Leffe Blonde

Brewed by InBev Belgium
Style: Belgian Ale
Leuven, Belgium

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

Pours a golden color in the glass. Nose and taste is creamy and smooth. Rated 9/5/2000

Very nice malty aroma that is a little yeasty. Clear gold with a good head that I wish would stay longer. Sweet, silky and very drinkable. Medium creamy and smooth but I wished for just a bit more carb. I’ll have another, please. 11.2 oz bottle

Seems to be the belgian beer of choice in certain pubs round our way and so is often a default option when there’s no beer to be had. A pleasant drink with a nice glass to boot.

hay, bread, floral, citrus, dough, clove, banana, bubblegum, golden, orange, clear, minimal head, light sweetness, lightly bitter, medium sourness, medium body, oily feel, flat, soft carbonation,

Budweiser doesn’t particularly brew anything of their own design that I would want to drink, but they do distribute a few particular breweries whose beer I would and do drink. One in particular from Belgium is Leffe, an abbey brewery of reputable design both in Belgium and in the USofA. One major difference between the beers offered in Belgium and the ones offered here is variety. Leffe brews about a half dozen different beers, but only one is imported into the states; their blonde. Leffe is also best-by dated, so make sure whatever bottle you bring home or drink at the bar is fresh. Nothing ruins a good beer faster than a stale out-of-date bottle.

Leffe left her bottle for my glass with a shimmering stream of clear golden yellows, settling for a time underneath a soft white head which fades faster than I was expecting. On the other hand, an impressive network of lace is currently crawling her way up the sides of my glass. While I admire her handiwork, a nose ripe with Belgian yeast, dough, and spices wafts my way. Also of note are freshly peeled oranges, their pith and rindy oils permeating my nose. In the background is an additional nip of lemon peel while coriander tickles with ginger and cumin. A final flourish of fresh dough and whole wheat bread brings me to my first quaff. Her medium body makes way for a slow but steady undercurrent of orange and lemon skin pith which tingles consistently atop my tongue. Soft, sticky dinner rolls and loaves of bread aid a full mouthfeel while spice lingers long in my breath. There is a delicate sweetness of honey-steeped oranges and lemons which coat my lips. Mingling within that sweetness is an additional hint of cumin and ginger. Bright and sticky, there is just enough weight to each contemplative quaff but not too much as to complicate matters. She is a Belgian blonde, after all, not a Tripel or strong golden ale. One last quaff and I am left with more spices peppering my breath in playful memory.

It can be hard leaving the taint of Budweiser behind when tasting a product in their association, but Leffe is all Belgium, and rightfully so. With her success, I can only hope that at some point I will see more of their other abbey ales. Oh, and some glassware, too.

Absolutely amazing! Pours a rich golden color with a huge white head, great retention, and plenty of lacing. Clove, citrus, and floral smell. nice. full bodied mouthfeel. Fruity, citrus and yeasty taste. I can have 20 of these!

Bottle, 33 col. Blond beer, many bubbles, medium white head, some lacing in the glass. Aroma of malts, some hops and yeast. Taste is also malty, hoppy, overall light sweet with some bitterness at the end. Quite monotone taste and tastes commercial (the overall sweetness and the lack of a good pallet, result of taking no risks) . Certainly after drinking the Durboyse Tripel this beer is like a little curse to drink.

UPDATED: JUL 22, 2011 Drank directly out of the 11.2 oz bottle. The smell was very strong and consisted of spicy cloves and orange peels. The mouth-feel was smooth and light. The taste was that of an alcoholic wassail. The only downsides to this beer are found in it high carbonation (I’m still burping it up 12 hours later) and its lack of creativity in its bottle cap. This is not really a beer to sit and drink a lot of at a time. Its is more to just have one on occasion. Overall a good solid beer that keeps me wanting to try the other products of Leffe.