Kraken/Octopus Blond

33cl Fles, dank Suus! Goudgele kleur, witte kraag. Medium zoet, licht kruidig, esters, ruikt als een typisch Belgisch Blondje, hint van de beloofde gebruikte vruchten, redelijk bitter. Lichte body. Degelijk.

Small off-white head over hazy orange-golden beer. Hint of spices, and then a waft of coffee, surprisingly. Again green leaves, holly. Always something roasted - strange seen the colour. Bitterish flavour, toast to mild roast, bit fiery MF. There is a spicy flavour, but I cannot relate it to either fruit used. Some dull bitterness, raw hops. Feels very carbonated. Quite slick, but medium bodied at best. Unremarkable. The Kraken must have sunk the oranges cargo.

Pale blond colour with lacy head. Aroma has a floral, pepperyness. Bitter citrus pith. Has a stale taste.

Belgian style blonde from Rotterdam named after the legendary Kraken sea monster (allegedly based on observations of giant squid - see the picture on the front label, to name one example); longneck bottle from the Albert Heijn supermarket in Lokeren. Quite thick and frothy, egg-white, cobweb-lacing, even-bubbled and regular, stable head on a lightly hazed yellow straw blonde beer with lively sparkling rising up in the middle, becoming misty and more deeply golden with sediment. Aroma of banana-flavoured bubblegum to even banana liqueur (Pisang Ambon) without the alcohol, freshly cut green pear, white soap, chamomile, white bread dough, grass, unripe melon, hints of orange zest, cilantro, lavender (very faint but still pushing through from the background), damp earth and old potatoes. Crisp, spritzy onset, quite numbing carbonation but acceptable for style I guess, sweet but rounded and clean fruitiness of ripe banana, pear and slight melon; minerally and stingy effects of carbonation continue over a supple, smooth cereally and softer white-bready malt body, while some spicy notes are picked up along the way - clove-like phenols, but also coriander seed and a minty or lavender-like touch. Floral hops join the coriander in the finish, depositing a mild, yet pleasantly lingering, bit spicy bitterness - even if the banana ester still rules supreme at that point. Quite sleek and rounded for a Belgian blonde, but it ticks all the boxes with its residual sweetness, coriander and banana ester; I guess this is what one can expect from this kind of beer, but it is technically not badly made by any means. A dime a dozen, I was expecting something more powerful from a beer taking its name from a gigantic ancient sea monster - perhaps a salted caramel-flavoured imperial stout would have suited the name 'Kraken' a bit better, who knows?...

33cl bottle from Albert Heijn Knokke-Heist supermarket. F: medium, white, good retention. C: gold, light hazy. A: malty, citrus, bit herbal, spicy, peach, bit bready, honey. T: medium malty base, peach, banana, herbal, honey, lime, good balanced bitterness, light soapy mouthfeel, soft to medium carbonation, good for the style, enjoyed for sure.

Bottle 33 cl. ours an almost clear golden with a tiny, rough, white head. Sweet, fruity nose, with a yeasty touch. Medium body again sweet fruit with somesulphur and a bitter finish. I do NOT sense any blood oranges or kiwi fruit at all. 020123

Magus, Belgia pärm, nats tilline, veits happeline. Okish.

Belgian yeast, bitterish, hoppy, dry

33cl bottle. A clear deep golden beer with a off white head. Aroma of fruity wheat malt, belgian yeast. Taste of orange fruits, belgian yeast, tangerine.