Friday, July 29, 2005
Belgian Beer: Kloeke Blonde
Of course I am biased. Wannabe-intellectual Norwegian blond man tasting a beer called The Wise Blond(e). Falling for a marketing trick, maybe, as the brewers, De Struise Brewers, seem to be exporting quite a bit to Scandinavia, Denmark to be more specific. The beer is actually brewed at Caulier, and I was half expecting a super-sweet encounter. Though I might prefer sweet blondes to bitter ones when it comes to personal relationships, my palate has come to appreciate bitterness when tasting beer.
I had already tasted the over-sweet Pannepot beer, also commissioned by De Struise Brouwers, www.noordhoek.info, located in the Noordhoek (northern corner) of West-Vlaanderen, near the sympathetic port city of Oostende, and brewed in the Hainault brewery of Caulier, but in my opinion The Wise Blond is surprisingly more complex. Appropriately for the name, I suppose, it pours with a huge white head with the substance appearing hazy golden underneath. The aroma is yeasty and noble hops are greeting the nose, followed by a good mouth-feel. The finish is pleasantly dry as well.
What can I say? Don't underestimate the Blondes from the northern corner of Belgium and Europe!
I had already tasted the over-sweet Pannepot beer, also commissioned by De Struise Brouwers, www.noordhoek.info, located in the Noordhoek (northern corner) of West-Vlaanderen, near the sympathetic port city of Oostende, and brewed in the Hainault brewery of Caulier, but in my opinion The Wise Blond is surprisingly more complex. Appropriately for the name, I suppose, it pours with a huge white head with the substance appearing hazy golden underneath. The aroma is yeasty and noble hops are greeting the nose, followed by a good mouth-feel. The finish is pleasantly dry as well.
What can I say? Don't underestimate the Blondes from the northern corner of Belgium and Europe!
