Matter Of Fact
Collective Arts Brewing

A-Pale yellow with a soapy white head and good lacing
S-Tropical fruit with spruce and a little spice
M-Light dry mouthfeel with low end but prickly carbonation
T-Subtle grapefruit pith bitterness upfront and throughout.
O-Decent blond with come hop character that comes out trying to do a lot with a little.

Not a blonde ale. Typical cloudy, citrusy, ipa thing. Doesn’t taste like beer.

473 ml can, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 4.8%. Hops are Ella and Centennial. Hazy pale yellow colour, moderate to small white head. Nice aroma of tropical fruits and citrus, a hint of spruce. Light bodied. The flavour is mid between dry and sweet, citrus and tropical fruits again, apparently no lactose, a slight resinous bitterness in the finish.

 

 

Appearance - Pours a hazy banana with two fingers of bubbly white head.

Smell - earthy, leafy, floral, and herbal hops, lemon, hints of mango, peach, and papaya, grainy malts, and earthy yeast.

Taste - earthy, leafy, floral, and herbal hops upfront. The lemon, and light notes of mango, peach, and papaya come through next. The grainy malts and earthy yeast round out the brew.

Mouthfeel - Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Finishes with a light stickiness alongside the fruits lingering.

Overall - A refreshing blonde that hits all the key elements of the style. I would've liked to see more hop bitterness but nonethless an easy drinking tipple!

 

4.8%

 

Pours milky pale yellow with a small but persistent head. Doughy, grainy, biscuity malts in the nose. Some tropical and floral hops in there too. The taste is of fresh baked bread with lemon, pineapple, apricot, mango hop notes. The mouthfeel is light with medium carbonation. Light bitterness in the short finish.

A nice blonde ale. Simple, malty but balanced with a good amount of hop depth for the style. Worth a try.

473 mL can from the LCBO; dated May 12 2021 and served slightly chilled. Listed at 4.8%.

Pours a cloudy pale golden yellow colour, topped with half a finger of loose, bubbly white head that dissipates within a minute or two. It leaves behind a modest collar of suds and some filmy wisps on the surface, but little in the way of lace. Fruity, floral and bright on the nose - I'm getting lemon, melon and some grapefruit, as well as a touch of biscuity, honeyed sweetness.

A decent blonde ale - the malt side of the equation isn't neglected here, with some bready malts and doughy, honeyed sweetness coming through at the forefront. The remainder of the profile is dotted with hints of grapefruit, lemon and melon, with some floral, pithy hop bitterness rounding out the tail end of the sip; it all culminates in a citrusy aftertaste that lingers briefly. Light-medium in body, with middling carbonation levels that add a bit of spritz to this brew's fairly smooth, somewhat slick mouthfeel; fantastic drinkability.

Final Grade: 3.91, a worthy B+. Matter of Fact is a solid blonde ale, of that there's no doubt - the real question is whether or not it's any better than their old Saint of Circumstance. I'd need to try them side by side to be sure, but I think I'd give the edge to Matter, due to its more robust malt backbone and delightfully fruity dry hop flavours. Either one would serve just fine as a light-ish thirst quencher on a warm spring afternoon.

 

 

473 ml can served cold into a pint glass. LCBO purchase for $3.35 CDN.

Appearance - Hazy pale golden - yellow straw colored brew and a finger of white head that dissipates quickly.

Smell - Sweet caramel notes with leafy hops backing things up.

Taste - Sweet with slightly citrusy flavors, A touch of bitterness afterwards that is leafy hops and a touch of orange. Turns quite watery afterwards.

Mouthfeel - Medium bodied, slightly sticky then turns fizzy.

Overall -Serviceable blonde ale, but actually prefer Saint of Circumstance by a decent margin.

 

Pours slightly hazy with a nice head and lots of lacing. Metallic notes and hops on the nose. The taste is really good, bitter, a bit smokey. Mouthfeel is quite bubbly
March 14 2021