Drakes Blonde Ale

Brewed by Drakes Brewing Company
Style: Kölsch
San Leandro, California USA

Hazy dark golden with sizeable amounts of off-white head. Really unique aroma - lemony, spicy, dry grass and some husky cereal grains along with some mild yeastiness. Medium sweet flavor with some light, tangy lemoniness, moderate raisin notes along with some more spicy hops, rich doughy maltiness. Finishes moderately hoppy, a little on the sweet side for a kolsch. Well done.

On tap @ Drakes poured a clear yellow with a small lasting white head. Aromas of straw, bread and light citrus. Palate was light bodied, crisp and slightly dry. Flavors of bread, straw and a hint of citrus with a dry crisp lightly bitter finish.

12ozer from moejuck. Soapy and crisp noble hop aroma. Very biscuit, with a fair amount of complexity. Lightly filtered pale auburn. Soft and smooth palate, slightly minerally, with a very gentle and quaffable flavor. Very nicely done.

6-pack, questionably fresh, from the notorious pilsner stock piling Hollingshead Deli. This was refrigerated, however, so I’m going to go with it….
Bottle consumed over the weekend, 3/22-3/24/2007
Extremely frothy, large white head is slow to recede and laces moderately well. Clarity is high. Carbonation is forced, with plenty of bubbles in the deep blonde colored body with plenty of straw tones.
Grainy and straw-like malt notes right away show dryness in the malt bill, but a honey-vanilla sweetness creeps on the back end. Soft, fruity and lightly herbal hops are very reserved, though still very aromatic, adding very little bitterness. No flaws in the aroma, medium strength, no alcohol.
I like the variation on the malt flavors; not just all honey, or vanilla-cream or cookieish pale malts. The light grainy edge really helps break up the sweetness, as well. Clean yeast, with very low ester production and soft, floral hops with light nectarine/peach fruitiness and some mildly bitter spiciness. A touch of doughiness and a pretty full body relative to style. That’s ok though, it’s better than the beer being watery. Wow, Drakes really are showing themselves to be in the top tier of brewing malty beers. They’ve really got their mashing down solid and don’t skimp on the malt. Maybe not as well suited for a pils or blonde ale, though this one was still very enjoyable, and I have yet to have their pils fresh. Looking forward to the Brandy barrel barleywine and Imperial Stout I have of theirs!

Hand bottled from brewery. Nice, refreshing, crisp kolsch. As much character and flavor as you can expect out of a kolsch.

Pours a clear bubbly golden color, with a frothy white head. Light grainy character as well as a hint of malty sweetness. Nice light carbonation as well a a beautiful cereal balance to a toffee like malty sweetness. This beer is a very nice flavorful Kolsch. I tried it without reading anything about it first, and now I know why I was stumped as to the style. It is like a Kolsch with an american malty twist.

12 oz bottle. Clear peach with a thin white head. Faint, but enticing, ginger peach and anise. Crisp lemon-lime soda and creamy vanilla with a dry melon finish. Fruity, hoppy, interesting and quite good.

Got some slight citrus hops in the aroma.Pours a hazy yellow with a medium white head.Got some yeast and some sweet malt in the flavor.Medium mouthfeel with a sweet finish.