33cl bottle from Bier-en wijnhuis beer store, Bertem near Leuven, BE. Formerly brewed by Les Fleurs du Malt then at Brasserie des Plaines-Meuse and now it seems in Brasserie Artisa'malt. F: medium, white, long lasting. C: shiny gold, hazy. A: rich malty, bit orange peels, peach, spicy, honey touch, banana, pears, bit bready. T: medium malty base, bready, pears, banana, bit dough, herbal touch, good harmonic bitterness, medium carbonations, good for the style, enjoyed.

Sample at Zythos 2022, as Brasserie Artisa'malt Korus. Light golden beer, small head. Aroma is yeast, fruit, not much, tadte is the same, yeasty malt. Average belgian blonde

The first beer from one of these often unnoticed new Wallonian micro breweries, this one in the province of Liège. Steini bottle with a front label depicting an ancient Greek helmet - I would not be surprised if Traagwater in Leuven (the Hector beers) is already considering to file a lawsuit. Very tightly 'paper' lacing, egg-white, very moussy and dense, stable, closed head over an initially only slightly hazy, deep and pure golden blonde beer with somewhat greenish tinge, which shifts to a warmer, much more peachy, hazy gold with sediment. Aroma of baked apples, very sugary lemon candy, ripe banana, apricot, bubblegum, industrial pear juice, canned pineapple slices, camomile, freshly baked sweetbread, raw leek, coriander seed, honey, fainter hints of anisette, cornflakes, peppermint leaves, sweet white onions, candied orange, dough, gypsum, potato mash somewhere in the background. Fruity, sweet onset, lots and lots of banana ester (isoamylacetate), bubblegummy, but very apple-like too (strong acetaldehyde), with further hints of pineapple and apricot; sourish touch, enhanced by a sharp and even a bit tiring carbonation even for a Belgian blonde (a style which is often very strongly carbonated), adding lots of minerally notes. Supple, lean, ever so slightly resiny mouthfeel, established by a soft, lightly bready, 'white' and cereally maltiness, a tad popcorn-like to a certain extent, gaining more body in the finish but all the time carrying a lingering honeyish, residual sugary sweetness on its back. Soapy coriander notes in the finish including a soapy mouthfeel, light and mild grassy and somewhat herbal (leek) hoppiness, providing a bit of 'end bitterness' against the initial sweetness. Chalky notes linger after swallowing, most likely related to the brewing water used. Both banana ester and acetaldehyde are very outspoken here, more so than I can usually tolerate; residual sugary sweetness seems somehow stronger in the nose than in the mouth, but the high amount of carbonation still impairs drinkability a bit. A bit clumsy, in scraping together all the clichés that are inherently connected to the ordinary 'Belgian blonde' style: overcarbonated, very banana- and apple-like, unsubtly coriandered and showing off its glowing golden looks more so than any serious content, like a generic and mindless blonde bimbo on some men's magazine. Needs a lot more subtlety and finesse, but admittedly there is not much technically wrong with it, so if this is the technical standard this brewery can come up with, I'm sure they can brew a truly good beer some day - if they dare to deviate from the old Belgian ale clichés, that is. There are a million banana- and coriander-ridden Belgian blondes on the market already, why add yet another one to an already hopelessly huge heap?

Bottle. Pours very clear blonde. Small white head doesnt last, and looks rather soapy. Smell is malty, rather intense, full. bit herbal hoppy notes ( hidden) Taste is sharp, rather bitter. Quickly followed by Belgian yeast ( V4S esthers, mild phenolic notes ) bitterness fades very fast ( which hardly seem natural to me ? ) not nearly as malty based as thought by the scent. Body is thin, carbonation is medium high , but perceived high by the lack of body. mild floral / herbal hoppy notes at the start, but the aroma's seem to fade instantly. Not a big fan , but at least it's not only yeasty and sweet...