Brasserie Blonde Sparkling Ale
Arbor Brewing - Plymouth Taproom

Brasserie Blonde Sparkling AleBrasserie Blonde Sparkling Ale
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From:
Arbor Brewing - Plymouth Taproom
 
Michigan, United States
Style:
Witbier
ABV:
6%
Score:
79
Avg:
3.33 | pDev: 17.42%
Reviews:
20
Ratings:
29
Status:
Active
Rated:
Dec 01, 2014
Added:
May 24, 2007
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  2
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by MDekker:
Photo of MDekker
Reviewed by MDekker from Michigan

3.31/5  rDev -0.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
A: It pours out nearly amber - not what I was expecting from a blonde ale - it a German kolsch glass, and comes with a luscious head of more than two fingers and a constant rising cascade of bubbles. Looks nice.

S: WOW! Sour lemon aromas, and that's it, overpowering everything else.

T: Along the same lines - it tastes like malty lemonade - the lemon flavor is very strong. Sour, bitter finish. Interesting, I guess.

M: A little chewy - not too fizzy. Not bad.

D: I'm not really all that big on the lemony punch in the mouth. I'll finish this, and it may float the boat of some people, but not me.
Nov 29, 2008
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.5 by tonyrocknroll from Colorado

Dec 01, 2014
 
Rated: 2.75 by TurboBrew from Michigan

Mar 06, 2014
 
Rated: 3 by tastymug from Washington

Feb 09, 2013
 
Rated: 3.5 by EL48823 from Michigan

Jan 28, 2013
Photo of RblWthACoz
Reviewed by RblWthACoz from Pennsylvania

4.1/5  rDev +23.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Oh, blonde ales. Just the thought makes me bored. But right from the pour on this one, I can see that I am getting something different. Fully clouded with a more brown than blonde color to it. Fruit tones remind me of mature fruits. Seems somewhat hearty with an earthy thing going on. I dunno. There is something about this beer that screams originality and just a bigger load of balls than most brewers would be able to put on the table. I enjoyed drinking this beer.

Adding on: They labeled this a witbier? Ha! Funny. Well....I'll just leave the ratings here as I originally thought of them.
Aug 31, 2012
 
Rated: 3.75 by SirDalton

Jun 30, 2012
 
Rated: 3.5 by Rich540 from California

Apr 14, 2012
 
Rated: 3.5 by 7Durandal7 from Michigan

Mar 27, 2012
 
Rated: 4.25 by BlackBelt5112203 from Michigan

Mar 19, 2012
Photo of Jason
Reviewed by Jason from Massachusetts

3.16/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3
12oz brown bottle with no freshness date.

LOOK: Creamy head from a hard pour, pale amber is slightly hazed

SMELL: Faint spice, faded orange zest, yeast, crackers, phenolic, yeasty, fallen apples

TASTE: Smooth, Bready malt, vague spicing, yeast, mild bitterness, orange pith, light caramel, finishes grainy and dry

Not sure where they wanted this beer to go but the whole orange peel / corriander thing did not seem to work to its potential and the flavors don't meld well together either.
Mar 16, 2012
 
Rated: 4.5 by callmeSteezy from Michigan

Jan 23, 2012
Photo of ElGrecoVerde
Reviewed by ElGrecoVerde from Michigan

2.82/5  rDev -15.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 1 | overall: 2.5
Look:
Copper orange with a faint head.

Smell:
Fruity with a splash of bitterness. Well balanced.

Taste:
Oranges and a hint of spice. Decent bitterness to compliment the other flavors.

Feel:
This is were the beer suffers, big time. Felt syrupy. I've noticed this in other Arbor Brewing beers. Really detracts from the flavor and leaves a musky aftertaste behind.
Dec 12, 2010
Photo of civilizedpsycho
Reviewed by civilizedpsycho from Michigan

3.45/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Poured bottle into pint glass.

Appearance: Pours a deep gold color that is mildly cloudy and had a very small head. It doesn't quite look like the Witbiers I'm used to.

Smell: Has a citrus kick in the aroma that fairly dominates the wheat backbone of this beer. Again, not bad, but not expected.

Taste: Nice sweet flavor that has a good balance between sweet and bitter and has a little bit of citrus to give it a slight kick.

Mouthfeel: It has a light body, but it seems to work. The carbonation kind of tingles the tongue as it goes down.

Drinkability: It has a fairly low alcohol content which is nice in my book, and it's smooth and balanced. Pretty good. It's a nice local brew that I could get again.
Jan 27, 2010
Photo of weasbri
Reviewed by weasbri from Virginia

2.96/5  rDev -11.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
Light copper, a bit hazy. Heady, but it fades fast, light lacing.
I get mostly yeasty aromas. The flavor is sweeter than I expected, citrusy sweetness. A tiny bit of tang in there too.
I wasn't sure what to expect, but certainly I had hoped for a little more flavor, more oomph, and so I was a tad disappointed.
May 30, 2009
Photo of BierFan
Reviewed by BierFan from Michigan

2.55/5  rDev -23.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5
No freshness date. No listed abv. Poured from a 12 ounce bottle into a pint glass.

Appearance: Hazy rusty orange. Almost no head. Very little to no carbonation. You would expect something calling itself a "sparkling ale" would have a lot of carbonation, but not this beer.

Smell: Real sour. Kiwis and sour apples.

Taste: Lots of lemons. Under-ripe kiwi. Very sour, takes a while to get used to the sourness.
Feb 08, 2009
Photo of gmfessen
Reviewed by gmfessen from Michigan

3.15/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2
Poured from the bottle into a pint glass, beer is a slightly hazy, golden-orange color with an almost non-existant head and has small amounts of bubbles rising to the top of the glass. The smell in't very overpowering, but orange peel and corriander is percievable. The flavor revisits the fruitiness of the smell, kicks it up a notch and has a little mouth puckering bite at the end. The mouthfeel is very light with a thin carbonation. Overall, an interesting beer to try but I don't think that I could drink more than one of these.
Jan 08, 2009
Photo of tmoneyba
Reviewed by tmoneyba from Ohio

3.83/5  rDev +15%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Draft at HopCat.

Poured clear copper color with an average fizzy white head that mostly lasted with good lacing. Moderate orange citrus and coriander aroma. Medium body with a sticky texture. Medium spicy sweet flavor with a medium sweet finish of moderate duration.

Complex drinkable brew.
Nov 29, 2008
Photo of beerad666
Reviewed by beerad666 from Illinois

3.36/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Poured from a 12oz bottle into an American pint glass.

This beer pours a very hazy cloudy orange color. At first there was over a finger of light brown head but within moments it was all gone. The smell of orange comes out right away along with the yeast. For the taste, you get some nice citrus with a nice sour bite. Maybe a touch too much carbonation.. but I guess that is why its says sparkling ale on the bottle. In the finish you get some carbonation with a sweet clean taste. Leaves the mouth moist with some sourness.

At first drink I wasn't sure if I liked it, I'm not a big fan of sour beers. But as I had a few more sips it began to grow on me. If you're looking for something on the slightly sour side that doesn't go too far with it this might be a good pick.
Oct 30, 2008
Photo of Shumista
Reviewed by Shumista from Ohio

3.08/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Poured a 12 oz. bottle into a pint glass.

A- Pours a hazy golden orange with a one finger white head.
S- Lots of fruit in the smell, especially citrus.
T- Lots going on here. Some citrus, sour apple, wheat, and very sweet with a dry finish.
M- Very carbonated, not too thin, not too thick.
D- An interesting, different beer. I'm still deciding if I like it enough to buy it again, but I'm glad I gave it a try.
Aug 11, 2008
Brasserie Blonde Sparkling Ale from Arbor Brewing - Plymouth Taproom
Beer rating: 79 out of 100 with 29 ratings