For today’s craft beer review I thought I would try the Affligem Blond produced by Brouwerij De Smedt/Brouwerij Affligem located in Opwijk, Belgium.

I just recently reviewed the Affligem Dubbel and found it to be very enjoyable, so I’m hoping that I find this beer to be just as pleasing.

Let’s look at the description from the website, affligembeer.be. 

Affligem Blonde, the classic clear blonde abbey ale, with a gentle roundness and 6.8 % alcohol.  Low on bitterness, it is eminently drinkable.

Let’s see how it is.

 
This beer came in an 11.2 oz. bottle and the label stated that this particular brew was 7.0% ABV. 

The brew poured a very clear, golden to honey color.  It had a huge, billowy, soapy, white cap that had adequate retention and average lacing.  The head started to crackle and pop and become somewhat fizzy as it started to subside.

With the nose I detected a nice little waft of that Belgian yeast along with a moderate pepper spice.  It smelled slightly fruity too with hints of light banana and maybe a faint touch of lemon citrus.  Bringing up the rear was a slight fragrance of corn husk and grain.  Not too bad here.  It was rather pleasant and fairly complex. 

The taste seemed to bring out a bit more of the peppered spice than did the aroma.  A very clean, grainy, yeasty backbone was detected coinciding with some of that lemon sweetness.  I, personally, thought that it had a considerable bitterness.  It really seemed to sparkle and tickle the tongue with each sip.  The banana was almost completely hidden.  Only the most faint trace was found.  This taste was not bad at all.  I rather enjoyed it.

The mouthfeel was medium, dry, crisp, refreshing and thirst quenching.  Very nice carbonation for such a crisp and clean beer.  A decent dose of flavor was left behind after each sip too.

Overall, I thought this was a pretty good Blonde.  This would totally hit the spot during the warmer days of Spring or Summer.  It’s easily drinkable and refreshing for a 7.0% ABV beer.  I found myself taking huge gulps, which made for a very enjoyable and quick drinking experience.  I would most definitely recommend you give this a go if you have not tried it or if you favor Blonde’s.  I’m sure I will seek this out again next Summer and pair it with a day at the BBQ grill.

Do you guys favor Blonde’s during the Summer or do you prefer something else?  Feel free to leave a comment if you wish.

Thanks for reading everyone.  Until next time.

Cheers.

Score:  3.9 out of 5
Grade:  B+