St Martin Blond Ale
Brasserie De Brunehaut

A: Poured a beautiful, hazy pale orange with a monstrous 3 finger bone white head that was extremely active on the surface with erupting micro-bubbles. The head displayed very good retention slowly yielding to a foamy 1 finger layering after several minutes sporting a fair streaky lacing. Visible carbonation appeared strong and vibrant.

S: simple yet sweet and fit to style with a nice yeastiness of subtle oranges.

T: spicy citrusy oranges with a bright zing and bright carbonation that brought things to life. There was some faint lemon grinds, honey and light bread dough detected as well. There was a nice spicy hoppiness with a floral coating on the tongue. Overall a very nice flavored blonde.

M: light-medium with a nice carbonation presence that brings out the yeasty nature providing a nice tingle.

D: A very pleasant drinking experience and one you could easily drink in multiples. Six pack worthy, very smooth and easy to drink.

330ml bottle from Beers of Europe (£2.69):
Dark golden to amber with a bubbly white head just under 1cm & a slightly hazy body. Its zesty & lively on the nose, lots of earthy hops, yeast & floral notes with honey & a little spice. The taste is similar, lots of earthy hops, yeast & spices with a floral base & peppery, zesty finish. It's medium bodied & the balance is good with solid carbonation & a light sweetness towards the end.

 

Hazy amber orange color with a thick head.
Faint aroma with notes of creamy malt sweetness, earthy yeast and moth balls.
Flavor with predominant notes of earthy hops, tea bags, sugar, grains, some moth balls or may be just anis and coriander. Dry aftertaste with a medium bitterness.
Medium body with somewhat effervescent carbonation. Alcohol of 7% is in theory disguised, though I get some flavored notes of higher alcohol.
I didn’t like the earthy flavor full of spices of this Belgian Strong Blond Ale. It gave the impression as the fermentation had got a bit out of control.

 

 

Pours a typical golden clear with effervescent head, which quickly explodes into the atmosphere.
Leaves a pretty good lacing all things considered.

Aroma is all hops, sweet with a spicy hint.

Taste is fruity initially, quickly receding into a warming honey hit, giving way to a slightly bitter malt finish....I like it.

Feel is unsurprisingly fizzy as expected with all that gas! Refreshing enough, and easy enough to quaff back.
It has a little artificial sweetness in the aftertaste as so many of these blondes do.

Overall, better than a Leffe or Grimbergen, and worth trying I you see it, if not just for the gassy nasal burps!

 

 

 

Golden and cloudy. Tall, creamy and mostly persisting head. Decent lacing. Moderate fruity esters aroma. Citrus upfront, later pears and some spicy phenols . Low hop aroma. Later some caramel. Low bitter flavor. Light-medium body, average carbonation and watery. Smooth. Medium-lasting, low dry finish. Spicy.

Edit: oranges

Lacks of dryness

 

 

 

 

Had again 9/9/18 and while my original review was largely correct (it also was having fun on the theme of voluptuous blonds), I edited it a bit and upped the rating a bit because this one is a yeasty gem. I wanna find this again.

original review....
Gotta like those strong Belgian blondes... particularly when rounded and balanced.
Looks yummy.
Fragrant blend of malt and spice.
On this day, this yeast struck me as more unique than even what the Belgians are known for.
Feel? Bubbly.
If you are a fan of blond Belgians (which will be true of me as long as I have a pulse), don't let this one pass by.

4/3/21 I'd substantially edit the above review (less funny than I thought), but I really do not think St. Martin's makes it here to the Midwest anymore. The label indicated it was bottled in 2014... so I guess Binny's was just letting it hand around because there are no more here. My point: this copy tasted well beyond its prime... I will note this on UnTappd.

Operating under the assumption, that Brunehaut is getting harder to get in the Midwest, I still owe them a micro-review. They do all the cool stuff with gluten-free and organic brews and sustainability and community and I give them OA Hugs for all that... but I'd prefer to have their beer fresh.

 

330 ml bottle into tulip glass, bottled in 10/2010. Pours moderately hazy/cloudy golden orange color with a 1-2 finger dense white head with good retention, that reduces to a thin cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings around the glass, with a moderate amount of streaming carbonation retaining the head. Aromas of lemon, orange, apricot, pear, apple, light banana, honey, bread, light clove, herbal, grass, and yeast earthiness. Nice and pleasant aromas with good balance and complexity of fruity/spicy yeast, earthy hops, and pale malt sweetness; with solid strength. Taste of lemon, orange, apricot, pear, apple, light banana, honey, bread, light clove, herbal, grass, and yeast earthiness. Slight earthy bitterness/yeast spiciness on the finish; with lingering notes of lemon, orange, apricot, pear, apple, light banana/clove, honey, bread, and herbal/yeast earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Nice robustness and complexity of fruity/spicy yeast, earthy hops, and pale malt sweetness; with a good malt/yeast balance and zero cloying sweetness after the finish. Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth, fairly crisp, and lightly creamy mouthfeel that is good. Alcohol is well hidden with minimal warming present after the finish. Overall this is a nice Belgian blonde ale. All around good robustness and complexity of fruity/spicy yeast, earthy hops, and pale malt sweetness; and very smooth to drink for the ABV. I felt like yeast ester flavors were a bit restrained and could have been bolder. Otherwise a nicely enjoyable offering.

very good blonde beer, spiciness gives the amazing taste.