Dirty Blonde
Great River Brewery

Dirty BlondeDirty Blonde
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From:
Great River Brewery
 
Iowa, United States
Style:
American Blonde Ale
ABV:
4.8%
Score:
81
Avg:
3.53 | pDev: 18.98%
Reviews:
21
Ratings:
83
Status:
Retired
Rated:
May 09, 2022
Added:
May 11, 2013
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  18
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by tone77:
Photo of tone77
Reviewed by tone77 from Pennsylvania

3.54/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Another beer from woodychandler, who came through with a huge hook up. Poured from a 12 oz. can. Has a bright golden color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is kind of mild, some malts, very little chocolate. Taste is good and unique. The malts and grains come first, then the chocolate at the finish. Tasty and refreshing. Feels medium bodied in the mouth and overall is a solid beer.
Sep 28, 2013
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.68 by alexvhrk from Wisconsin

May 09, 2022
 
Rated: 2.38 by TMoney2591 from Illinois

Aug 03, 2021
 
Rated: 3.55 by Chilmer from Iowa

May 24, 2018
 
Rated: 3.65 by Half-full from Illinois

Mar 12, 2018
 
Rated: 4 by Riik3 from Illinois

Dec 30, 2017
 
Rated: 3.24 by Allurex from Kansas

Aug 25, 2017
Photo of FBarber
Reviewed by FBarber from Illinois

2.78/5  rDev -21.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.75
Pours a light copper almost orange color, thick white head dissipates slowly leaving a thin layer of white foam on the top.

Smell has notes of malts, white chocolate and vanilla with a strong grain aroma. Pretty dull overall.

Taste follows the nose with a strong grainy flavor tinged with sweet notes of vanilla, white chocolate, and real bitter aftertaste - not like a hop bitterness more like an acidic grain bitterness. Tastes like a bad AAL with some vanilla/chocolate sweetness thrown in. Sugary sweet flavor coats the mouth as you drink it.

Feel is smooth and full from the sweetness. Moderate carbonation.

Overall this is not a beer I'd drink again willingly.
Aug 01, 2017
Photo of Lone_Freighter
Reviewed by Lone_Freighter from Vermont

3.75/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
This one pours a slightly hazy golden yellow color ("dirty blonde" I guess, sure why not?) and leaves the same colored body. It has a one finger foamy white head that dies and leaves some nice lookin’ clingy lacing to the glass. The smell has a toasty yet slightly roasty chocolate-ness that comes through slightly malty in the background The taste is sweet all the way through, and then gets a bit stronger in the chocolate the more it goes down. It has a strong sweet chocolate aftertaste and a dry finish. On the palate, it has a light to medium body and becomes somewhat sessionable with a slightly creamy edge to it. Carbonation is spot on for the style and for me. Overall, this would be my first American Blonde Ale with chocolate in it.
Jun 09, 2017
Photo of StonedTrippin
Reviewed by StonedTrippin from Colorado

3.67/5  rDev +4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
its hard to get a lot of chocolate to work in a beer this light, both in body and in abv and in grain complexion too, and i think this beer does a pretty good job with a difficult task, my first from great river. pale in color, with a weird sort of powdered chocolate nose to it, oddly grainy with it, not all the way cohesive, but not unappealing. the flavor is better, with a drier cocoa flavor to it, a subtle milk chocolate sweetness, and still enough beer flavor to make this sort of work. chocolate always ends up with dark grains in stout and porter and such, but its nice to see it sort of naked and exposed in a beer like this, a pretty light and simple blonde ale. the chocolate is well within balance, and doesnt seem forced to me at all, there is just the right amount, and there is even a little bitterness from it in the end. it could use more carbonation, but the flavors are pretty good for what this is. a rather ambitious brew really, and well executed. i like the chocolate flavor in a lighter beer like this, and could see this having extremely wild appeal, even among the non flavored ale drinkers. i dont need a ton of these, but one was nice!
Apr 18, 2017
 
Rated: 3.76 by kylehay2004 from Illinois

Mar 22, 2017
 
Rated: 3.85 by ryanxhall from Iowa

Mar 02, 2017
Photo of Nimbus_
Reviewed by Nimbus_ from Illinois

3.75/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.75
Look: A beautiful, golden amber color. Only a tiny bit of haziness. A finger of foamy white head that dissipates pretty quickly once drinking.

Smell: There is a presence of bready malts, a little bit of sweet malts, and a cocoa backbone. Maybe I'm just not used to lighter beers like this having chocolate notes, but the overall aroma was sort of off putting. It didn't make me excited to take my first sip.

Taste: I was really surprised with the taste. The same malt and chocolate presence is in the flavor as well, but I think it comes out a lot more balanced than in the smell. It's really delicious, despite the off-putting smell I was getting.

Feel: Not as crisp or refreshing as a typical blonde, but still easily drinkable. Low carbonation. The chocolate doesn't add too much heaviness to the mouthfeel, so the whole feel remains balanced.

Overall: I went in to drinking this brew thinking it wouldn't be very good, and while the smell didn't impress me, pretty much every other aspect left me very pleased. It's a great, light choice for people who still love to have a little bit of chocolate in their beer.
Feb 12, 2017
 
Rated: 3.53 by Chuckdiesel24 from Illinois

Oct 03, 2016
 
Rated: 3.46 by crow from Illinois

Sep 21, 2016
Photo of Suds
Reviewed by Suds from Missouri

3.98/5  rDev +12.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
From a can, this brew is a clearish blonde color with a few floaties and a fizzy white head. The aroma has a serious chocolate liquor scent....a hint of malt, and lots of chocolate and light bitterness. Medium Fumm in body and intense.
Sep 11, 2016
 
Rated: 3.62 by monty79_1997 from Missouri

Jun 19, 2016
 
Rated: 4.94 by ChinoBeano from Missouri

May 13, 2016
 
Rated: 1.75 by Whiskeydeez from Kansas

May 09, 2016
 
Rated: 2.75 by Gotti311 from Wisconsin

Dec 08, 2015
Dirty Blonde from Great River Brewery
Beer rating: 81 out of 100 with 83 ratings