Walter Blonde Ale
Pigeon Hill Brewing Company

 

This beer falls short for a blonde ale.

 

I picked up can of Pigeon Hill's Walter BlondAle for $1.79 at The Lager Mill. A Blonfe Ale sounds good today and a hoppy one sounds even better, so lets see how it goes. 2017 Vintage. Poured from a 12oz can into a imperial pint glass.

A_ The can looks ok, it's pretty typical looking for this brewery and it isn't too eye catching. It poured a nice orange color that took on a brighter orange color when held to the light with a fingers worth of creamy off white head that died down to a thin ring that eventually faded away and it left hardly any lacing behind behind. This is nice looking beer, but I wish it had better head retention and lacing.

S- The aroma starts off with a medium amount of sweetness with a little bit of cardboard like aroma being the first show up and that goes into a light but noticeable hop aromas with some earthy hop aromas coming through. Up next comes some doughy yeast and it's followed by some sweet malt and some grainy, bready and doughy aromas. This beer has a decent aroma, it's pretty true to style, but I wish the hops were a little more noticeable.

T- The taste seems to be similar to the aroma and it starts off with a medium amount of sweetness with the malts being the first to show up and they impart all the same aspects that they did in the aroma with some grainy and sweet malt flavors seeming to stick out the most. Up next comes some doughy yeast and that leads into the hops which impart all the same aspects that they did in the aroma, but they are a good amount lighter this time. On the finish there's a lighter amount of bitterness with a little more sweetness and it has a malty and grainy aftertaste. This is an ok tasting beer, it's very average for the style and the hops barely show up.

M- Smooth, crisp, a little creamy, on the full side of being light bodied with a medium amount of carbonation. The mouthfeel is nice and it works well with this beer.

Overall I thought this was just an ok beer and I thought it was a pretty average example of the style, it's not bad by any means, but it is on the bland side and the hops don't really come through in the taste. This beer had ok drinkability, one is enough for me, the taste doesn't really keep me coming back for more. What I like the most about this beer is the appearance and mouthfeel, those are easily the highlights of this beer. What I like the least about this beer is the taste, it's just a very average Blonde Ale with hardly any hops. I wouldn't buy this beer again, but I don't think I would turn one down and I can't say I would recommend, it isn't to hard to find a better hoppy Blonde Ale. All in all I didn't hate this beer, but I didn't love it either, it falls right in the middle and that makes for a pretty average Blonde Ale. It's not a favorite beer from Pigeon Hill and it's average at best for the style. Better luck next time guys, this one could use some work.

 

 

 

12 ounce can into pint glass, canned on 12/13/2016. Pours fairly crystal clear medium golden/yellow color with a 1-2 finger fairly dense white head with good retention, that reduces to a thin cap that lingers. Light spotty lacing clings on the glass, with a moderate amount of streaming carbonation retaining the cap. Aromas of big lemon, peach, mango, melon, tangerine, passion fruit, white grape, berry, light pepper, cracker, biscuit, light honey, herbal, and floral/grassy earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of fruity/tropical hops and moderate bready malt notes; with great strength. Taste of big lemon, peach, mango, melon, tangerine, passion fruit, white grape, berry, light pepper, cracker, biscuit, light honey, herbal, and floral/grassy earthiness. Light herbal/spicy bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of lemon, peach, mango, melon, tangerine, passion fruit, white grape, berry, cracker, biscuit, light honey, and herbal/floral/grassy earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Great complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/tropical hops and moderate bready malt flavors; with a great malt/bitterness balance, and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Minimal dryness. Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth, moderately bready/grainy/creamy, and lightly sticky balanced mouthfeel that is nice. Zero warming alcohol as expected of 5%. Overall this is a great Blonde ale! All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/tropical hops and moderate bready malt flavors; very smooth and refreshing to drink. The Nelson Sauvin hops are extremely well represented, despite the low bitterness of the beer. Great balance and very flavorful on malt presence. A very enjoyable offering.