Texas is a rising star in the craft beer world. The state ranks second in population, but its craft brewing industry ranks below that of less populous states. However, the craft brewing industry is on the rise in Texas and one good example is Real Ale Brewing of Blanco, Texas. I have had the pleasure of sampling many Real Ale products and one of my latest adventures is Fireman’s #4 Blonde Ale, a golden ale.
Beer Bio:
Style: American Blonde Ale
Calories: 160 per 12 oz. serving
Carbs: 16 grams per 12 oz. serving
Alcohol Content: 5.1 percent by volume
Fireman’s #4 Blonde Ale is clear, well- filterd beer with a straw- colored body. This ale emits a nose of lightly grassy hops and light citrus, with a touch of yeast. The head of foam starts out nice, but it doesn’t hold itself together very long.
Moving to the taste, Fireman’s #4 Blonde Ale offers the taste of lightly roasted malt, grains, and biscuits along with a citrus and pear flavor, as well as some yeast flavor and a hint of chocolate. A slight bitterness closes out the drinking session and the beer remains crisp and clean throughout.
I don’t normally go for lighter beer, but I do make exceptions to this rule during the summer. Lighter beers are good during the warmer months for the obvious reasons: They are less filling and more refreshing, making them a good beverage option in the sweltering heat. My experience with Fireman’s #4 Blonde Ale was, indeed, a reponse to my quest to find a better beer for the hot, dog days of summer. And what I discovered is that this beer actually isn’t as light as I first thought, yet it is still a crisp, refreshing beer overall.
Fireman’s #4 Blonde has a nose like a typical light ale, but the taste is slightly different. The most interesting flavor dimension is one you wouldn’t expect: chocolate! I conducted a small amount of research and I can find no evidence that chocolate malts or any other chocolate- tasting ingredient is used in the production of this beer. Yet, Fireman’s #4 Blonde Ale does offer this unusual flavor dimension along with more commonplace flavors for this style, such as grain, yeast, and citrus.
Another nice feature with Fireman’s #4 Blonde Ale is its crisp, clean flavor profile. This ale is filtered thoroughly, with a great deal of clarity and cleanness that many might feel is taken too far. However, there is no need to worry. Real Ale might have over- filtered, but the clean profile doesn’t mean the beer is without any flavor. It still has some interesting tasting notes and it is the type of beer that will be enjoyed by most everyone.
In summary, Fireman’s #4 Blonde Ale is a tasty blonde ale that offers good refreshment with some interesting flavors. There is little bitterness in this brew (only 21 IBU, to be exact) and with its agreeable flavor and overall refreshment, it makes a good session beer and it is the type of product that newbies and seasoned beer connoisseurs will all find to their liking.
| Rating: 8 Cheers out of 10 |
Being very uneducated in beer I often find myself looking for unbiased reviews of enigmatic beers, usually leading me to the internet’s finest fools, and in this case I am utterly astounded at not only how spot on this review is but how much I enjoyed #4. Dark ale never tasted good (not to mention traditional Budweiser, Coors, Miller, etc.) so naturally have been stuck between Dos Equis and landshark.
Cheers