B.A.L Blonde
Brasserie Artisanale Du Luberon

 

Poorly balanced with little depth and a metallic aftertaste. I know nothing about this brewery, but it has the feel of an attempt to mass produce an Abbey ale that failed.

 

 

 

 

Found a trio of these beers at Porters at Northwood. Not having seen them before I decided to pick them up and give them a try. Started for no particular reason with this one. 330ml tallish brown bottle.

Pours a murky golden colour, tending towards orange in the deeper parts. Head doesn't form much on its own, but a rigid pour gives it a crackling, disturbed bubbling of just off-white. This settles to a fine half-centimetre on the top of the glass, and leaves very fine tiny lace. Carbonation is fine, and it looks like it has a reasonably good body to it. Overall, I'm pretty happy with how it looks.

Nose is crisp with grains, but painted with a slick, fruity almost-acidity. Some leafy euro-style hops come through, but they're very muted. The slightly tart character seems to win out, and it's a little bit disconcerting, giving a funky character like a Saison, without the rest of the characters of a Saison. Hmm...

Taste is similarly drawn. Here, there's a smoothness to the palate, but that accentuates the sweetness and the fruity acidity, giving it a character like apricot nectar. Definite tart bite on the back lets it dissolve into a fizzy buzz towards the finish. Slight drying hops, but when the faint bitterness melds with the sour character, it gives a metallic note that's actually quite unpleasant.

Overall, this seems wrong to me. There are some pleasant elements, but the acidity and the rampant fruitiness seem like they're extremely unintentional, and they really ruin this beer for me. I can't say I enjoyed this much at all.