Blonde Ale
King Street Brewing Company

i think this beer has changed a little over the years. its on the hoppier side of blonde ale now, definitely more flavorful than most. i often find this style to be generic, even the good ones all taste pretty similar most of the time, so i was pleased that this felt quite modern and intentional, a little honey color to this, not the lightest one in the game, but it doesnt need to be. decent clarity and shine, shorter white head, looks fine. the nose is almost peppery up front from the hops, some brightening lemon zesty character too, and still a noble type vibe with the later bitterness. light toasted character to the grain, this is maybe a bit more robust than most, but its in great balance. the flavor is right there too, hoppy all the way through and bitter enough at the end to probably scare off the typical blonde ale crowd, but i dig it. definite citrus and grassiness to the hops, a touch of middle malt sweetness keeping it in check, and enough carbonation overall where this doesnt get heavy just because its flavorful. this wont appeal to everyone, but i like where this is at. craftier to me than many, still not a top king street beer in my opinion, but something a little different in an almost obnoxiously samey style space...

 

 

On tap at Humpy’s. This was poured into a pint glass. The appearance had a fairly nice looking hazy amber color with a slight transparency to it. The head dissipated immediately, I’m not concerned, still there was a good bar pour. The smell had a sweet caramel to toffee blend with a light breadiness in and out. The taste was mainly the same as the smell. There was a light bready aftertaste. On the palate, this one sat about a light to medium on the body with a fairly decent sessionability about it. The carbonation was good for the style and for me. Overall, I say this was a pretty good blonde that I could come back to.

 

 

Hoppier blonde ale really good for west coasties.

 

DeCANted (it's in a can, haha) into my pint glass, just chilled.

Just about a half finger of white head forms over a pretty, transparent golden orange in which many carbonation streams flow. So somewhat of a dark blonde. 4.1.

The aroma packs a nice little mix of lemon, banana, and grassy hops. There might even be a little bit of spicy cloves. Smells inviting. 4.21.

I think this is one of the "beeriest"-tasting beers I've tried. "Beery" referring to my own basic descriptor for those simply classic flavor qualities that "beer in general" is known for: crispy clean, malty, bready, yeasty simplicity. To get a little more specific, I might add that the hops taste noble. Not as noble as a king or something, but, definitely related to royalty. 4.47.

The feel is pretty light and matches the simply but effectively-stated flavor, I think. 4.24.

To me, this has everything any lighter, pale beer needs to be good. And I can kind of detect some European roots in it as well (note the clove smell and noble hops), which is a cool little bonus.