Swaf Blonde (formerly Vervifontaine)

RBSG @ O’Briens from Dr. Bill. Labeled as Vervifontaine Blonde. Poured a chunky and hazy yellow color with a white head. The aroma had a mild sweetness and toasted malt notes. Hints of leather were also floating around. The flavor was malty with a mild earthiness. Dry yeasty finish with a bite that tastes like black licorice.

11.12oz bottle from Tiggmtl, drunk on 11/3/07. BB July 2007
With a pop of the cap, I get an immediate rush of a very pleasan mixture of soft, floral, heathery hops and light honey-vanilla pale malt notes. Wow, we may actually have something here....(unlike the brune and ambree, which were very disappointing). I pour a glass and leave it alone for a few minutes to breath. Sediment left behind in the bottle, and a mostly clear peach-golden body with a large, but mostly dissipating head. Light lacing.
When I come back, to my displeasure, there is no sign of either the hops or malts. Instead, I’m greeted with rather dull yeast notes, plentiful (overbearing) esters and almost a pineapple-like sweetness. Very odd, especially given how it started out. Some yeast blandness and dry, bread-like graininess takes some of the sweetness down a notch, but there’s nothing here that is elegant or particularly enjoyable. Don’t know if there’s some DMS in the nose, or if that’s just a mix of the esters, ginseng and sweetness....no alcohol noted in the aroma, medium strength overall.
Very basic honey sweetness in the flavor, with medium amounts of carbonation that allow some looseness in to the texture. Sweetness ranges between sticky sponge cake and overly sweet vanilla cake, with plentiful apricot/peach/pineapple notes and moderately strong phenolic spiciness on the end (white pepper, light medicinal notes). Attenuation is off (too sweet), texture is too sticky, while the carbonation too loose. Alcohol is concealed, and there seem to be few flaws. Eh....

Hazy golden colored brew. With ginseng, this is not notable in the flavor or the aroma. Sweet and fruity aroma, a bit spicy. Just an avarage blonde flavor with added fruits.

A hazy blonde with a thick collapsing white head. Some gunk developped under the cap. A sweet spicy aroma, with notes of lemon and ginger. In mouth, a rather bland and boring belgian ale with lemon, light coriander, not much life. Good for cooking...Bieropholie import, BB 11-03-07.

Bottled. An unclear orange beer with a lazing off-white head. The aroma is sweet spicy and malty, and the flavor is sweet with notes of malt, spices, and medicin.

(Bottle 33 cl) Clear, fully golden with a dense and very white head. Vaguely perfumy aroma. Medium body with lightly sweet malt and notes of yeast and sulphur. No real trace of the ginseng though. A rather harmless Blonde. Courtesy of Beerole. 040307

Bottle. Clear yellow coloured with a huge white head. Aroma of fruits and spices with notes of berries and grain. Flavour of fruits and spices with notes of berries and hops.

Cloudy golden ale topped by a creamy white head leaving fair lacing. Old stale fruits pair with the musty spiced french toast in this repetitive dull yeast display. Odd vegetal notes don’t contribute to any enlightenment. Minimal citrusy hops. Just feels undevelopped, that yeast strain contributes nothing despite the authentic belgian texture.