St. Stefanus Blonde

Notes from 3/8/14

On the bottle: Cellar release 4-2012

It states on the bottle that the brew is not released from a cellar until it's matured for 3 months, putting this beer at about 26 months old (more aging than the brewery suggests, but how bad could it really be?).

A lively yellow-golden appearance with an incredibly active flow of carbonation bubbles, which doesn't let up even after several minutes. Egg white head. Spice in the nose. Lemon, yeast, grass, banana and pineapple. The aroma is complex.

Spicy with an underlying sweetness in the taste: black pepper, cinnamon and ginger-like flavors. The hop bite and bitterness is toned down overall, which is undoubtedly due to the extended aging. As good as this beer is, I probably should have opened it before the year ended.

As it warms, a pronounced yeast flavor and aroma is steering my senses toward the hefeweizen style. A light-medium bodied beer with complex flavors and aromas. At 7% ABV, a sipper that's strikingly drinkable and highly recommended!

Thanks to my friend, Ricky, for the Belgian beer.

Note: the bottle was signed by the brewmaster; the signature looks like Jef Versele.

Yards Brewing Co. - Brawler Pugilist Style Ale

Style: Dark Mild Ale

Dark brown in appearance with a hint of ruby red.

In the nose: cold coffee, nutty aroma, milk chocolate, hints of dark fruit, toasted waffles and bread crust.

Dark malts and coffee are at the forefront of the taste. A mild bitterness aids in the beer being exceptionally balanced. It reminds me of the picture from an edition of Michael Jackson's World Guide to Beer showing old English men sitting in a pub (during the day) drinking mild ale with their dogs on leashes.

Long story short...it's my kind of beer* (who am I kidding? I've got a broad palate when it comes to brews). Malty, tasty, balanced, low in alcohol content, and derived from a style of English origin. Highly recommended!

*I often tell people I enjoy German lagers and English ales. This statement should not be misconstrued as me saying that I only enjoy imports. While I do imbibe imports on occasion, I more often than not drink American craft beer, but most of the craft beer I drink is derived from German lager styles such as pilsner, Munich helles, hefeweizen, etc, and English ale styles such as brown ale, porter, stout, pale ale, and more. In other words, I more often than not would choose an American craft beer within the English parameters, rather than an American craft beer within the American parameters. While I don't have anything against the American craft brewer's tendency to over hop the brew, I prefer the English brewer's appreciation for balance.