Cullercoats Shuggy Boat Blonde

Shuggy Boat Blonde is a bottle conditioned blonde ale from Tyneside and there isn't much sediment in the bottle so I filled my glass with this beautiful sunny golden yellow, slightly hazy ale with a frothy and clingy cream coloured head.

It smells deliciously fruity and hoppy.  There's nothing complex in the aroma but it's so juicy, sweet and tangy that I couldn't wait to dive in.  It tastes pretty much what I would expect for a blonde ale: fruity and sweet citrus combined with tangy and dry hops.  It's very well balanced and has a lovely dry/bitter finish.  A medium body and good carbonation give a nice tingly mouthfeel.

The bitterness in the finish seems to intensify as you drink it and it was a teeny bit too harsh for me at first, although I did get used to it and I enjoyed the beer.  I would definitely have a pint of this in a beer garden in the summer so Ale Be Seeing You again!

Brewed by Cullercoats Brewery, Wallsend, Tyne & Wear
3.8% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 3.75/5

Find out more at Cullercoats Brewery

Dubuisson Cuvée des Trolls

 

Well this is a lively beer and it burst from the bottle like a troll from beneath a bridge demanding a toll.  Admittedly, I left it a little close to the best before end date before opening it so I would advise drinking this one fresh.

It's a hazy, deep golden beer with a thick, tight and frothy cream coloured head.  It has a delicious aroma of Belgian hops, caramel, orange and banana.  Whilst it's quite hoppy which gives it the tang of a Belgian in its taste, it's quite sweet on the tongue with notes of caramel and malt, but what sets it apart is the slightly citrus finish.  

It's very fizzy with prickly bubbles that burst little bombs of orange peel flavour and it has a decent medium body.  It's a tangy, tasty Belgian blonde beer with a hint of bitter mischief and Ale Be Seeing You again. 

Brewed by Dubuisson Brewery, Belgium
7% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 4.5/5

Find out more at Dubuisson Brewery

Corsendonk Summum Goudblond

 

I've been impressed with the Corsendonk abbey beers and Goudblond is no exception, although it is perhaps my least favourite of all the Corsendonk beers I've tried.

It's a very dark golden/light amber ale with a thick, tight and robust cream coloured head.  On first opening, it smells a little floral with notes of caramel and hops.  The aroma then seems to develop into a more soapy smell which is a little offputting.

Thankfully, there's nothing soapy in the taste.  It tastes of sweet caramel and malt with a tangy, fruity hint of hops to remind you it's a Belgian ale.  The sweetness lingers on the lips and the whole flavour combination actually reminded me of caramel waffles.  It has a medium body and carbonation is perfect with lots of soft bubbles to tingle the tongue.

It's quite a sweet blonde ale but I have a sweet tooth so I rather liked it.  It would definitely have scored higher if it hadn't had the weird soapy smell.  Unfortunately, it's not in production any more but if it was brewed again, Ale Be Seeing You again.

Brewed by Corsendonk Brewery, Belgium
7.8% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 4/5

Find out more at Corsendonk Brewery

Buxton Brewery Buxton Blonde

Buxton Blonde is a deep golden yellow ale with a frothy, reasonably tight off-white coloured head that dissipates to leave a nice layer of foam.  Aroma is biscuit, caramel and yellow fruit.  It's not a strong aroma but it is pleasant.

Malt, caramel, honey and hops dominate the flavour with a slight bitter citrus finish that isn't pithy at all.  It's thin bodied but not watery and has good carbonation that's fizzy enough without being harsh.

Incredibly refreshing and easy to drink, i's a lovely biscuity blonde ale with a bitter finish.  It's not currently brewed by Buxton but if it was, Ale Be Seeing You as it's a lovely summery ale.

Brewed by Buxton Brewery, Buxton, Derbyshire
4.6% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 3.5/5

Find out more at Buxton Brewery

Kasteel Tripel

This stonking 11% Belgian tripel pours a sunshiney golden yellow with a tight, off-white head.  The head is amazing; it actually looks like frogspawn as perfectly formed, distinctly separate little bubbles cling to each other.  I have to share a close up photo just to show what I mean.

It has a lovely hoppy aroma with a hint of sweet fruit, including citrus and banana.  The flavour is equally impressive with the expected tripel taste of tangy, sour hops but with the addition of zingy, fruit bursts that give a sweet edge to the sourness and a maltiness that lingers on the palate.  It has a medium body with good carbonation.

You can definitely taste that this has a high ABV but I couldn't really detect any hints of raw alcohol that sometimes overpower strong ales.  Let's face it, the Belgian's know how to brew decent beer so it's no surprise that I'm saying 'Ale Be Seeing You' again to Kasteel Tripel.

Brewed by Kasteel Brouwerij Vanhonsebrouck, Belgium
11% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 4.5/5

Find out more at Kasteel