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.

330 ml bottle. Pours a very dark brown with no head. Aromas of whiskey, cocoa, fudge, vanilla, and slick roasted malts. Flavors of chocolate, soft whiskey, vanilla, creamy coffee and oily roasted malts. Warm finish with residual sweetness, but whiskey is soft and not in the forefront. To me, a really good “Pastry” stout.

330 ml bottle. Pours black with short tan head. Aromas of oaky vinous cognac, chocolate, vanilla, and slick roasted malts, Flavors follow same with continued emphasis on the oaky vinous cognac but with chocolate also more prominent and thicker, plus some graham cracker and dark caramel notes.

Bottle at home shared with Laura. Opaque black color, no head. Aroma and flavor are malts, somewhat roasty, liquorice, dark malts, nicely bitter. Quite thick texture. Alright.

Bottle at home shared with Laura. Opaque black color, medium sized dark brown colored head that lasts for quite a while. Aroma is malts, peat, brown malts. Flavor is malts, brown malts, slightly softer peat notes and moderately bitter. Medium to full body, suitable medium carbonation. Very solid I'd say.

Bottle at home shared with Laura. Opaque dark brown to black color, no head. Aroma and flavor are malts, roasty a bit, liquorice, rum I guess, though I wouldn't have guessed it probably. A bit flat, but solid body. Alright.

Bottle from Stacks. Cloudy black, no head. Aroma of chocolate sauce, dark fudge, brown sugar, dried banana, pear, vanilla, rum. Taste has sweet banana, pear & date in a dark-chocolatey, brown-sugary, vanilla-ish malt body with some phenolic notes. Soft herbal hops in the finish, very chocolatey (pralines with liqueur), warming liqueur- & rum-like alcohol. Full body, oily texture, soft carbonation. Sharp rum is present but not too boozy. Good.

Can from Geers.
A: hazy ochre, small, foamy, white head.
A: ripe mango, mandarin, dried orange peel, pineapple, honey.
T: sweet pineapple & mango, bittersweet orange peel, honey.
F: bitter piney hops, grapefruit, bit dank, warming gin-like alcohol.
P: medium body, oily texture, soft carbonation.
Decently bittersweet, moreish, but not BramBrass' best.