Blonde Ales

Skinny Dip Out, Somersault Up

You’re going to start seeing New Belgium Brewing’s Somersault on shelves if you haven’t already.  Somersault is new by New Belgium, replacing Skinny Dip.  Skinny was once called loft before it was changed to Skinny Dip in 2006. Continue Reading →

Blue Moon Echos Craft

Blue Moon is adding a new brew to their Brewmaster’s Reserve Collection – Vintage Blonde Ale.  It’s more than a blonde ale, Vintage Blonde is brewed with Chardonnay grape juice.  It won a gold medal in the fruit beer category Continue Reading →

Red Brick Blonde

Red Brick Brewing’s Blonde Ale.

Bright, medium intensity gold color. Light foam, thin bubbles with moderate persistence.  Elegant aromas of orange skin, slight comfit apricot, very fresh developing on citrus notes.  Good attack, fresh not too aggressive, the acidity though is Continue Reading →

Posted in Stevens Point Brewing

Point Subtlety Targeting Female Drinkers?

Over the past few weeks, we’ve see a few beers come out expressly targeted to women. (See: Chick Lager, Animee)  Stevens Point Brewing (Stevens Point, WI) may not be directly doing the same straight out with Drop Dead Blonde, but perhaps a little subliminally.  You have your pretty girl on the label, with caloric information just to the right.  Potentially eliminating any dietary guilt you might have for imbibing.

Now keep in mind, I’m not saying this is a bad thing.  25% of beer drinkers in the United States are beer drinkers, with a growing number of the 25% drinking more “crafty” brands.  Drop Dead Blonde isn’t trying to get rid of that bloaty feeling, or flavor it with rose petals something else flowery.  It’s a gross stereotype that female drinkers are all worried about calories, love fruit in their beer, and don’t like imperial stouts.  But think of it this way, Drop Dead Blonde might serve well at drawing in calorie minded individuals (regardless of what chromosomes they possess) into drinking more of the “craft” ales that we so enjoy, and fewer “celestial” based beers or uber light beers that you frown upon.  End commentary.

Style: Blonde Ale

Availability: 12oz bottles

?? ABV

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in New Releases, Sierra Nevada

Sierra Nevada’s Bad Luck Blonde

A draft only offering from Sierra Nevada Brewing.

Blonde Ale brewed with coriander.

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in New Belgium, New Releases

Skinny Dip Out, Somersault Up

You’re going to start seeing New Belgium Brewing’s Somersault on shelves if you haven’t already.  Somersault is new by New Belgium, replacing Skinny Dip.  Skinny was once called loft before it was changed to Skinny Dip in 2006.  Somersault arrives for summer, lightly spiced with apricot & ginger.

Somersault Ale was designed to be a fun roll around on the tongue while requiring only the minimum of palate gymnastics. In other words, this perfect summer lounge around beer is ridiculously fun and easy to drink. Even though the second Somersault goes down as effortlessly the first, our brewer Grady actually has quite a few remarkable notes at play in the nose, flavor and mouthfeel. There is an opening brace of citrus aroma from Centennial hops, a soft apricot fruitiness tucked into the flavor, a fresh snap from a sliver of ginger root, finished with oats in a long cool mash. Color is blonde with a suggestion of cloudiness. Somersaults all around!

Style: American Blonde Ale
Hops: Centennial
Malts: Pale, Caramel, Oats
Extra: Ginger, apricot

Taste Expectations: Fruity, citrus, light malts.  Floral, herbally, light.
Availability: 12oz/6pks, Draft. May-September. Seasonally.

5.7% ABV

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Blue Moon Brewing, Coming Soon

Blue Moon Echos Craft

Blue Moon is adding a new brew to their Brewmaster’s Reserve Collection – Vintage Blonde Ale.  It’s more than a blonde ale, Vintage Blonde is brewed with Chardonnay grape juice.  It won a gold medal in the fruit beer category at GABF last year under the name “C Blonde”

Label:
A Blue Moon Brewing Company, everything we do flows from out brewmaster’s artistic approach to brewing. Vintage Blonde Ale, part of our Brewmaster’s Reserve Collection is his latest work of art. This limited edition wheat ale is brewed with Chardonnay grape juice p for crisp, dry taste.  Gather your friends and share this gold medial winner fromt he 2010 Great American Beer Festival.

Availability: 750ml bombers.

8.5% ABV

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in New Beers, Red Brick Brewing

Red Brick Blonde

Red Brick Blonde

Red Brick Brewing’s Blonde Ale.

Bright, medium intensity gold color. Light foam, thin bubbles with moderate persistence.  Elegant aromas of orange skin, slight comfit apricot, very fresh developing on citrus notes.  Good attack, fresh not too aggressive, the acidity though is quite present. There is a smooth texture, caressing of fresh barley and lemony flavors towards the end. Short finish with characters of slight bitterness, fresh coffee beans and blond chocolate.

Style: Blonde Ale
Availability: 12 oz bottles, Draft.
Season: Late – Spring, Summer.

4.6% ABV 

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in New Belgium, New Releases, Seasonal Return

NEW (ATLANTA) RELEASE – New Belgium’s Skinny Dip

This full bodied “light” offering from New Belgium took it’s time getting to Atlanta.  Skinny Dip is an American Blonde Ale, which is both light and drinkable.  You don’t see a lot of craft breweries making “light” options.  The accepted notion is that light beer equates to less flavor.  That’s not the case with Skinny Dip.  It’s definitely full favored for being a lighter option.

Ingredients –

Hops – Cascade

Flavors – Drinkers have describes notes of citrus ( from the cascade hops) and hazelnut.  Also a light malt backbone that is not overbearing, or overly sweet.  New Belgium even touts this brew as having hints of lime leaf.

Skinny Dip is also a beer that stands for something.  New Belgium is a wind powered brewery, that takes a big interest in water.  (Beer is mostly water, I’m sure you see the correlation.)  The water from the Colorado river that NB brews as any water source is potentially threatened.  Teamed with savethecolorado.org to help individuals understand the plight of the Colorado River, and what individuals (and beer drinkers) can do to help conserve.

4.2% ABV

Availability – Skinny Dip is the summer seasonal, joining the lineup with Mighty Arrow, 2 Below, and Hoptober all which have already arrived here.  12 oz/6 pks & draft offerings.

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in New Releases, Rogue Brewing

New Release – Rogue Chatoe Single Malt Ale

The 3rd release in the “Chatoe Rogue” series has arrived – Single Malt Ale.  Chatoe Rogue is what Rogue Brewery calls “GYO certified” or “Grow Your Own.”  All the malt and hops are grown onsite at Rogue Brewery.   The beers contain no additives, chemicals, or preservatives.  These beers on are one time, small batch brews.

Single Malt Ale is an American Blonde Ale.  Blonde ales are an American craft descendant of the kolsch brewing style.  Typically, blonde ales are malt forward brews, with very light hop presence.  Usually noble hops are used.

Single malt ale uses just 4 ingredients –

Malts – Rogue Barley Farm first growth Dareâ„¢ malts

Hops – Rogue Hopyard first growth Revolution Hops

Yeast – Pacman – 4 ingredient – Coastal Free Range Water

?? % ABV

30 IBU

Availability – 22oz Bomber bottles. No word on draft offerings.  Small batch 1 time special release

by Reid Ramsay