For today’s drinking pleasure I’m going to be sipping on a Grimbergen Blonde Ale from the Brouwerij Alken-Maes Brewery located in Alken, Belgium.
Let’s get right to the commercial description from the website, maes.be.
Ochre coloured top fermented Abbey Beer with an ABV of 6.7%. The use of Gatinais barley combined with carefully selected hops creates a perfectly balanced, relatively light tasting beer with a fruity malty taste.
Let’s get it in the glass.
This brew came in an 11.2 oz. bottle and had an ABV of 6.7%.
After the pour the beer appeared a very clear, golden/honey color with a very thick, full, white head. It was soft, fluffy and soapy. It had nice retention, however the lacing was a tad spotty. The cap settle to a nice film on top that remained for the duration of the drink.
The aroma brought forth nice, sweet hints of lemon zest. Spices of coriander and pepper along with some welcomed yeasty tones. After the initial whiff, I started to obtain a slightly sour scent that was not overpowering or distracting. Rather it sat right in the middle to complement the main fragrances of the sweetness and spiciness. As the brew warmed considerably I started to recognize some herbal “hoppiness.” Not bad in the nose I didn’t think.
The taste had a medium strength lemon sweetness with stronger aspects of spicy pepper and coriander. I got further sweetness from a taste of honeysuckle. Definitive yeasty and bready undertones complimented the sweetness very well. Only a minuscule amount of sourness or bitterness was obtained. The spice started to relax quite a bit as the brew developed. Overall, I thought the taste was pretty good and balanced fairly well too.
The mouthfeel was medium, dry, crisp, smooth, refreshing and thirst quenching. It left a better than average amount of flavor behind on the palate.
We have a decent little beer here. In my opinion, it’s better than most Blondes that I have tried. A great beer for Spring and Summer. Very easy drinking and not too filling or heavy on the stomach. It’s nearly sessionable even at 6.7%. I think that it’s worth a try if you see it. I know I would have no problem drinking it again if it were offered.
Thanks for reading and commenting guys. I hope you know how much I appreciate it. I hope the blog has remained interesting for you and that it still gives you a bit of enjoyment.
Cheers.
Score: 3.8 out of 5
Grade: B+
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