Hopfenstark Ostalgia Blonde

Brewed by Hopfenstark
Style: Golden Ale/Blond Ale
L’Assomption, Canada

Now hear about this lovely and rocking little novelty. It is a cloudy golden ale topped by an honest sheet of white foam. Appealing and growing on you nose takes one aback by its rather estery fruity notions that march beside the skillful extraction which allows such clean and pure graininess, crunchy fresh cereals from the most humble and yet apt basic pale malts. Natural and engaging carbonation and its sibling yeastiness impart an invigorating texture which deploys its charms down to the bottom of the throat. Crisp noble hops appear more and more vigorous by the sip, grassy, leafy, yet more into bittering and balancing purposes than aromas. Now that’s a pleasant and unexpected surprise. An absolutely gorgeous little session ale, basically what could be made into a futuristic Saison if we ever come back to the hardcore farming. This is feeding by its mere texture, light in alcohol, hugely drinkable and charmingly flavorful, screaming its love for the ingredients it originated from while letting the drinker know of the masterful hands which are behind their integration.

Complete re-write for the new bottled version, that is surprisingly/inexplicably superior and quite different from the already excellent tap version
In short:
How: Bottle 750ml. Consumed fresh. MUST BE consumed fresh.
The look: Cloudy banana yellow body topped by a persistent medium white head
In long: Nose of fresh cereals and freshly cut grass. There’s a ton of cereals in this baby, oh man, how were they able to fit so much cereals in a beer that end-up feeling so soft? Big fresh hay character. Fruity flavours of lemon, bananas, pineapples, a little green apples touch. A lot of grassy hops with a character that differs from the usual Saaz-ish dry grassiness. This is like soft freshly cut grass, hard to describe. Overall sensation of meringue. Body is as full as I can hope for the this type of beer and the carbonation is appropriately average. Finish is dry and rather tart that makes it exceptionally refreshing. Fantastic brew, and to think that this is Hopfenstark “entry-level” blonde beer. If all entry-level products were that good, the Ford Focus would not exist.

Tap. At l’Assomption, in their barn-shed, near a haystack. Many Québec beer geeks seem to wet their pants when it comes to this one... It is a well deserved satisfaction spasm as this blonde beauty has a hell of a body. The taste is very grainy and leafy, with subtilititties that leave you wanting more. Added: Gotta rerate since I now have an addiction. A tremendous beer in every way, with herbal hop subtilties that I know no word to describe. Indeed a beer masterpiece.

Draft at Spuyten. Great looking beer with a thick, white head. Flavor is peppery, minty and spearmint. Dry, sweet and full of flavor. I doubt there is a better beer in thus style out there.

Lemon citrus, floral and woody hop character greets the nose with sweet underlying malt base. Very hazy yellow-blonde body is topped by a shy but lasting white head - almost looks a bit like a witbier as it is somewhat viscous. Flavour reveals a lightly musty, honey-sweet malt character with tart wheat notable, plenty of lemon citrus, woody, earthy, haylike and floral notes from the hops but although the moderate bitterness overtakes the malt sweetness and lingers, it is never overwhelming. Somewhat spicy in the aftertaste. Light-medium body with lightly prickly carbonation that awakens the taste buds. Quite the revelation! If this were my local I’d be thrilled to be quaffing this all summer long. Shaker glass. Just above fridge temperature. Bottle (bottle conditioned) purchased at the brewery in mid-June.

cloudy yellow/peach and unfiltere. Good yeast and hop and fresh. Grapefruit and some yeast in aroma. Medium plus creamy mouthfeel.Nice hopping. This is a big time upcoming brewery based on 6 months’ real time brewpub displayed here.

Any first impressions?
-A frothy head dissipates into the hazy pale straw.
-Well-developed cereals proudly reach the nostrils as subdued hoppiness do not announce the potency of their presence in the flavor profile.
-Soaring noble, herbal hops carry into a leafy bitterness, gravitating around the purported chewy cereals.
-The ample yet drinkable maltiness and soft, big-bubbled effervescence emulates Franconian/Bavarian unfiltered lagers.

What if you dig deeper?
-Honeyed bananas discreetly approach the spicy, herbal hoppiness.
-I am reminded of Drei Kronen Schesslitz’s Lagerbier. Very impressive!!
-Immensely drinkable yet never frail, this competently-brewed German countryside classic (as an ale, in this case) cannot fail to please. An amazing beginning for this new microbrewer. THIS is a golden ale!

On tap at Vices et Versa, Montréal and at the brewery.

750. thanks, glouglouburp! pours a cloudy bright yellow with a big, bubbly, woolly head. huge grassy funky nose, sweet, sharp, and delicious. woolly creamy medium body. tons of grass, lemon, white pepper, and funk on the mid palate. nice long spicy finish.