Disclosure: This review may have been compensated in goods and/or services, but the opinions expressed are 100 percent those of Great Beer Now
Summer beers are typically light and easy- going. Many craft beer fans have a favorite summer beer and often wish that the beer was available more often than just the warmer times of the year. Well, there is one summer beer that has made the transition from seasonal to year round status, much to the delight of its many fans. That beer is This Season’s Blonde, a beer from Aspen Brewing of Aspen, Colorado.
Refreshment, Anyone?
This Season’s Blonde pours to an orange color with a moderate head of foam that consists of larger bubbles that don’t hold up for long. The beer has a nose that combines fruit, yeast, floral notes, and malt for an all-around, touch- all- the- bases type of scent, often indicative of a balanced brew.
With the taste, this beer delivers about what one would expect from the nose. The flavors of citrus and light malt dominate, plus there is a honey- sweetness that blends well with the pale wheat malts. There are some notes of corn and lemongrass as well.
This Season’s Blonde is lighter, but it’s actually a little stronger than the typical session beer. A quick check of the stats shows that this beer contains 5.6 percent alcohol by volume and 24 IBU of bitterness.
A Different Blonde
Originally released as Spring Blonde Wheat Ale in 2008, This Season’s Blonde is a once seasonal beer that made the transition to year—round status. Back when it was released, it was met with positive accolades, convincing the folks at Aspen Brewing to move it from the seasonal to annual lineup. I got a chance to sample this beer as part of the Local Goes Global Campaign sponsored by Velour Imports and, given the state of Colorado’s strong reputation for quality craft beer, I was pretty confident that this beer would deliver on most counts.
Blonde beers are usually approachable and rather tame overall, but there are a few factors that set This Season’s Blonde apart from the pack. Probably the greatest difference is its use of wheat malts. Most blonde beers do not add wheat and in doing so, This Season’s Blonde ends up a little more bready/biscuit like than others. It also lends to a somewhat unusual scent that some will find a little bit paper- like and off- putting. I felt the same way at first, but fortunately, the oddity of scent doesn’t carry forward into the flavor. The taste does follow the nose for the most part, except for that odd smell.
Aspen Brewing is based in the Colorado mountain city that bears its name. This Season’s Blonde and other Aspen Brewing beers can be found throughout the state of Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Washington D.C. Internationally, Aspen Brewing beer is sold in Australia and the United Kingdom. In a short time, distribution will expand to Arizona and California on the domestic front and to Trinidad, Panama, and South America internationally. Velour Imports is helping Aspen Brewing expand its global reach. To discover where you can find this beer, I recommend visiting the Brew Finder in the Aspen Brewing web site.
Summer beers are nice and while they don’t rank among my favorite craft beers, they do have their time and place. This Season’s Blonde does, indeed, serve a purpose and the fact that Aspen Brewing moved it to the year- round rotation is proof of its likability. Give it a try the next time you’re in Aspen or the nearby vicinity, and enjoy the refreshment of This Season’s Blonde anytime of the year.
Rating: 6 Cheers out of 10
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