Blonde Ale
Drake’s Brewing Company in San Leandro, California, United States 🇺🇸
Kölsch Regular|
Score
6.42
|
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This Kolsch-style ale is light and crisp for those who enjoy a more mellow beer. It is brewed with a gentle addition of Noble hops, presenting a pleasant herbal and spicy aroma, and then cold conditioned for a clean finish.
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5.6/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 4
Overall 5.5
Bottled. A hazy light golden beer with a huge off-white head. The aroma is sweet with notes of citrusy hops. The flavor is sweet with notes of malt and citrusy hops, leading to a lightly bitter finish. The body is light.
Tried
from Bottle
on 13 Jul 2009
at 01:54
6/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 5
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 7
Draft @ Lanesplitter, Berkeley, CA. Pours a pale yellow color with a small white head. Has a sweetish malty hoppy aroma with some grainy hints. Sweetish malty hoppy flavor with some bready hints. Has a slightly sweetish malty hoppy finish with some weak bitterness in the aftertaste.
Tried
from Draft
on 26 Feb 2009
at 16:50
6.1/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
Pours a clear gold with thin bright white head. The aroma is malty sweet with some light crisp lemon mixed with floral hops. The taste is a bit overly sweet with sugar sweet malts. Some pale malts and mild corn show up to help squash the mild floral hops trying to make an impression on the flavor profile.
Tried
on 01 Nov 2007
at 22:04
7.4/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
6-pack, questionably fresh, from the notorious pilsner stock piling Hollingshead Deli. This was refrigerated, however, so I’m going to go with it….
Bottle consumed over the weekend, 3/22-3/24/2007
Extremely frothy, large white head is slow to recede and laces moderately well. Clarity is high. Carbonation is forced, with plenty of bubbles in the deep blonde colored body with plenty of straw tones.
Grainy and straw-like malt notes right away show dryness in the malt bill, but a honey-vanilla sweetness creeps on the back end. Soft, fruity and lightly herbal hops are very reserved, though still very aromatic, adding very little bitterness. No flaws in the aroma, medium strength, no alcohol.
I like the variation on the malt flavors; not just all honey, or vanilla-cream or cookieish pale malts. The light grainy edge really helps break up the sweetness, as well. Clean yeast, with very low ester production and soft, floral hops with light nectarine/peach fruitiness and some mildly bitter spiciness. A touch of doughiness and a pretty full body relative to style. That’s ok though, it’s better than the beer being watery. Wow, Drakes really are showing themselves to be in the top tier of brewing malty beers. They’ve really got their mashing down solid and don’t skimp on the malt. Maybe not as well suited for a pils or blonde ale, though this one was still very enjoyable, and I have yet to have their pils fresh. Looking forward to the Brandy barrel barleywine and Imperial Stout I have of theirs!
Bottle consumed over the weekend, 3/22-3/24/2007
Extremely frothy, large white head is slow to recede and laces moderately well. Clarity is high. Carbonation is forced, with plenty of bubbles in the deep blonde colored body with plenty of straw tones.
Grainy and straw-like malt notes right away show dryness in the malt bill, but a honey-vanilla sweetness creeps on the back end. Soft, fruity and lightly herbal hops are very reserved, though still very aromatic, adding very little bitterness. No flaws in the aroma, medium strength, no alcohol.
I like the variation on the malt flavors; not just all honey, or vanilla-cream or cookieish pale malts. The light grainy edge really helps break up the sweetness, as well. Clean yeast, with very low ester production and soft, floral hops with light nectarine/peach fruitiness and some mildly bitter spiciness. A touch of doughiness and a pretty full body relative to style. That’s ok though, it’s better than the beer being watery. Wow, Drakes really are showing themselves to be in the top tier of brewing malty beers. They’ve really got their mashing down solid and don’t skimp on the malt. Maybe not as well suited for a pils or blonde ale, though this one was still very enjoyable, and I have yet to have their pils fresh. Looking forward to the Brandy barrel barleywine and Imperial Stout I have of theirs!
Tried
from Bottle
on 29 Mar 2007
at 15:28