Cisco Baileys Blonde Ale

Brewed by Cisco Brewers
Style: Golden Ale/Blond Ale
Nantucket, Massachusetts USA

Serve in English pint, Shaker

It ranks high in my book, and not because I’m from the island either. I smelled some form of citrus when I opened this. The head was ok. I tasted some more citrus, and that was it.

750ml Bottle: Aroma of hops, citrus, wheat, and light fruits. Poured gold/yellow in color with a large, dense, creamy, pillowy, off-white head that lasted throughout. Cloudy. Full of tiny particles throughout. Sparkling. Excellent lacing. Flavor is lightly sweet and lightly bitter. Tastes of citrus and grassy hops, resin, light spices, coriander, and hints of yeast and wood. Medium body. Coats the mouth in a thin film. Average carbonation. Hoppy, grassy, lightly spiced finish. Very drinkable for 7.5%ABV, which is not detectable. Finally a Cisco bottle that did not just foam!

Bottle shared by Dogbrick and bluemeow: This is one of those beers whose aroma supercedes the flavor in a bad way. This beer was a foam bomb, but the beer that I could see was a cloudy orange. Aroma of retired 80-year-old French hooker. Couldn’t really get past the perfume and the shuddering from old memories.

Bottle from Oak Tree Discount Wines & Spirits in South Plainfield, NJ. This brew is a hazy golden color with a very thick and fizzy white head that burns away steadily. Spiderwebs of lacing on the glass. Aroma of pine and perfumy hops, along with a bit of tart fruit. Medium-bodied with a good amount of carbonation. The flavor is floral and perfumed hops with notes of pine and light malt. The finish is moderately bitter hops with fruit in the background. The beer improves as it warms, however it never seems to fully come together.

Bomber, shared. Pours a hazy gold with a fluffy white head. Aroma is floral hops with earthy notes thrown in. Taste is malt and spice up front, dissolving into earthy/grassy notes, with a nice hop crispness at the end. Remains smooth throughout, and very solid overall.

750ml bottle. Pours a hazy yellow, blond color with an unbelievable frothy head. It just would not calm down. Nose is grassy with a floral hop background. Lively, but thin palate. The bubbles just keep coming. Taste is moderate hops with a hint of malt sweetness and a hint of spice. Also some fruit flavors as well, pears maybe. Refreshing summertime brew, although dealing with the never ending head was a bit of a distraction.

UPDATED: MAY 4, 2009 22oz Bomber. Pungent grassy nose. Fresh bursts of sea bean, milkweed, and maple sap. Heavy on the grass and bergamot rind. Really fresh and bright. The hop aroma is interesting. I’m so used to getting a really dank West Coast hop aroma, but this comes as an alcohol-livened grassy figure. Beaming. Pours a mildly hazed deep gold, with a growing rocky froth that settles in sticky sheets on the side of the glass. Flavor is rich. More of the bright, grassy hops play off of some dense, toothy malt. The explosive carbonation carries a lot of flavors a long way. Alcohol adds complexity, but never brings the beer down. Dry, brisk and refreshing. Beautiful, beautiful balance. Dried citrus rind mingles with honey-like malt and a bit of yeast. All around delicious and lively. Hops are forward, but work well in their English old style. I think this is a fantastic beer. Just tremendous.

750ml bottle. Large bubbly white head. Relatively clear amber color. Might be misleading to label this as a blonde... taste is spicy and hopped -like an IPA. Slight ripe lemon taste but is overdone by an astringent finish which lingers.