La Trappe Blond

Brewed by De Koningshoeven (Bavaria - Netherlands)
Style: Belgian Ale
Tilburg, Netherlands

Light amber, clear, with a small head, the aroma is sweet and fruity - pears, I think. A hint of yeast in the background. Taste began with a shot of malt, reminiscent of an English bitter, but the rest of the flavour was 100% Belgian: sweet, fruity, gentle and lacking in dryness. The more I drank the more flavours emerged. What a delightful evening!

Bottle, Smokeless Joe’s. Dark yellow, small white head. Really bubbly - this beer looks fantastic when served in the proper glass. Initial taste was a little bottle - like and stale. Frothy medium mouthfeel. Slightly sweet taste - a little unbalanced really. Nothing at all in the finish. A pretty good beer that just went a little overboard on the sweet side for me.

No aroma. Clear golden coloured. Some bitter in the finish. An ordinary blonde with a mild taste.

500ml stone crock from Morrisons - they seem to have improved their range. Dark blond. Aroma of spice, candi sugar, hint of yeast, fruit. Good mouthfeel. Little bit sweet, but not unpleasant. Initial pour clear, but remnants are cloudy.

Orange colour and poured with a medium head.Some bitterness but very smooth and a pleasant clean taste.I find some beers of this style a bit overpowering but this doesn’t fall into that class.

Imagine my surprise when I walked into my local, small Morrison (Hawick) and found this, and several other interesting brews on the shelves which weren’t there a couple of days ago..just goes to show you should always check out the most unlikely outlets. Anyway, this is tasty stuff, soft malty notes with nice fruit both on the nose and on the palate, a very pleasant surprise...by the way the bottle is a "ceramic" 500ml with a cork. £2 odd each.

(Bottle 33 cl) Dark golden beer with a fairly small head. Extremely aromatic with distinct, fruity notes. The ale-yeast adds some wonderful, almost exotic notes. Some sweetness, but not cloying. Subdued, short bitterness. Yeast sediment at the botom. 120602

11.2 fl oz brown bottle. Golden colour, very creamy compact head. Aromas of banana, yeast and a touch of spice. Fruity/malty flavour with hint of clove, yeasty and sweet.