6

Romige blond met Belgische gist, redelijk wat koriander en citrus, had mij minder gemogen

6.5

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6.5 | Flavor - 6.5 | Texture - 7 | Overall - 6.5

0.33 l can from 'AH XL' (Arnhem), best before February 2026. Slightly hazy, golden with a medium large, frothy, almost stable, off-white head. Sweetish, gently yeasty-spicy and a little fruity-floral aroma of banana, clove, lemon peel and some coriander. Gently sweet, malty, moderately bitter, quite yeasty-spicy and slightly fruity-floral taste of grains, banana, clove, vanilla, coriander and some lemon peel, followed by a short, moderately bitter finish. Medium body, smooth and gently effervescent mouthfeel, very soft carbonation. Easily drinkable, nice thirst-quencher.

6.6

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 7 | Overall - 7

Can at mini tasting. Quite clear yellow color, small white head. Aroma is sweet, wheat, yeasty. Flavor is similar, fortunately not so sweet. Easy drinkable. Quite okay.

7.3

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 7 | Overall - 7.5

Dorada nebulosa de dos dedos de bonita espuma blanca. Ligero aroma especiado, y muy de carácter belga. Cuerpo moderado, suave, bien de gas. Sabor muy agradable, equlibrado, con rica base malteada (trigo se impone), notas de caramelo y contrapunto de amargor frutal, plátano, naranja y notas especiadas.

6

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 5.5 | Flavor - 6.5 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6

33cl Blik van Blauwe Theehuis. Rechtstreeks uit blik. Iets granig, typische industriële Belgisch Blond-geur, fruitige esters, bitter. Doet wat chemisch aan, vond het niet een heel fijn bier. Lichte body, soms wat waterig aandoend.

6.8

Appearance - 7 | Aroma - 6.5 | Flavor - 6.5 | Texture - 7 | Overall - 7

Blonde from 't IJ, developed in their proeflokaal (De Molen - not to be confused with the pioneering Dutch craft brewery near Gouda, of course); the name is French for "the egg" which seems fitting in this Easter weekend, when children gather literal Easter eggs. Can from the Albert Heijn supermarket in Lokeren. Thick, foamy, egg-white, dense, very moussey and regular, almost creamy head, lacing with a thin membrane over a lightly misty yellow-golden robe with vaguely pale orangey tinge and some lonely, tiny bubbles shooting upwards here and there. Aroma of dried white bread crust, old dry orange peel, coriander powder, white bubblegum, raw parsnip, sweetclover, halfripe banana, wet grass, unripe apricot, apple skin, something vaguely sulfuric (egg yolk), hint of melting rubber in the background, honey, vague clove. Fruity onset, sweetish in a crisp kind of way but not very 'colourful', reminiscent of dried apple peel, halfripe banana and a dash of apricot, with - unexpectedly - rather stingy carbonation, accentuating a sourish undertone; slender, smooth pale malty core, a touch bready, with this typical wheat slickness engulfing it, adding more sourishness. This latter aspect remains till the end, where, next to a touch of coriander, floral hops show up - not as "New World" as the brewery apparently claims, but still with a distant hint of dried sweet orange peel and even very faint dill. The hops establish a mild but somewhat lingering, soft-earthy, floral bitterness, but the wheat sourishness and fruity aspects linger just as strongly - as does this bubblegummy isoamylacetate, though in this particular case it does not stress the sweetness too much for some reason. Moderately dryish finish, altogether satisfying for what it intends to be: a classic Belgian style blonde with a portion of slick wheat and a background dash of American hops, the latter connecting with present-day artisanal beer tendencies, but in such a vague and distant way that it almost feels like a waste to use them at all... The days when 't IJ was not boring are long past - decades, in fact. I respect the pioneering function they had in Holland in the eighties and nineties (along with e.g. Us Heit in Friesland), but ever since Moortgat took over in 2015, their beers have become ever more mass-oriented and less interesting to the beer afficionado.

6.6

Appearance - 7 | Aroma - 6.5 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 7 | Overall - 7

Blik 33cl thuis. Yeasty, citrustonen, steenfruit, orange peel, licht kruidig, wat droog, bittertonen, bloemig, licht maltig. (6-4-2025).

6.4

Appearance - 7 | Aroma - 6.5 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5

Can. Clear golden. Coriander, cloves, sweet malts, some wheat, light floral, cream, dry earthy hops, slightly stalen bread. Medium sweet and bitter. Creamy medium body. Drinkeable stuff.

6.4

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5

Can from a local bottle shop. Aroma is floral and yeasty/spicy with coriander, floral hop, light malt. Moderate bittersweet flavour. As light Blondes go, this is pretty decent. Would make for a good festival beer.