Thank you Alengrin! 330 ml. bottle sampled @ “Belgian Ticks Tasting Ghent”. Golden, clear huge creamy white head. Nose is chemical, washing powder, painfully sweet banana, soap, sugar,… Taste is all chemical, cleaning product, big green banana, near vegetable,… Body is green chemical plastic, vegetable,… ’t Paenhuys appears to be rebranding itself but they seem to aimlessly drift in the process, their beers used to be okay but this one is actually quite comparable to the Boelens entry in this triptych of beers which is not a good thing in my opinion.

Imported from my RateBeer account as 't Paenhuys Blok van Nieuwkerken (by 't Paenhuys):
Aroma: 6/10, Appearance: 3/5, Taste: 7/10, Palate: 2/5, Overall: 15/20, MyTotalScore: 3.3/5

21/VII/17 - 33cl bottle @ Belgian Ticks Tasting (home) - BB: n/a, but let's assume it's close to the other bottle in the series / same box: 16/III/19 (2017-1088) Thanks to Alengrin for sharing the bottle!

Clear blond beer, irregular off-white head, little stable, bit adhesive. Aroma: lots of banana, some vanilla, yeast, more banana. MF: lively carbon, too much to be pleasant, medium body. Taste: very fruity start, some citrus, soft bitterness, grapefruit, bit sourish. Aftertaste: more citrus, bit acidic, some peach candy, bit sweet, hint of lemon juice.

One of the three new blondes made specifically for the 800 years of existence of the town of Sint-Niklaas, in the heart of my own Waasland region; the three breweries located there have joined forces to celebrate this occasion with a one-off, each making a Belgian blonde to their own insights and abilities. This is Paenhuys’ rendition, enjoyed in the company of the brewer (cheers Dave!) and later at home from a 33 cl bottle. I liked this one the best of the three at the spot in Sint-Niklaas’ busiest shopping street (and needless to say, the label of this one, all three of them having been made by the same artist, attracts me more than the other two), so let’s see if this impression still stands at home under closer scrutiny. Thickly ’paper’ lacing, egg-white, dense and thick head, leaving behind a regular, moussy ring and thick patches of foam in the middle, over an initially clear, deep and warm, pure ’old gold’ coloured beer with light orangey hue - somewhere in the middle between Donum Ignis’ and Boelens’ interpretations in terms of colour; turns elegantly misty and deeper pale orange with sediment. Aroma of raw ’witloof’, mashed potatoes, unripe pear, powder sugar, wet ginger powder, field flowers in a roadside after heavy rain, stewed turnips, celery, peach, straw, pineapple, light banana ester, raw cauliflower, orange flesh, some peppermint tea far away in the background, a dash of honey and, importantly, not a sign of the DMS which slightly ’disfigured’ the other two interpretations of this central idea. Crisp, fruity onset, with very lively carbonation - a bit numbing in fact, adding more sourishness than necessary, but fit for this particular style, accentuating a raw pineapple-like impression which sits next to restrained but unmistakable banana ester, as well as some sugared rhubarb- and ripe yellow plum-like hints. Smooth, slick mouthfeel in spite of the fizzy carbo, with a lot (or rather, too much) of the initial sweetness travelling onwards over a cereally, lightly bready and subtly caramelly malt sweet body; the sweetness even increases towards the finish, with an orange juice-like sensation as a result. Hops provide some background bitterness, floral and a tad spicy in nature, but should have been a lot more outspoken to counter this orange juice- and honey-like sweetness. Earthy and lightly phenolic yeast notes in the finish, as well as a faint glow of warming, vaguely ’jenever’-like alcohol, but this effect fortunately remains very subtle. Technically the best beer in this threesome, but sweet and ’sugared orange juice’-like to the point that it assumes a somewhat Radler-like profile, something I cannot honestly support; seems like a slightly ’softer’ version of their Saleghemse Geseling (a completely unknown one-off), luckily a bit less sweet and citrus lemonade-like, but still way over the top, with the residual sugariness still clinging to my teeth after swallowing. I - merely commercially - understand the idea of making a beer as accessible as possible, but this is, though technically perfectly executed, clearly way too sweet. Paenhuys should learn that the 21st century has arrived meanwhile and if they do not go along with the international trends, they will forever be stuck in a local audience - and seen their technical abilities, I think they deserve more exposure. It’s all a matter of choice, guys!