New Belgium Hoptober Golden Ale Review

Brewery: New Belgium Brewing | Beer: Hoptober Golden Ale
Style: American Blonde Ale | ABV: 6.0% | IBUs:40
Serving Method: 12 oz. bottle poured into globe glass

New Belgium introduced a new fall seasonal this year, Hoptober Golden Ale. It is pitched as "a veritable cornucopia of the earth," which is rather fitting given the season. As the name implies, the beer is a more hop-focused effort than the average fall seasonal, and what New Belgium usually produces.

Spokesman for the brewery Bryan Simpson put it this way: “This beer is a Hop Lover’s dream within the Belgian idiom. [It] is hop-forward but very well-balanced with generous mouthfeel.”

Golden Ale is not an official style, but is generally interchangeable with the American Blonde Ale style, so I've listed it as such )even though it doesn't exactly seem like the best match). As for its construction, the backbone is a mix of pale malt, wheat, rye, and oats, while Centennial, Cascade, Sterling, Willamette, and Glacier hop varieties are employed.

Sounds like a wonderful mix for a fall evening such as this, so let's dig in, shall we?

Appearance: A crystal-clear, golden-amber body capped by a little over a finger of near-white head that features good retention and lacing.

Aroma: Citrusy and tropical-fruity hops over a biscuity malt body. If you'd presented this to me as an India Pale Ale, I wouldn't have thought twice based on the aroma.

Taste: Moderately bitter, green, and citrusy hops up front. Underneath, a toasty, biscuity, and caramel-like malt body keeps everything nicely balanced. The aftertaste is citrusy, a little leafy, and biscuity with a nice bitter kick. In the flavor department it ends up resembling a Pale Ale, rather than an IPA.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied and slightly creamy with good carbonation. A dry finish.

Drinkability: A very quaffable brew that would be make for a great session choice.

Verdict: It's always nice to see New Belgium playing on the hoppier side of the spectrum, and Hoptober ends up being a tasty, easily drinkable, and cheerful little beer.

Grade: A-

Note: While this review is being published in November, the tasting notes contained within were taken when the beer was fresh this past September.

Southern Star Blonde Bombshell Ale Review

Brewery: Southern Star Brewing Co. | Beer: Bombshell Blonde Ale
Style: American Blonde Ale | ABV: 5.3% | IBUs: 20
Serving Method: 12 oz. can poured into pint glass

Back in January, I posted a review of the first beer brewed by the upstarts at Southern Star, their Pine Belt Pale Ale. The brewery is actually about ten miles from my apartment, so I was very excited to try some beer brewed so close to home. Pine Belt turned out to be a great beer, and now has a recurring role in my rotation. I've been patiently awaiting their next retail release, and now the time has come.

The second offering to make it to the shelves from Southern Star, Bombshell Blonde Ale is (rather obviously) a Blonde Ale. This style is relatively new, and is essentially an invention of American craft brewers. Many times, a brewery's Blonde Ale serves as the entry-level, or gateway, beer in the lineup. They're typically in the straw to golden range with a medium-light to medium body and good drinkability. As for balance, these are malt-forward beers with lighter flavored malt profiles (think bready and biscuity) and light to medium hoppiness.

As for ingredients, Bombshell's malt backbone is constructed of Rahr Special Pale and Wyermann Viennaa varieties, while German Tradition Sterling is the exclusive hop variety used. California Ale yeast is employed once again. Here's how Southern Star themselves describe Bombshell:

A rich, creamy golden colored ale fermented at a cool temperature to give a clean finish. Hints of yeasty bread and a touch of hops combine to make a beer that is truly more than the sum of its parts.

By the way, I mentioned in my last review that I was going to try to make it up to the brewery to check it out, and I finally made the trip last weekend. Dave has really got a great thing going, with an impressive brewery and some great beers on tap (you have to try the Buried Hatchet Stout). I thoroughly recommend that anyone in the Houston area that cares about great beer make it to one of their Saturday tastings. You can find more info on the Southern Star website.

Appearance: Hardly blonde in color, this is a lovely shade of golden-amber. There are a million particles of sediment suspended in the body, living up to the "clarity is overrated" slogan on the can. The finger of craggy head is off-white in color and features great retention and lacing. I could stare at this all day.

Aroma: Sweet, bready and biscuity malt with a few hints of citrus and earthy hops.

Taste: The same solid malt backbone is firmly in charge here. The profile runs the gamut from husky, to bready, to biscuity, to caramel-like. There's a splash of citrus and mild hop bitterness in the finish for balance. The aftertaste keeps the malt chorus going.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied and smooth with mild carbonation. It finishes clean.

Drinkability: Top-notch, I could drink this all night.

Verdict: Perfect for sessioning, Bombshell is just a mild and friendly beer. Every brewery has to have an offering or two in their lineup that appeals to the fans of "lighter" beers, luckily this one has soul and flavors in abundance. A perfect companion for a hot Summer day here in Texas.

Grade: A-