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Norma Jeane
5 Stones Artisan Brewery
- From:
- 5 Stones Artisan Brewery
- Texas, United States
- Style:
- American Blonde Ale
- ABV:
- 6.83%
- Score:
- 84
- Avg:
- 3.67 | pDev: 10.08%
- Reviews:
- 4
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Mar 30, 2020
- Added:
- Jun 06, 2014
- Wants:
- 0
- Gots:
- 6
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Reviewed by Ryno3031 from Texas
3.39/5 rDev -7.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.25
3.39/5 rDev -7.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.25
I like this brewery so was looking forward to trying this as it sounded like a great summer time beer. Unfortunately was very disappointed. Overall it reminded me of a below average IPA. I got almost no strawberry nor vanilla from the smell, but rather a light honey and slightly malt smell. Also got no strawberry in the taste. Maybe slight...very slight vanilla. Smooth up front with a slightly bitter finish (which is what most reminded me of an IPA). Again, really like these guys but this is one I wished I would've left on the shelf.
Jun 17, 2015Reviewed by Jugs_McGhee from Colorado
3.55/5 rDev -3.3%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.55/5 rDev -3.3%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
BOTTLE: Brown glass. Appealing label art and design. Unbranded pry-off pressure cap. 1 pint 9.4 fl oz.
Served cold into a pilsner glass at low altitude in Austin, Texas. Expectations are moderate; this brewery doesn't always do good work, but their beers are always inspired and interesting; they never phone it in and I respect that.
Reviewed live as an American blonde ale per the label. 6.83% ABV.
No bubble show forms as it's poured.
HEAD: 3 fingers wide. Off-white colour. Fluffy. Not particularly supple or soft looking. The consistency could be more even and smooth. Full, but a biteen thin. Leaves no lacing as it recedes. Retention is nice - about 5 minutes.
BODY: Translucent lightly hazy copper of above average vibrance. A bit darker than I expected given it's meant to be a blonde. Clean; no yeast particulate or hop sediment is visible.
Overall, it's a decent looking brew. Not unique or special looking, but generally appealing.
AROMA: Incredibly evocative. Fresh authentic strawberry (none of that artificial strawberry puree nonsense - legit strawberry), faint honey, and light genuine vanilla bean. Honey malt, blonde malts, mild esters. It's not too sweet, but boy does the strawberry work well with the vanilla bean. I'm intrigued, and can't wait to try it.
It's a pleasant aroma of average strength. Nicely fragrant, with above average aromatic intensity.
No yeast character, alcohol, or off-notes are detectable.
TASTE: Honey malt, blonde malts, fresh strawberry notes (though they're not as evocative as the aroma made them seem), mild albeit genuine vanilla, and moderate sweetness. This is a nice twist on a blonde ale, and the strawberry and vanilla work well in the flavour profile - though not as well as would be ideal. Complementary floral hop character fills out the flavour profile nicely, and helps check the malty sweetness. Depth of flavour is above average. Average flavour duration and intensity.
It's complex for a blonde ale, and has some limited subtlety (particularly where the honey is concerned). But there's room for further intricacy and nuance. Overall balance is good but could be better dialed in. This is well-built and executes its premise nicely, but it doesn't quite taste like a gestalt whole which is more than the some of its parts.
I rather like it.
TEXTURE: Smooth, wet, clean, crisp, refreshing, and approachable, with a light to medium body. Thickness is pretty apt, but perhaps a bit high. Not syrupy, oily, gushed, hot, boozy, astringent, harsh, rough, or scratchy. Slightly overcarbonated.
This texture complements the taste nicely, but fails to elevate the beer. Still, overall presence on the palate is quite good.
OVERALL: It's highly drinkable, though it's not effortlessly so like a blonde ale should be. Hides its ABV well. It's a unique take on a blonde, and I'll enjoy draining my glass. More interesting inspired work from 5 Stones, and well worth trying even if it's imperfect. I'd recommend it to friends and will likely be sending it to trade partners. Well-executed and enjoyable, but far from world-class. Still, it's easily the best blonde ale I've had in the past year. 5 Stones is a brewery to watch, and I won't be the least bit surprised when they get the national attention they deserve.
Low B
Feb 06, 2015Served cold into a pilsner glass at low altitude in Austin, Texas. Expectations are moderate; this brewery doesn't always do good work, but their beers are always inspired and interesting; they never phone it in and I respect that.
Reviewed live as an American blonde ale per the label. 6.83% ABV.
No bubble show forms as it's poured.
HEAD: 3 fingers wide. Off-white colour. Fluffy. Not particularly supple or soft looking. The consistency could be more even and smooth. Full, but a biteen thin. Leaves no lacing as it recedes. Retention is nice - about 5 minutes.
BODY: Translucent lightly hazy copper of above average vibrance. A bit darker than I expected given it's meant to be a blonde. Clean; no yeast particulate or hop sediment is visible.
Overall, it's a decent looking brew. Not unique or special looking, but generally appealing.
AROMA: Incredibly evocative. Fresh authentic strawberry (none of that artificial strawberry puree nonsense - legit strawberry), faint honey, and light genuine vanilla bean. Honey malt, blonde malts, mild esters. It's not too sweet, but boy does the strawberry work well with the vanilla bean. I'm intrigued, and can't wait to try it.
It's a pleasant aroma of average strength. Nicely fragrant, with above average aromatic intensity.
No yeast character, alcohol, or off-notes are detectable.
TASTE: Honey malt, blonde malts, fresh strawberry notes (though they're not as evocative as the aroma made them seem), mild albeit genuine vanilla, and moderate sweetness. This is a nice twist on a blonde ale, and the strawberry and vanilla work well in the flavour profile - though not as well as would be ideal. Complementary floral hop character fills out the flavour profile nicely, and helps check the malty sweetness. Depth of flavour is above average. Average flavour duration and intensity.
It's complex for a blonde ale, and has some limited subtlety (particularly where the honey is concerned). But there's room for further intricacy and nuance. Overall balance is good but could be better dialed in. This is well-built and executes its premise nicely, but it doesn't quite taste like a gestalt whole which is more than the some of its parts.
I rather like it.
TEXTURE: Smooth, wet, clean, crisp, refreshing, and approachable, with a light to medium body. Thickness is pretty apt, but perhaps a bit high. Not syrupy, oily, gushed, hot, boozy, astringent, harsh, rough, or scratchy. Slightly overcarbonated.
This texture complements the taste nicely, but fails to elevate the beer. Still, overall presence on the palate is quite good.
OVERALL: It's highly drinkable, though it's not effortlessly so like a blonde ale should be. Hides its ABV well. It's a unique take on a blonde, and I'll enjoy draining my glass. More interesting inspired work from 5 Stones, and well worth trying even if it's imperfect. I'd recommend it to friends and will likely be sending it to trade partners. Well-executed and enjoyable, but far from world-class. Still, it's easily the best blonde ale I've had in the past year. 5 Stones is a brewery to watch, and I won't be the least bit surprised when they get the national attention they deserve.
Low B
Reviewed by WTKeene from New Mexico
3.87/5 rDev +5.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
3.87/5 rDev +5.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
This beer has been on the site for over six months and hasn't been reviewed yet? Crazy.
Anyways, poured from a bottle into a Jester King / Prairie Fluted Tulip glass.
Appearance: Amber gold with vague hints of pink around the edges, a thick foamy white head that coats the glass with thick, sticky lacing.
Smell: Blonde malts, with a prominent strawberries and cream flavor, and a little bit of a Belgian yeast note too, although I have no clue whether or not this uses Belgian yeast.
Taste: Somewhat watery unfortunately, but the strawberries and vanilla flavors are definitely there. Some of those light malts come through on the finish too. Very easy drinking, probably a great summer ale. Wouldn't mind seeing a soured version of this either, the flavors would lend themselves nicely to that treatment.
Mouthfeel: Very light, a little watery, and unfortunately a bit on the flat side too, but that's probably my fault as I let it sit while making dinner.
Overall: It's pretty good, and definitely great for a summer day. 5 Stones has a lot of potential, it will be interesting to see where they go in the future.
Jan 12, 2015Anyways, poured from a bottle into a Jester King / Prairie Fluted Tulip glass.
Appearance: Amber gold with vague hints of pink around the edges, a thick foamy white head that coats the glass with thick, sticky lacing.
Smell: Blonde malts, with a prominent strawberries and cream flavor, and a little bit of a Belgian yeast note too, although I have no clue whether or not this uses Belgian yeast.
Taste: Somewhat watery unfortunately, but the strawberries and vanilla flavors are definitely there. Some of those light malts come through on the finish too. Very easy drinking, probably a great summer ale. Wouldn't mind seeing a soured version of this either, the flavors would lend themselves nicely to that treatment.
Mouthfeel: Very light, a little watery, and unfortunately a bit on the flat side too, but that's probably my fault as I let it sit while making dinner.
Overall: It's pretty good, and definitely great for a summer day. 5 Stones has a lot of potential, it will be interesting to see where they go in the future.
Norma Jeane from 5 Stones Artisan Brewery
Beer rating:
84 out of
100 with
29 ratings
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