Morning Glow: Vanilla Coffee Blonde Ale
Swamp Head Brewery

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From:
Swamp Head Brewery
 
Florida, United States
Style:
American Blonde Ale
Ranked #243
ABV:
5.3%
Score:
82
Ranked #25,182
Avg:
3.55 | pDev: 12.39%
Reviews:
13
Ratings:
47
Status:
Active
Rated:
Feb 18, 2023
Added:
Jun 25, 2014
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  6
A morning awakens with the soft glow of golden perfection. Hazy rays of sunshine peek through the silence, bringing the first light to a new day. Scents of daybreak and sounds of a new beginning permeate the air.
Make your morning, evening, or afternoon glow with our vanilla coffee blonde ale. We’ve gently infused a delicate blonde with Madagascar vanilla beans and locally roasted blonde coffee, creating a palatable work of art, reminiscent of a vanilla latte paired with a freshly baked scone.
Original Gravity: 13.1 Plato
IBUS: 18
Alcohol: 5.3%
Malts: Pilsner, Flaked Oats, Munich, Caramel, Vienna
Hops: Sterline
Other Ingredients: Vanilla, Blonde Coffee, Lactose
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Photo of Legendary_Geko
Reviewed by Legendary_Geko from Florida

3.64/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Look: 1 finger head. Looks like a standard blonde ale

Smell: Coffee. Coffee. Coffee.

Taste: Coffee and beer. Very nice.

Feel: Watery

Overall: Very tasty if you like coffee
Feb 18, 2023
Photo of chinchill
Reviewed by chinchill from South Carolina

3.6/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
On tap at Mae Brewing Co.

Appearance. Hazy pale straw colored body with a decent white head.

Both the aroma and the flavor are dominated by vanilla but both the base blonde ale and some coffee are clearly present. Lightly sweet.

Feel. Light body with medium-light carbonation.
Mar 22, 2022
Photo of hoptheology
Reviewed by hoptheology from California

3.44/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25
12 oz can from Richey's East in Pensacola.
Canned on 12/20/20, into Pipeworks Willie.

Hazy blonde, looking like a wheat ale, with a creamy cap of 1 finger that recedes gradually and leaves foggy lacing up the sides.

Aroma of sourdough bread and grain mash, and a little candy gummy. Nothing else.

Vanilla and coffee clash with hop bitterness creating a harsh beer. With a coffee blonde, or a vanilla blonde, (or a combination of the two) I expect a soft and enjoyable beer. This comes across like a Czech pilsner with off flavors. Straw and grass with some slight pale doughy malt with floral vanilla and hints of coffee flavor.

Feel is hard as well. Hard wall of carbonation, seltzer-like, with a light body and a starchy finish. Also some hop resins.

Overall, they were too afraid they were going to make a fu-fu beer and overloaded the hops. It really does taste like a Czech Pilsner with some weird Mikkeller-like adjuncts. Would not revisit.

Price paid : $1.89
Apr 22, 2021
Photo of BergBeer
Reviewed by BergBeer from Hawaii

3.27/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
Poured from a 12oz can into a shaker pint

Look: Pale opaque yellow with a thin white head. Looks like a home brew.

Smell: Notes of vanilla, coffee, clove, and light toast with honey.

Taste: The blonde body comes up first. Belgian yeast spice, wheat, and honey. Then the vanilla and coffee come through gently. This is all fine but the vanilla comes off a little medicinal.

Feel: It clings to the palate a little too much for a light blonde like this. Quenching body. Light all around. No bitterness. No alcohol. Medium sweetness. Soft carbonation.

A fine beer. Nothing I’d search out but I wouldn’t mind drinking one again. Alright.
Mar 25, 2021
 
Rated: 3.5 by 1971bernat from Virginia

Mar 07, 2021
 
Rated: 3.74 by epterina from Florida

Apr 07, 2020
 
Rated: 4.04 by user785335 from Florida

Nov 25, 2019
Photo of jjamadorphd
Reviewed by jjamadorphd from Florida

3.83/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
First time I can recall I have had a coffee flavor beer that was not dark, and this was good...

Orange-hue, hazy, with a thin line of foam. The smell was strong on coffee, while the taste was balanced - not too coffee tasting. Mouthfeel was carbonated but not distractingly so, making for an overall solid experience.
May 26, 2019
 
Rated: 3.75 by robotic_being from Illinois

Feb 21, 2019
 
Rated: 4.2 by WynnO from Florida

Feb 07, 2019
 
Rated: 3.68 by Jcarriglio from Florida

Jan 20, 2019
 
Rated: 3.5 by Agentveba from North Carolina

Jan 30, 2017
Photo of Amguerra305
Reviewed by Amguerra305 from Florida

3.92/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Sits a clearish Amber yellow in the glass. Smell is coffee forward with not much vanilla presence. The taste has the coffee much more subdued with the vanilla giving the beer a pleasant sweetness. Definitely is reminiscent of a vanilla late with a malty front end. Feel is medium light with not a whole lot of carbonation. Overall they get an A for effort as it is good but not truly amazing.
Dec 04, 2016
 
Rated: 4.2 by CalebM from Florida

Oct 10, 2016
 
Rated: 4.01 by joemochas from Florida

Sep 28, 2016
 
Rated: 3.75 by kylehay2004 from Illinois

May 10, 2016
 
Rated: 2.67 by mothman from Minnesota

Apr 21, 2016
 
Rated: 3.24 by LoveStout from New York

Mar 20, 2016
 
Rated: 3.22 by acurtis from New Jersey

Mar 20, 2016
 
Rated: 3.64 by sendbeer from Georgia

Feb 10, 2016
Morning Glow: Vanilla Coffee Blonde Ale from Swamp Head Brewery
Beer rating: 82 out of 100 with 47 ratings