El Guero
Ol' Burro Brewery

 

 

Poured from 16oz can into a pint glass. Pale gold but not quite yellow with a surprisingly thick and foamy head that dissipated slowly. Smell is mild, mostly malts, maybe a hint of citrus. Taste is well balanced, beginning with malts and transitioning to a mild lemony sweetness. Little to no lingering aftertaste. Mouth feel was thin, but not like a light beer. Overall, this is a refreshing, balanced beer. Nothing too spectacular, but a good entry in the style and a great brew for a hot afternoon. Would make a good session beer.

 

 

 

This is a better Blonde than a lot of the ones out there. The light and distinctly lemony flavor reminds me of the Pilsner I just drank, but without the intense hoppiness. El Güero is a more tart Blonde with less sweetness. Even some malty mouthfeel. Thoroughly drinkable and a very decent brew for the lighter alcohol content.

Poured from the 16 oz can purchased at Trader Joes in San Diego. What a beautiful chicken on the label-- I have to keep this one. I see the chicken is gold with a red crest. "Güero" in Spanish means blonde or red-haired, so I guess that's the joke.

 

This pours a light blonde yellow color with foam that quickly goes away
A light honeyed aroma and a crisp yet rounded taste which has a quick flash of citrus pine bittering before dissipating. Otherwise forgettable, but better than most for the style.

 

 

16oz poured from a can dated 5/12/14.

Appearance was a light cloudy yellow, not as vibrant of a color as I expected. Small head that dissipated quickly and left a thin veil on the top of the beer and sides of the glass. Smell was lacking, only a touch of earthy aroma.

Nothing really special with the taste, a bit watery in my opinion. One-dimensional with some hops in the forefront, but nothing memorable. Thin mouthfeel. Overall, was expecting a little more from Ol'Burro and Golden Road. Can't say I don't miss Mission St. and Firestone. Trader Joe's price it as $1.25/can and packaged in 4-can boxes similar to other Golden Road beers.

I'll give this another try on a hot summer day. Had this on a cool late morning.

Pint can poured into a shaker glass. El Guero(the 'blonde' of sorts) pours a medium straw with a touch of haze and a thin eggshell cap. Retention is light to medium.

Aroma is weak overall. Very thin hop aroma and a hint of cheesy funk. Not much for grain character either.

Taste is a slight improvement but that's not too difficult from this level. More cheesy fatty acid, moderate yet nondescript neutral grainy body and a thin and arguably undercarbonated finish which is thin and a bit lacking in texture for the syle. Overall an interesting brew that might appeal to others but misses the boat for me..

Canned 5/12/14.

Pours a hazy yellow with a foamy off-white head that settles to a partial film on top of the beer. Foamy patches of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of malt, grain, grass, and earth aromas. Taste is much the same with grain and earth flavors on the finish. There is a very mild amount of hop bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is an average beer that is fairly drinkable but somewhat boring for the style in my opinion.

 

This is Trader Joe's house made blonde ale beer. A blonde ales are usually simple, clean, crisp, and refreshing. The good ones manage to get body and flavor into the style to stand out. I was hoping this would be the case with TJ's funky label and canning.This beer was a thin beer, with no refreshing quality, or complexity...kind of a watery bland character. I guess they are going for more along the lines of a American light lager style. Kind of a disappointment considering the high hopes I had from the package...buyer beware

Now TJs does farm out the production of their beer. It seemed that they would farm out there brewing to an established brewery, but come to find out that it was Golden Road:( So it did not surprised me that the beer was of poor quality and taste, as it is made by Golden Road Brewery. This is a company that has spent a great deal of money on mass production and marketing and forgot the most important thing……making a great product. I am shocked that TJ used a brewery that has not produced a beer themselves worthy of praise, unlike Firestone Walker who used to make there Mission line. Sorry TJ's think twice about who you place in charge of making products.

Pours a clear yellow color with a large head which retains for a while. Smell is mostly malt, a little more citrus in the taste. Very refreshing, tastes like a typical Mexican beer but better quality. Trader Joes exclusive, 4.99 for 4 pint sized cans.