Adirondack Dirty Blonde

Brewed by Adirondack Pub & Brewery
Style: Wheat Ale
Lake George, New York USA

Serve in Shaker, Weizen

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I was disappointed that the IPA wasn’t on, but this advertised at least a substantial hop nose - which it had. Only 25 IBUs and 5.6% ABV, it was a decent (for me) session ale. Yes - it would have been better with more hop bite and flavors, but if you’ve ever been to Lake George, that’s probably not the crowd their catering too (tourists and bud drinkers).

Crisp Euro-malt aroma, spicy and peppery -- surprising for something that calls itself a "blonde ale." Unusually resiny hop; splash of orange. complex for a wheat ale. The appearance is golden yellow; big puffy white head. Slow-rising, tiny bubbles. Root beer float head. The flavor is some cloves, with a peppery finish. Earthy malts. The hop is slight but resinous. It is a peppery, tangy flavor. The palate is milky, has a fizzy little pop. A very solid hefeweizen: earthy and spicy. One of the more clove-y and peppery wheat beers I can remember having.

The aroma is citrusy, fruity, and a weird off note, but not altogether fatal for this beer. The appearance is cloudy yellow/orange, white head. The flavor is malty sweet, citrusy. The finish is citrus, pine. Medium in body. Quite good.

Bottle from Paula (who has black hair). Pours gold with a creamy large white head. Citrus nose. Med body. Flavor is strongly citrus without being all that bitter. It is bitter, just not so much as it seems it should be. Towards the finish the citrus seems to get towards grapefruit. All in all a pretty hoppy wheat.

Christmas mix 6. Pours hazy dirty blonde. Tastes of strong wheat and hops. Also lemon zest, pine, and light yeast. Medium body and crisp quite refreshing

12 ounce bottle. Pours a totally clear golden color with a medium white head. The aroma is sweet honey, grains and citrus. The flavor is a very hoppy and fresh wheat beer; sweet bursts of citrus, Cascade is huge, some dry mellow grains and honey. Nice. Lingering bitterness.

UPDATED: SEP 2, 2011 I poured a 12oz bottle into an authentic hefeweizen glass.

Appearance: Orange hue with slightly hazy complexion. Lots of carbonation bubbles present. Forms a fairly large, white, frothy head which retains and laces very well.

Smell: Very hoppy for a wheat beer. Lemon zest, peel and pith are very prominent in the nose along with a general citrusy aroma. Faint traces of wet wheat and spices are present too, but otherwise it’s not a nose I’d assimilate with a wheat-forward beer.

Taste: Generic "pale wheat ales" tend to disappoint me, and I have a feeling Adirondack Brewery feels the same so they decided to throw a bunch of hops in to change things up. I’m not against arbitrary hopping of beers if the result is a tasty palate, but in the case of Dirty Blonde Ale it really helps out the palate. Hop bitterness is present from beginning to end with a distinct grapefruit flavor that dominates the middle and end. It’s so citrusy and tart it has a lemonade-like feel. It’s refreshing while it’s in the mouth, but hops linger momentarily but are not only tolerable, but pleasant. The wheat beer backbone is exactly that - there all along propping up the palate. There is a malty, slight grainy flavor of wheat wet and a mélange of mild, non-peppery spice in the body. Without the hop presence, it’d probably be just an okay beer, but the net result is a very good one.

Mouthfeel: Slightly thin, but not watery. Very crisp with minor tart aftertaste.

Drinkability: For such a hop-forward beer, Dirty Blonde Ale is quite quaffable and very refreshing. An ideal beer to bring to a BBQ as it’s good enough on its own, but strong enough to stand up to typical picnic fare. Very sessionable as well, considering its potency of only 4.6% ABV.

Overall, a nice change from the usual boring pale wheat ale, as the hoppiness really helps inject some excitement into what would’ve been an otherwise generic pale wheat ale.

12 oz. bottle. Pours a mostly clear antique gold with a moderate white head that lasted through the first quarter of the glass and left partial lace. Pleasant aroma of mild wheat grain with ample lemon, grapefruit and orange. The citrus combination is quite refreshing actually. The flavor is similar although not quite as fruity as the aroma. Mild bitterness at the finish. Refreshing and enjoyable.

Sampled from the tap at the brewpub. Poured a near clear gold with a white head that dissipated to the edges and laced nicely. Aroma was a combination of citrus and floral notes with a bit of grapefruit and sweet wheat. Flavor was similar but had a bit more grapefruit and sweet wheat in the finish. Drank really easy.

A - Pours a bright fairly clear golden-orange color with a finger of crisp frothy white head atop. The head fades down to a ring leaving behind some nice lacing. S - Aroma is full of pine hops. There is also a touch of wheat and grass as well as some light citrus. Fairly assertive. T - Starts off with some a hit of grassy hops and some nice bitterness. Some wheat flavors in the background along with some light orange. Through the middle some a bit more wheat flavor and a touch of almost nutty flavors come out. The finish is a blend of some hop bitterness and somewhat and nutty flavors, which linger nicely. M - Medium bodied with moderate lively carbonation. Feels really crisp and finishes nice and dry. Does not feel watery, which is nice. D - Very drinkable. The combination of the wheat with the strong hop flavor is very nice. The hop profile is solid and the balance here is fairly good.

Bottle. Pours clear gold with some orange hues and a small frothy white head. Aromas of citrusy hops, slight pine, and mild sweet and sugary fruit (grapefruit and papaya). The flavor is pine and citrus, slightly bitter, with some tropical fruit and a sweet wheat finish, as well as an earthy aftertaste. Smooth. Not bad at all. The hoppiness makes this wheat ale more palatable to me; this would be a fine summer ale. [650]