Leffe Blond

Why did the blond appear twice on the bottle?

Because foreigners are stupid, that's why.

I bet you weren't expecting that, but here is a bottle branded "Leffe Blonde - Blond." The extra "e" is for the French translation of blonde; or, the absence of an "e" is for us Americans. Obviously this beer is not freedom fries compatible.

Brewed By: A-B InBev/InBev Belgium in Leuven, Belgium 

Purchased: Single bottle (6oz) from a 12-pack bought at Jewel-Osco in Illinois; 2011

Style/ABV: Belgian Blond Ale, 6.6%

After destroying Budweiser, it seems appropriate to dabble in one of A-B InBev's classier brews. Leffe is owned by InBev Belgium, the European branch of A-B InBev. Despite being owned by one of the big guys, my understanding is that the beer is brewed in the abbey Notre Dame de Leffe. The abbey was founded in 1152, went through a bunch of rough times, and came out brewing beer in 1902. There's a good amount of information about the abbey's history on the abbey's website. The information includes discussion of the beer.

Today's beer is a blond Belgian Ale brewed with light malt, corn, water, hops and yeast. The website suggests that this beer is thirst quenching, and that it has a full, sweet, and fruity taste.

This is a golden-orange beer that is relatively clean and clear. There is good head retention which is likely supported by the tremendous amount of carbonation. A nice stream of medium-sized bubbles continue to rise upwards. The head is slightly off-white, perhaps orange in color. It is sort of thin and not particularly foamy. The aroma reminds me of a Tripel quite a bit. There are good candy and spice notes, including some clove and maybe a hint of orange peel. There's also a huge funky note that is very earthy and barnyardy. I get some slight sugar notes. Overall it's a fairly perfumey head with a fair amount of maltiness.

The aromatic and pils malts really come through and provide the bulk of the flavor. I do pick up a slight corn or grain note, but overall it's a perfumey beer. The profile of the overall flavor kind of reminds me of a wheat beer, and the characters of a Tripel don't show up as much here in the body or taste. There is some definite clove notes here, and a lot of earthy notes I cannot quite place. The alcohol does come through, but not in a bad way. The back end is slightly drying, and reminds me a bit of a white wine. As I progress through the beer, I pick up more grain and some slightly hoppy characters which seem to take preference over any fruit notes. There is still some subtle orange peel here and there, but it was more dominant in the nose.

Rating: Average

Score: 70%

The more I drank, the more corn and grain I got. There is still an undoubtedly complex, or at least mildly complex, Belgian thing going on here. This beer has okay depth, and a pretty refreshing mouthfeel that is on the medium-light side despite the moderately high ABV. The front end is carbonated and full of  cloves with hints of orange peel, the middle smooths out in a malt-tastic fashion, and the back end dries up a bit and may include some hop bite. It's malty, earthy, and spicy, but it also is a tad thin and watery. 

I like that there was solid lacing working down my glass. The head also held up as well. Overall I'm pretty pleased with this beer because it meets my expectations. Look, this isn't a fancy or particularly unique beer. However, at a price of around 8-10 dollars for a 6-pack, and at 6.6% ABV, this is a drinkable and available beer. If you don't have a specialty beer store nearby, and you want a Belgian Ale, this could potentially fulfill those needs.

In conclusion, if you want something moderately spicy, earthy, and with a nice malt and clove undertone, you might like Leffe Blond. Or Blonde, if you're French or whatever.