Brambrass in Zwevegem near Kortrijk, a fixed value in Belgian craft beer for almost a decade now, is best known for its many strong stout variants, most of which have been very good to excellent - some even at an international level. I guess that in these post-craft times, where such more 'outlandish' beers have declined in popularity, Bram Neudt deemed it necessary to incorporate a simple standard blonde in his range, if only to see how it performs in comparison with the more established representatives of this often boring style (think Brugse Zot and the like)... Bottle from the Struise's webshop. Medium sized, tiny-bubbled and dense, busily cobweb-lacing, generally well-retaining and regular head on a clear golden blonde robe with vague 'metallic orange' tinge and very small but still visible, sparse bubbles rising up; shifts to a cloudy-orangey peach colour when the sediment is added. Aroma of old cardboard (clearly past its prime) but once this more or less fades, I get impressions of apple peel, coriander powder, fried zucchini, spoiled pasta salad, braised carrot, undercooked chicken, homemade pear juice, dry straw, dusty old bird seed. Sweetish onset but nowhere sugary, hints of pear, red apple and a touch of peach, lively carbonated with minerally effects but not above average in my sample at least for a Belgian blonde; smooth mouthfeel, white-bready pale malts with a cereally edge but nowhere sharply grainy, some residual sugars on top with slightly honeyish effect but again, the sweetness remains well restrained. Red apple- and coriander seed-like flavours linger in the finish, where the oxidation is again noticeable as a wet cardboard-like element, pairing with clove-like phenols which in the end become quite strong; floral hops also gain strength at that stage, preparing for a relatively long, drying, quenching, hop bittering finish - not so bitter that we end up in the 'bitter blond' category (think XX Bitter), but still a tad more so than in the average Belgian blonde, especially the macro brands. I can understand the idea of Brambrass trying to compete with what is - along with its stronger version 'tripel' - easily the most popular beer style in this country apart from pale lager, but I think Bram still better concentrates on his strong stouts, which made him a household name in educated craft beer circles at least in Belgium. That said, my sample was clearly past its prime (shame on you, Struise webshop!) and oxidised, but fortunately not to the extent that the ageing process ruins everything, in fact the cardboard odour almost vanished when the beer was left to 'breathe' for a while. Conclusion: obviously not Brambrass's most impressive creation, but armed with a confident hop bitterness and a certain level of yeasty complexity not seen in its macro competitors, so why not - anyone in their right mind should prefer this well over Tongerlo Blond, Brugse Zot, Affligem Blond or worse.

Flaska från Hops’N More. Gyllengul disig vätska med lågt skum. Lite som en belgisk IPA med rejält med citrushumle med apelsinsmak: apelsinsaft, beska kryddigt oljiga apelsinskal. Ok utan att riktigt övertyga.

Troebel geel bier met veel stevig schuim. Smaak is kruidig en licht zoet met iets van noten, wat appel en een vlehg honing. Heel goed.

Malty. Clean. Well balanced. Good.

12 September 2024. At 1ste Kwatrechts Bierfestival. Cheers to Anke, Tim and the GBV crew!

Bright orange. Bread crust, plum jam, yeast. Sweetish plum & apple, bitter yeast. Medium body. Technically clean, correct, nothing wrong here!

Bottle at home. Yellowish color, huge foamy soapy bubbly white head. Aroma is pretty bland. Flavor is malts, slight citrus. Don't get much more. Very overcarbonated, gets in the way of any flavors that are there. Meh.

On tap at the Brugge Beer Festival 2024, Brugge, Belgium. A hazy golden orange/yellow coloured pour with a medium white head on top. Sweet, malty, fruity, honey taste/aroma. It's fine.

Dark blond colour, white foam. Medium carbonation. Light sweet, malty, a bit citrussy, good hoppy bitterness.

Hazy golden beer with a white head. Aroma of belgian yeast, some grains and herbs. Taste of grainy malt, cereals, spicy hops.