The Perfect Crime American Blonde
Scheldebrouwerij

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A. It has a thick gold/bronze color. It is basically gelatinous. It has a lot of sediment. A couple streams of bubbles at the bottom. It has a huge foamy white head and a ton of lacing.

S. It has a metallic, lemon and wheat scent.

T/M. That is a lovely weed and celery taste. Hops are smooth. It has a bit of a banana bread taste. It has a medium body. It is carbonated yet smooth on the mouth. Refreshing.

O. Flavorful and fairly complex. I'm not a huge fan of blonde beers, but this is excellent.

Enjoyed this bottle from a large snifter glass.

A: Pours a very cloudy brown hue with a huge frothy white head that slowly dissipates leaving a nice trail down the side of the glass ending a solid persistent lace.

S: Musky caramel malt aroma with a sweet fruity background.

T: Sweet caramel flavor with a Belgium yeast background and followed by a muted hoppy flavor.

M: Medium body and medium carbonation.

O: Solid Belgium brew – worthy of a try.

Poured from an 11.2 oz amber bottle into a Samuel Adams Perfect Pint glass. No freshness date. Purchased at Wine Warehouse (Charlottesville, VA).

A: Hazy tequile sunrise hue with 2-fingers of soapy white head with decent retention and a craggy line and scattered dots of lacing.

S: Aroma is pretty light and dominated by yeast esters which are fruity with pear, peach, and banana. The hops are not "American" by most stretches and this still reminds me of a Belgian pale ale rather than an American Blonde Ale. The hops are subdued and flora and spicy. There is less sweetness than in European Blonde by the same collab group.

T: I didn't like the flavor of American Blonde as much as European Blonde, mainly because the malt component is harsher with more fuselly, solvent-lke alcohol notes. There is still a fair amount of yeast character in this beer, which is not supposed to be part of an American Blonde Ale. That being said, this brew still tastes pretty good with a little bit of light caramel malt sweetness in the finish/aftertaste that is pleasant and honey-like. The hops are fairly earthy, herbal, and floral with moderate spiciness. The yeast notes are just too strong in my opinion, and the solventy, peppery alcohol notes are out of place. Even in a Belgian pale ale, fusel alcohols would not be appropriate.

M: Slick feel, light-medium body, moderate carbonation and bitterness. Pretty drinkable.

O: Kind of a disappointment for the price and the caliber of brewers collaborating on this brew. I don't think they were really going for an American blonde ale, maybe more of a Belgain plae ale with American ingredients or touches. The solventy alcohol note sinks this beer, as does the steep price tag (5.49 for 11.2 oz and a lot of yeast floaties).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A: The beer is rather hazy straw yellow in color and has some fine particles floating in suspension. Although it only has a light amount of visible carbonation, a slow pour erupted into a three finger high white head that took a very long time to die down and left a coating of bubbles down the sides of the glass.
S: The smell has lots of aromas of coriander spices along with notes of Belgian yeast.
T: The taste is similar to the smell and also has flavors of grassy malts, which also contribute a light amount of bitterness.
M: It feels light- to medium-bodied on the palate with some hints of dryness and has a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer definitely has some interesting flavors and isn't bland as are many of the other beers in the style. Apart from its excessive overcarbonation in the pour, I thought this was a well crafted beer.