Fort Road Blonde
August Schell Brewing Company

12oz can. Poured out a clear, straw-yellow color with a small, white head of foam. It left minimal lacing. It smelled of caramel, toffee, grains and floral notes. Sweet caramel taste with notes of toffee and a mild bitterness. Crisp, sharp and smooth.

1 inch white head, thick, with moderate retention. Leaves thick lacing. Clear, yellow trending a bit toward gold, vigorously carbonated. Very good looking in the sham pilsner glass.

Inviting aroma; bread, grass, floral, slightly sweet, perhaps honey.

Taste starts out a bit tart, a little bitter, with the bread and sweet honey in the middle. It picks up a bit of earthiness as it warms. The finish is mildly tart, bready, complemented by the floral hops. The aftertaste is quite nice: bread, clean, and quite dry (what happened to the honey? - Not that I'm complaining - the dry finish was just a bit unexpected based on how it started, but quite enjoyable).
Mouth feel has good body for the style, crisply refreshing, excellent carbonation on the tongue.

Overall, this is an excellent summer beer that I am just getting around to trying. I'll have to grab more next year when it will be more seasonally spot on. It is good to have a locally-brewed kölsch-style beer that does not feel the need to jazz it up with various citrus fruits.

(Editorial: I guess the name "Blonde" is a marketing thing, not a style indicator; the brewer does - in small print just underneath the large "Blonde" - call it a "Kölsch-Style Ale" - to my palate, that is correct.)

Can. White head. Little lace. Clear straw yellow color.

Biscuity, crisp, clean. Grassy/earthy hops. Light bodied. Simple, but enjoyable. Much better than most blondes. This is definitely on the kolsch side of things.

 

 

Pours crystal clear and straw gold with a modest head. Good lacing.

Aromas of bready malt, clean grain, and some floral and earthy hops. A little mild.

The brew is a little "shy and retiring" for the style in the flavor department, but the flavors are good. On the tip of the tongue honey and lemon. Midstream, clean malt, a touch of sour wheat, white grape, and mild white pepper yeast. The honey sweetness arrives again at the finish with some mild earthy/floral hopping. Excellent flavors, I just wish there was a bit more of them.

Nice mouthfeel. Medium light bodied, with great carbonation and crispness.

Another solid offering and representation of a style from Schell. Always outstanding for its price point.

Appearance: Pours a a crystal clear, light, pale champagne color with a soft white head. SRM of 7. (4.00)

Aroma: Light earthy grains with cereal. Some light wet bread sweetness. Hints of light grape. (3.75)

Flavor: Flavor is more dry, light grains, champagne, and cereal yeast. (3.50)

Feel: Lighter-bodied. Strong carbonation. Carbonation cleans the palate. (4.00)

Compared to Trader Joe's Josephbrau Summer Brew 6/6/20: Pours a lighter color. More tart grape, cereal, yeast and carbonation. Lighter bodied on the finish. Winner: Fort Road

Overall: A light and nice drinking Kolsch beer. Nothing spectacular, but true to style. A little confusing on why it has Blonde on the title of the beer... but a good Kolsch. (Final Rating: 3.69)

tested from 12 oz cans.
Look: a very transparent very light gold body, plenty of carbonation, tall fluffy snow white head that leaves plenty of lacing.
Smell: bread, grain, hint of slighly sweet floral
taste: some bread, grain, slight sweet floral notes (lemon notes?), maybe a hint of soft mineral. Has a flash of dry bitterness just before the finish.

A solid beer, but I haven't drank much of this style since last early fall. might have to do a few head to heads with other local Kolsch style beers to get a accurate read. 3.82/5 for now, I might change my numbers later.