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-

Southern Star Pine Belt Pale Ale Review

Brewery: Southern Star Brewing Co. | Beer: Pine Belt Pale Ale
Style: American Pale Ale | ABV: 6.3%
Serving Method: 16 oz. can poured into pint glass

I've written about buying local beer before, back when I named Saint Arnold my "local brewery." Well, I've found something even closer. According to Google Maps, Southern Star Brewing Company is located a scant ten miles from my front door, a couple minutes up Interstate-45 in Conroe, Texas. Besides my homebrews, I don't think I can get much more local than that.

The company's signature brew, and the only one available in a non-keg format so far, is Pine Belt Pale Ale. The format is 16oz. cans, the style is American Pale Ale, and the name is derived from the Pine Belt area here in Southern Texas. It's backbone is composed of Rahr Special Pale, Simpsons 30-37, and Crisp 45 malt varieties; while bitterness is provided by Sorachi Ace, Galena, CTZ, and Palisades hop varieties. The yeast strain used is California Ale. The beer is not filtered or pasteurized, so the motto on the can, "Clarity is overrated," really fits.

Appearance: Pours a gloriously hazy honey body with a brilliant bubbly tannish head that leaves great lacing. In a couple of the glasses I enjoyed I found a lot of strange sediment, almost like tornado-shaped drops of oil in water, when I held my glass up to the light (see for yourself below). As I made my way through the beer, it ended up mellowing into a general coarse haziness.

Aroma: Very Cascade-like notes of orange peel and grapefruit from the hops with a solid brown sugary pale malt baseline.

Taste: Mildly bitter and piney hops lead the way with lots of caramely, slightly biscuity, pale malt underneath. Somewhat fruity. There's a lot of malt here for a Pale Ale, but everything tastes good together. Not tasting much of that 6.3% ABV advertised on the can.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with average carbonation. Dries a little in the finish.

Drinkability: Excellent drinkability, quite a thirst quencher. Just watch out for the 6.3% alcohol content, as smooth as this goes down it can sneak up on you.

Verdict: To be honest, when I saw beer from Conroe in my local beer shop, I was excited, yet skeptical. But I'm happy to report that this beer is not only decent, but actually pretty damn good. They've crafted a very solid and balanced, somewhat malty, APA that drinks exceptionally well. I'll have to make the arduous ten minute journey up the road to tour the brewery sometime very soon.

Grade: A