Range 28 Blonde Ale
Township 24 Brewery

650ml bottle - man, there have been a slew of 'blonde ales' released by new Alberta craft breweries of late, just sayin'. Wait - this is apparently a 'Vienna Blonde Ale'. Ok, then.

This beer pours a clear, medium copper amber colour, with two fingers of puffy, rocky, and somewhat bubbly dirty white head, which leaves some splendid bonsai tree forest profile lace around the glass as it quickly sinks away.

It smells of bready and grainy cereal malt, a muddled pome fruitiness, further indistinct red berry notes, an ethereal yeastiness, and some very plain musty, herbal, and floral green hop bitters. The taste is grainy and biscuity Alberta caramel malt, underripe apples and pears, faint yeasty esters, and more well-understated earthy, weedy, and dead floral hoppiness.

The carbonation is capable in its palate-coating frothiness, the body a decent middleweight, and mostly smooth, with nothing getting in the way of an adequately pleasant time at this particular juncture. It finishes off-dry, just, as the local malt solidifies its hold on the lingering arena.

Overall - this is yet another example of a style which I typically write off as being too boring or poorly rendered. Good on Wild Rose country for dispelling that notion right the hell out of me. Range 28 is full of flavour (mostly malt, but still), and a genial tipple to close out the day.