Blonde | The Hop Studio

4.62/5  rDev +16.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A 500ml bottle with a BB of July 2013. Acquired a little while ago from Trembling Madness in York. Another beer from York's newest brewery - if the standard of their previous brews is anything to go by, this will be a treat.

Poured into a tulip pint glass. Bottle conditioned. A hazy golden hue with fine sediment and good carbonation. Yields a large head of creamy white foam with decent retention; this slowly reduces to a surface layer. Nice lacing. Aroma of juicy, fruity hop notes: grapefruit, white grapes, blackcurrent, citrus, melon - simply incredible. This is underpinned by subtle grainy malt and dry yeast. Slightly sweet and unbelievably delicious!

Tastes of juicy aromatic hops with a hint of malt and a dry bitter finish. Very hoppy, with notes of grapefruit, white grape, orange peel, citrus, mild blackcurrent, grain, earthy yeast and stewed hops. A dry, leafy bitterness upon swallowing. Mouthfeel is smooth, dry and light, with nice body relative to the low ABV. Somewhat astringent, with an aftertaste of fruity aromatic hops and a restrained bitterness.

A fantastic blonde - superb. The aromatic hop flavours are amazing - a palette of fruit notes. Light malt character and yeast add depth. I'm revealing my prejudice here, but the high score I've given reflects my love for hoppy brews. In my view, this is the perfect pale ale. Well worth trying if you come across it.

 1,400 characters

3.74/5  rDev -6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Bottle. Light straw. No Head.
Aroma of sweet hay and citrus fruit.
Some malt balances the hoppy taste.
Light to moderate body.
Easy drinking and better than the average blonde ale.

 180 characters

3.53/5  rDev -11.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.25

3.75/5  rDev -5.8%

4/5  rDev +0.5%

3.75/5  rDev -5.8%

500ml bottle with a low ABV of only 3.5%. On pouring you get a glass full of carbonation and a light straw coloured ale producing a nice frothy head which quickly disappears - it's similar to pouring a sparkling wine. The smell has fruity notes with a yeasty undercurrent- with grapefruit being the strongest smell. The taste is refreshing with great hops which change to a malty slightly bitter aftertaste. The taste remains long after swallowing however which I like with an ale. I like this and is perfect for a refreshing thirst quenching drink. Perhaps a little too bitter in the aftermath for me but enjoyable

 615 characters