Blonde Breakfast Ale
Cricket Hill Brewing Co.

 

DATE: June 19, 2021... OCCASION: a second beer review on Father's Day eve--a good finish to the day... GLASSWARE: La Fin du Monde tulip.... the tasting is delayed by its incredible froth, poured out in a ratio too great to sip immediately... it sits as an opaque, brooding amber orange body that supports a frothy white head whose resilience is impressive.... bright, yeast, pepper, banana, garden herbs, bubble gum, and hay... overall, a decent allure.... it sips smoothly, a bit grainy, and without fanfare--an easy drink for a summer night.... refreshing, with some accentuation at the teeth...its finish doesn't linger... bubble gum, banana, slight pepper, some toasted bread malts, honey, and some bitterness that makes this a good approximation of the classic Belgians... this is enjoyable and refreshing in its embracing the Belgian profile in an accessible form... I was looking for a beer to enjoy on the hotter days/nights, and this works in that setting--and throughout the summer too...

After 19 years in business, it was nice to see that Cricket Hill is finally canning as I saw this and a few other offerings up at ShopRite Liquors in Caldwell. It's been a very long time since I've had anything from these guys as they're still one of the closest breweries to my house and this is a bit different than what I was accustomed to from them. Easy to drink and full of fall fruit and farmhouse funk (say that three times fast!), this was exactly as I though it would be as it was to it's description.

This had a lovely, copper hue to it as it quietly shone and was topped off with a moderately fluffy and bready head that was slow to settle. One thick soapy ring stuck around near the top of my pint glass as there were some soapy splotches below that that got progressively thicker as I worked my way through this. Lots of banana and clove but there was a good amount of apple, pear, and farmhouse funk that cut through those in the nose as they were more pronounced in the taste. Lots of yeast, subtle citrus tang, and spicy bread rounded out the flavor as this was both an easy and full sipper at the same time. Lots of esters gave this a raw feel with the beer being true to it's Belgian roots underneath it's format-straddling nature.

Booze? It's here but this went down so fast that I hardly felt it as I could have easily cracked another one open after finishing this off. No date on the bottom of the can but I'll give these guys a break since this was one of the few offerings that came in this format. Love the retro-looking label and as per it's description, this would be a beer that would be loved by Abbey Monks! This was perfect for an early fall night such as this when apple juice or an Octoberfest just wouldn't do. Glad to see that Cricket Hill is still going after all of these years!