

4.47/5  rDev +21.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5
This ale is got such a fantastic taste but don’t pare it with heavily spiced foods like Mexican, it goes best with unbreaded fish, drink it like a white wine. I’m normally a stout drinker and I don’t like bitter tastes. This Ale is smooth. Little bubbles come off the bottom of the glass like champagne throughout the drink.
Sep 18, 2020
 
Rated: 3.59 by WDJersey from Colorado

Oct 26, 2019
 
Rated: 3.48 by lochef81 from Michigan

Aug 07, 2018
 
Rated: 3.75 by a77cj7 from South Dakota

Aug 05, 2015
Photo of Golfer3Aces
Rated by Golfer3Aces from Wyoming

4.49/5  rDev +22.3%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Good beer. Little Hop bite. Not great, but a good beer overall.
Apr 11, 2015
 
Rated: 3.5 by Beer21 from Florida

Oct 29, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by ctwybeerguy from Connecticut

Oct 26, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by JVan from Illinois

Jul 28, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by tbone1384 from Wyoming

Jun 28, 2014
Photo of Foyle
Reviewed by Foyle from North Carolina

4/5  rDev +9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Appearance: pours a bubbly 2" white head that recedes fairly quickly. Color is a mostly clear gold with moderate carbonation bubbles present.
Aroma: fairly mild aroma. There is some sweetness from the toasted barley and a hint of spice (from the hops I assume).
Mouthfeel: light and watery with the standard fluffiness of an ale. The finish is somewhat dry. Flavor: mild sweetness from the barley as well as a mild fruit flavor akin to plum or apricot. The hop bitterness is mild but does linger a bit in the finish.
Overall: This a very pleasant session ale. It highly drinkable and has a pleasant, easy flavor.
Apr 27, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by bulldogg915 from Wyoming

Jan 16, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by rhinonau from Wyoming

Oct 28, 2013
 
Rated: 3.5 by casapy from Idaho

Jul 14, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by LuckyJohn from Colorado

Jun 24, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by Irrationalist from California

Jun 05, 2013
Blonde Ale from Wind River Brewing Company
Beer rating: 84 out of 100 with 33 ratings