Eel River California Blonde Ale

Brewed by Eel River Brewing Company
Style: Golden Ale/Blond Ale
Fortuna, California USA

Clear golden with tiny off white head. Sweet malty aroma with caramel and mild hoppy notes. Flavor has toasted malt, caramel and hops. Ends bitter.

This is not your typical blonde ale- and I was more than ok with that. Pours a cloudy muddy orange colour with a medium sized white floral head. Aroma is particularly hoppy. Strong floral accents. Similar to what you would find in a flower garden on a warm spring day. Flavor is slightly hopped, fruity with a touch of spice in the finish. Great beer, and like i said my kind of blonde!!

12 oz. bottle at Flat Rock Saloon. Poured amber with next to no head or carbonation. Umm, this isn’t a blonde ale by the way. Lots of grain, earthy tones (barely) present. So tasteless I thought I was drinking well, nothing. Terrible; avoid at all costs.

12oz bottle from City Beer. Pours hazy goldfen orange with a moderate white head, decent retention, some lace. Smells sweet and crisp malty, slightly fruity/citrusy, faint hops as well. Tastes malty sweet up front, again somewhat fruity tasting. I don’t get much bitterness, the sweet malt flavors linger nicely. The appearance threw me off, I was expecting something even lighter. Medium/thin body, good carbonation.

Last bottle in the store from TJ’s. Clerk hooked it up for free. Awesome. Pours a golden blonde amber with a small white head that fades before I can pick up the glass again. Nose is earthy, grainy, malty and slightly hoppy. Spent grains kind of overtake the aroma and its nowhere near as nice as the flavor. Flavor is nicely malty and hoppy with a minor bitter bite in the finish. Very drinkable and leaves a nice hoppy flavor on the tongue. This would be great beer pong/beruit beer. Would also work well for keg stands.

Bottle. Pours golden yellow with bubbly white head. Aroma/flavor is grain, corn, pale malts, mild hop bitterness. eh not very good.

Light golden color with a taller off-white head. Milky caramel, light vanilla frosting and bread dough aromas. Sweet and interesting, but not real clean. Lifeless body. Light caramel and pale malt start. Dirty green hops and husky malt flavors in the middle. Light dry earth finish. Why scare someone off with a green and earthy brew?

fairly strong tasting for a blonde in so much as it is deceptive. first opinion gave way to my semblance of respect. spicy muted hop character with a bit of sweet and a chalky malt taste. mild fruit and also touch of metal. at $10.99 for six -and- considering it is a california blonde i was mildly disappointed. alcohol level helps as well as the organic connotation which even these days is suspect.