Inappropriate Puns
Brewery 4 Two 4

unique beer and my first ever from this operation, gabf bronze medal winner this year, good for them. coffee blonde ale is nothing new, but there is a twist here, they use some kind of fudge flavored coffee or something, so in addition to coffee bean character, this also has more than a chocolate suggestion from coffee, it has an actual chocolate flavor element, which is neat in here, and i think this packs a ton of flavor for being just a basic blonde ale at its core, not overdone or out of balance either, and i think thats where its success comes from, its bold but also somewhat understated, if both can be true, i like the dosing anyway, and enjoyed this pretty well. this takes just a bit of color from the coffee infusion, still golden colored but a touch of light brown to it, average white head, lots of bubbles, looks right for what it is. the nose is warm roasty coffee and deep dark chocolate, less sweet than fudge generally is but still with a hint of that richness, and a honey note from the grain helps this marry in really well, sturdy for a simple blonde which i think is very effective. the coffee has subtle almond and hazelnut to it, and it feels wintery. there is a little apparent bitterness to it from the coffee as well, but its sweet and pleasant still for sure. the flavor is similar, some cool nutty nuance to the coffee, toast and caramel layers, a good amount of both milk and dark chocolate to me too, which is obviously wonderful with the coffee, light textural astringency late from the coffee though, which breaks it down ever so slightly, and there is some late bitterness as well. i think the finish could be a little bit more tidy if i am being critical, like its not quite technically masterful, which you look for from a medal winner, at least i do, but the flavor combination is cool and the actual fudge part of this makes it unique. i see how this could stand out at a table full of coffee beers. good carbonation, nice body for what it is, and nice malt contribution overall for the style. tasty!