Sainsbury's SO Organic Blonde Ale
Wychwood Brewery Company Ltd

BB 13/10/2007, served cool in a straight imperial pint glass.

A: deep golden hue, coming with a thick spongey white foam with very good retention; carbonation is lively at first, then settles on constant flows of tiny fizziness.
S: juicy citrus fruits and floral aroma (so that's the combined effect of Challenger and Hersbrucker... as stated on the label!) upfront, plus a milder presence of biscuity malts, and a slightly pricky touch of trangerine-zest. Every element coexist in a harmony, though by no means complex.
T: just like the aroma, the palate is led by lime-citrus fruits and a touch of grated Thai ginger (Galanga), while the floral hints emerge along with a deeper layer of aromatic bitter-sweet pale maltiness at a later stage... soothingly bitter in the end, hand in hand with a healthy dose of dryness on the palate, finished clean.
M&D: softly carbonated and refreshing, this light-bodied beer is not bad at all for a non-bottle-conditioned Blond Bitter. Across the board of Wychwood's beers, this one stands on the same level as the better range labeled as Duchy Original (also organic products)--perhaps Wychwood holds some secrets about brewing better organic products than their less interesting, non-organic ones?!

Appearance: sparkly gold, great clarity, thick layer of spongey white foam, good head retention

Aroma: a perfumey mix of dessert apples, cotton candy, and a chamomile and passion fruit hoppiness

Flavor: soft malty backbone with a balanced sweetness; crisp leafy hop flavor with a gentle bitterness hitting just after the beer goes down your throat; finishes semi-dry with a mellow lingering bitterness

Mouthfeel: medium-light body, gentle carbonation, crisp

Other comments: Sainsbury's is really stepping up to the plate and giving Waitrose a run for their money by offering high quality aat cheap prices. This, of course, leaves Tesco, ASDA, and Morrisons in the dust! Great beer.