Lutgarde Blonde

One of several abbey beers from this new microbrewery in Brabant Wallon, 'freely' associating themselves with the actual Aywiers abbey. Apparently a lager dry-hopped with Saaz, which is an original idea for a Belgian abbey beer, admittedly. Quite thick but somewhat irregular, dense, mousy, off-white, stable, bit creamy head, cristal clear warm yellowish 'old gold' robe with lively strings of sparkling. Aroma of lemon candy ('Napoléon'), candyfloss, banana-flavoured chewing gum, cream corn, margarine, glazed pear, sugar bread, soap, minerals. Clean, crisp, sweet onset, strong banana-bubblegum and sweet lemon candy effect, sourish undertone accentuated by very prickly, minerally, stinging carbonation, candy apple impression, slick and smooth, almost creamy, corn- and cereal-like middle, very light metallic edges, with that weird lemon and banana candy effect persisting, only accompanied by a dash of grassy hop bitterness at the back, releasing some light floral notes. The sweet, even somewhat sticky, artificial effect remains however dominant. Totally different from what I was expecting, where is the noble, floral, delicate Saaz effect? And if only an old European hop variety was used, then why should we consider it an IPL? If anything, this is a sweet, filtered and pasteurized, sugary, strongish and simple lager that is clearly ready to enter into stiff competition with Leffe Blonde or Grimbergen Blond. I can think of no other reason to explain the flavour profile this beer has. I would have preferred a boring old school yeasty Belgian blonde over this, to be honest - I think I'll pass for their other beers.