Surly Blonde
Phillips Brewing & Malting Co.
- From:
- Phillips Brewing & Malting Co.
- British Columbia, Canada
- Style:
- Belgian Tripel
- ABV:
- 9.1%
- Score:
- 82
- Avg:
- 3.56 | pDev: 18.26%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 21
- Status:
- Retired
- Rated:
- Jan 25, 2015
- Added:
- May 13, 2006
- Wants:
- 1
- Gots:
- 1
SCORE
82
Good
82
Good
The Surly Blonde keeps watch over a bottle chock full of funky Belgian flavours and lots of alcohol! We brew this with a handful of herbs to give a very distintive note when the beer is young, and leave a bit of yeast in it so that it is able to mature over time, building complexity for the procrastinating (ie, patient) aficionado.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Reviewed by TheJollyHop from California
2.57/5 rDev -27.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5
2.57/5 rDev -27.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5
Pours a straw gold with an underwhelming amount of carbonation. Scents of yeast, sugar, bread, and coriander.
Apple juice, sickly sweet corn syrup, faint herbal component on the back end; ends sweet. Not herbal or spicy enough for the style. Sweetness is not balanced effectively, and the yeast strain didn't impress. Definitely needed more carbonation. Alcohol gives some heat throughout the taste. Couldn't finish this one; hopefully they don't miss the mark on their next batch.
Feb 06, 2011Apple juice, sickly sweet corn syrup, faint herbal component on the back end; ends sweet. Not herbal or spicy enough for the style. Sweetness is not balanced effectively, and the yeast strain didn't impress. Definitely needed more carbonation. Alcohol gives some heat throughout the taste. Couldn't finish this one; hopefully they don't miss the mark on their next batch.
Reviewed by biboergosum from Canada (AB)
3.97/5 rDev +11.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
3.97/5 rDev +11.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
650ml bottle, one of the few remaining souvenirs of my raid on the guv'ment liquor stores in Kelowna earlier this year...and into my DDC tulip glass it goes.
This beer pours a slightly hazy, medium golden orange hue, with one finger of weakly foamy, and mostly just soapy off-white head, which bolts quickly, leaving a thin ring of meniscus lace around the glass.
It smells of semi-sweet, grainy wheat and pale malt, banana esters, clove spice, and a bit of warming alcohol. The taste is pretty much the same - more sweet wheat malt, a bit of plain brown bread, candied banana, clove, white pepper, a bit of mild, somewhat vegetal yeastiness, and a very soft, sugary alcohol stripe.
The carbonation is on the low side, barely a pip or tic to be found, the body decently weighty, smooth, and more than a wee bit creamy - no alcohol ingress here. It finishes well off-dry, the malt and sugar sweetness abating only a tad, as do the yeast and spices, offset by a soft, smooth, and enticing tummy-warming booziness.
Wow - this goes down just a little too easily - seamlessly integrated big ABV, smooth, and nicely balanced between the sweet and the spiced. Very, very good, but too bad it's kind of hard to come by, it would seem.
Oct 17, 2010This beer pours a slightly hazy, medium golden orange hue, with one finger of weakly foamy, and mostly just soapy off-white head, which bolts quickly, leaving a thin ring of meniscus lace around the glass.
It smells of semi-sweet, grainy wheat and pale malt, banana esters, clove spice, and a bit of warming alcohol. The taste is pretty much the same - more sweet wheat malt, a bit of plain brown bread, candied banana, clove, white pepper, a bit of mild, somewhat vegetal yeastiness, and a very soft, sugary alcohol stripe.
The carbonation is on the low side, barely a pip or tic to be found, the body decently weighty, smooth, and more than a wee bit creamy - no alcohol ingress here. It finishes well off-dry, the malt and sugar sweetness abating only a tad, as do the yeast and spices, offset by a soft, smooth, and enticing tummy-warming booziness.
Wow - this goes down just a little too easily - seamlessly integrated big ABV, smooth, and nicely balanced between the sweet and the spiced. Very, very good, but too bad it's kind of hard to come by, it would seem.
Reviewed by chickenm from Canada (BC)
2.74/5 rDev -23%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 1.5
2.74/5 rDev -23%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 1.5
Pours a golden orange color with hardly any head. Sweet aroma with ripe fruits, yeast, sugar, and a slight vegetal smell. Taste is overly sweet, with a sticky medium-bodied mouthfeel. Carbonation is quite low. Difficult to finish a whole 650mL bottle of this.
Oct 09, 2010
Reviewed by joemcgrath27 from Canada (AB)
3.59/5 rDev +0.8%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.59/5 rDev +0.8%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
A - hazy golden orange, more hazy on the top half of the glass, short head didn't really stick around
S - clovish yeast esters, light grainy malt, mild citrus, and a sugary bubblegum hint
T - classic belgian yeast flavours very prominent, very grainy wheaty malt, some citrus and syrupy fruit hints, along with a light peppery note
M - a little thin bodied but full flavour, some tartness and dry from the high ABV which is generally well hidden
D - a nice effort at a belgian triple for a small western canadian micro, flavours were decent and the alcohol well hidden, but a little on the thin side
Sep 08, 2010S - clovish yeast esters, light grainy malt, mild citrus, and a sugary bubblegum hint
T - classic belgian yeast flavours very prominent, very grainy wheaty malt, some citrus and syrupy fruit hints, along with a light peppery note
M - a little thin bodied but full flavour, some tartness and dry from the high ABV which is generally well hidden
D - a nice effort at a belgian triple for a small western canadian micro, flavours were decent and the alcohol well hidden, but a little on the thin side
Reviewed by andrenaline from Canada (ON)
3.42/5 rDev -3.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
3.42/5 rDev -3.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
A - Pours a slightly hazy, pale golden straw colour, paper thin head with no retention and little lacing.
S - Spices dominate the scent with cloves and coriander, followed by sour citrus and some bananas.
T - Fruits come through with bananas and orange, followed by the spices, cloves and some light pepper finish. Alcohol is nicely hidden, which was nice given its high ABV.
M - A little thin and watery, could use a bit more carbonation to make it more enjoyable.
D - Decent offering from Phillips, but not my favourite. The flavours were nice and alcohol well hidden, but the mouthfeel was a bit of a turnoff.
Sep 06, 2010S - Spices dominate the scent with cloves and coriander, followed by sour citrus and some bananas.
T - Fruits come through with bananas and orange, followed by the spices, cloves and some light pepper finish. Alcohol is nicely hidden, which was nice given its high ABV.
M - A little thin and watery, could use a bit more carbonation to make it more enjoyable.
D - Decent offering from Phillips, but not my favourite. The flavours were nice and alcohol well hidden, but the mouthfeel was a bit of a turnoff.
Reviewed by ericj551 from Canada (AB)
4.57/5 rDev +28.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5
4.57/5 rDev +28.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5
Sphillips Surly Blonde pours a orange gold with a decent head that fades to a thin layer. The aroma is sweet pale malt with some chalky, yeasty esters. The sweetness is muted in the flavor, but there it a little more malt flavor, leading nicely into some mild fruity esters. The esters fade into a light phenolic character that lingers a bit in the aftertaste. Alcohol is completely hidden, very good for the strength.
Sep 04, 2010
Reviewed by DoubleJ from Wisconsin
3.59/5 rDev +0.8%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.59/5 rDev +0.8%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
One of the guy's at Viti Wine & Lager recommended this beer for me. He said that it's a deceiving treat. Being ignorant to Canadian beers, I took his advice and got a 650 ml bottle. On to the beer:
This tripel is a little lighter than orange in color, with adequate head and retention. Spicy banana in the nose. A little dusting a sugar, some bubblegum, but mostly it's banana. Nothing wrong with that.
The beer guy was right, the alcohol is deceptive. Very deceptive. It warms the stomach at times. There's a little sugar and bubblegum note to taste at first. A little spice, and some amounts of candied pale fruits. The overall intensity of that beer is much lighter than expected being at 9.1% ABV. The flavors are balanced well enough to make this a drinkable Belgian-styled beer. As the the mouthfeel, it is a little light with small carbonation bubbles hitting the paalte.
Surly Blonde, while not put-you-on-your-knees kind of Belgian, is as solid as a rock. Worth trying out for fans of tripel.
Jun 11, 2010This tripel is a little lighter than orange in color, with adequate head and retention. Spicy banana in the nose. A little dusting a sugar, some bubblegum, but mostly it's banana. Nothing wrong with that.
The beer guy was right, the alcohol is deceptive. Very deceptive. It warms the stomach at times. There's a little sugar and bubblegum note to taste at first. A little spice, and some amounts of candied pale fruits. The overall intensity of that beer is much lighter than expected being at 9.1% ABV. The flavors are balanced well enough to make this a drinkable Belgian-styled beer. As the the mouthfeel, it is a little light with small carbonation bubbles hitting the paalte.
Surly Blonde, while not put-you-on-your-knees kind of Belgian, is as solid as a rock. Worth trying out for fans of tripel.
Reviewed by Phyl21ca from Canada (QC)
1.57/5 rDev -55.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1 | overall: 1.5
1.57/5 rDev -55.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1 | overall: 1.5
Bottle: Poured a deep bright orangey color ale with a a large foamy head with good retention and some lacing. Aroma of grossly sweet malt with cough-syrup ester is not the most interesting. Taste is also quite gross with too much fake sweet ester and some overpowered sugar. Body is about average with good carbonation and no apparent alcohol. This is one of the worst tripel I have tried - way too much sweetness and not spicy yeast or fruity ester.
Dec 05, 2009
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