Ostalgia Blonde - Hopfenstark

avalon07

South Carolina

3.7/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Poured from a bottle to a pint glass. Had a pale yellow color and a cloudy consistency. There was an absolutely massive, creamy, long-lasting head. Very good lacing.

S: A sweet aroma of hops, citrus, and a little malt.

T: Tasted of citrus (lemon), malt, and a surprising amount of hops (for a blonde). Not a bad flavor, but a little on the thin side in the finish. I'm not not sure why this beer is categorized as a Belgian Pale Ale. It certainly doesn't taste like one.

M: A good amount of carbonation with a smooth finish. Light-bodied.

O: Despite being uneven in spots, this is a drinkable, easy to like beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2012 12:07:26 | More by avalon07

wordemupg

Alberta (Canada)

4.05/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

341ml bottle poured into pint glass 21/4/12

A pale straw yellow looks pretty light, this ones lively as I ended up with half a glass of foam that would have grown over the top if I hadn't drank a few sips, my second pour leaves me with a nice peak of foam that just sits there looking like meringue whipped up, there's carbonation all-right more then one would think possible, lots of lace and still foam at the bottom of the glass

S yeasty lemon with some peppery spice and dry cereal its fairly simple but decent,

T slight grassy notes with more lemon and yeast, similar to the smell, straightforward but solid

M light and fluffy with a long finish of cereal, yeast and lemon

O would make a great summer beer being light with decent flavors, this one was done in no time

I could drink another few of these guys without any problems, thanks unibroue4ever for sending me this bad boy

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2012 21:16:51 | More by wordemupg

Ruds

United Kingdom (England)

3.9/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to Papat444 for this one!

Poured from a 341 ml bottle into a snifter glass to a slightly hazed golden colour with a medium white head.

A grassy nose with yeast notes, citrus, malt an spice coming across.

Taste wise bready malts, a lemony hop bitterness, honey and a yeast flavour similar to that found in a saison.

Medium body and carbonation with a clean finish.

Overall and enjoyable beer crisp and refreshing, almost 'helles meets saison' !

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2012 10:39:08 | More by Ruds

papat444

Quebec (Canada)

3.98/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to unibroue4ever for this one.

Poured from a 341ml. bottle, bottled Jan. 2012.

Appearance: A very pale gold body, ever so slightly hazy, with 2 fingers worth of head that retains at a creamy ring. Clings a little and rings form as the glass empties.

Smell: Strong lemon (think lemon rinds) with cereal as well. Crisp.

Taste: Hop bite is felt immediately as a kiss the flavor of grapefruit (tastes raw, like the liner separating the fruit). What really stands out though is the rich mineral flavor mixed with a quite strong sea salt profile.

Mouthfeel: Aggressive in a mineral way and full-bodied. It's got guts.

Overall: Not your typical blonde ale. That salty mineral flavor latches on. Went from liking it to tolerating it and back to liking it. Would go well with a sharp cheese.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2012 12:14:12 | More by papat444

LiquidAmber

Washington

3.9/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a Ommegang flute. Pours a cloudy pale straw amber. Absolutely ridiculous foaming head. First glass was all foam, then I started spooning the foam into another glass, TWO glasses of foam later, I have the original glass with half ale and half foam. Half empty, the bottle kept foaming over. So, massive white head with massive lacing. Kind of interesting, except for losing half the bottle. Bready, yeasty, light fruit aroma with a somewhat mineral overtone. Well, the struggle was worth it. A very nice nice Belgian; biscuity malt, light fruit, Belgian spicing. Bitter, peppery, spicy finish. Slight Brett notes and astringent bitterness in the finish, but still tasty. Interesting take on a blonde. Light to mediaum body supported by active carbonation. If the price point drops, worth another try.

Serving type: bottle

02-08-2012 04:31:21 | More by LiquidAmber

Caudalie

Quebec (Canada)

3.35/5  rDev -13.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

My experience was pretty similar to the previous taster's....

Poured in a riedel magnum red wine glass

A: Really pale straw color, with rapidly fading white head

S: reminiscent of a wheat beer, with yeasts aromas

T: Pretty interesting. Light, but still pretty nice, with loads of peaches aromas as the beer gets at higher temperature, and a decent, bitter finish. Suprising.

O: It was suprisingly interesting.

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2012 05:06:56 | More by Caudalie

eat

Quebec (Canada)

3.83/5  rDev -1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I'm pretty confused reading through the previous page of reviews; there seem to be three or four completely different beers reviewed here. My experience might count as a fourth or fifth I guess.

12 ouncer, bottled this month (January, 2012). The colour is a very light shade of yellow, surprisingly pale. Hazy body with a thin cover of bright white head and bits of lacing.

Lots of yeast and wheat on the nose. Lemon candy, earthy noble hops (almost like a pilsner), minerals and a little diacetyl.

Wheat dominates the palate, followed by quite a bit of earthy German hops. The moderate bitterness is balanced by a light touch of malt sweetness. No real complexity, just clean and simple with big wheat and nice noble hops.

Body is a little thin, carbonation low. Dry finish.

I much prefer this Ostalgia to the Rousse but don't think I'll be coming back to it, though it would be a decent session option if it was priced well as a six-pack. This one seems fairly similar in flavour to Hopfenstark's Helles, though I remember the Helles as a better beer all-around.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2012 03:20:11 | More by eat

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

amber with a huge white sticky head. Deep lacing was evident from the start. Nice carbonation bubbling up from the bottom. Smell was intresting, somewhat hoppy, but more of a spiced belgian twist. Hints of Bananas were very noticeable as well as some orange peel. The feel was unusually smooth and a bit flat at first. I actually was not impressed with the first sip, but rather the later ones were much better. Felt very creamy and had a nice lingering finish to it. Muted american hops were mixed in with a nice plae belgian taste. Again bananas and pears, mixed with some earthy bready grains were the commonplace.

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2011 02:05:13 | More by mikesgroove

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.88/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This started out looking like a pretty typical blonde ale. The color was yellow and clear. Lots of bubbles rising to the top with a fizzy white head. Not much lacing here at all but pretty nice looking in general. The smell of the beer caught me way off guard. It's smokey! Wouldn't have ever guessed by the color and look of this brew. The taste of the beer is pretty good, the smoked malts shine through heavily upfront and then subside into the more sweet grainy flavors of the blonde. The mouthfeel was packed with tingly bubbles and had a light body to it. Overall I thought this beer was very interesting. I was very surprised by it's characteristics. I'd say its worth a try for sure.

Serving type: on-tap

10-13-2011 01:44:05 | More by Knapp85

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

4.72/5  rDev +22%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle: Poured a hazy bright yellow color ale with a huge pure white foamy head with good retention and some nice lacing. Aroma of clean cereal with bready yeast and some floral notes with slight citrus notes. Taste is refreshing while being quite complex with nice mix of clean cereal with nice floral undertones and some light tart and citrus notes with a yeast strain that is bready and funky at the same time. Body is full with limited filtration and good carbonation. Probably one of the best blonde ale I had a chance to taste.

Serving type: bottle

08-21-2011 02:38:16 | More by Phyl21ca

kwjd

Ontario (Canada)

4/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had this on tap at Volo. Pours a cloudy pale yellow/orange colour with a thin strip of white head that doesn't dissipate at all. First smell it seems quite spicy, almost as if it were a saison I think. I would think this may be a Belgian style ale, but what do I know. Nice citrus and bready notes. Very big carbonation on this. A very well done blonde ale.

Serving type: on-tap

03-22-2011 18:46:43 | More by kwjd

johnmichaelsen

Oregon

4.1/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On tap at Max's tonight.

The beer pours a fairly light gold color with pretty good head retenton and lacing. The nose is attractive and a bit exotic. I get honey, orange blossoms, and a hint of clove. The flavor profile replicates the nose pretty closely, and I'm frankly astonished by the amount of flavor I get in this moderately sweet, 5% abv. blond ale. There's also some attractive underlying bitterness, which helps to balance and dry out the sweetness in this beer. Mouthfeel is medium bodied to full, with a fairly long finish. Drinkability is quite good, considering the abv. in this beer. Just so much flavor in this beer. Wow.

This is very nice.

Serving type: on-tap

12-08-2010 23:33:21 | More by johnmichaelsen

MasterSki

Illinois

4.03/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to papat444 for this extra. Shared for Canadian Thanksgiving. Served in a Cantillon tumbler.

A - Ridiculous gusher!!! Just violently explosive once the cap comes off. Obviously pours with giant foam that eventually settles to a thin cap and leaves tons of splotchy lace. The body is a hazy blonde color that is almost milky due to the riled up sediment.

S - Peppery spices, grain, lemon sourness, obvious brettanomyces, maybe a touch of band-aid.

T - The taste is sweeter with some toasted grains and honey, and then morphs into a sour lemon finish.

M - Low carbonation, medium body, refreshing dry finish. No discernible alcohol.

D - This ain't no American Blonde - it's a Belgian Singel or lower ABV Saison with brett. It was a good beer to start the evening with, and after the drama of the explosive bottle people were disappointed that we lost so much beer to the floor. It's a shame Hopfenstark has stopped bottling.

Serving type: bottle

10-12-2010 16:24:20 | More by MasterSki

bobsy

Ontario (Canada)

4.08/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On tap at the Mondial de la Biere.

Hazy gold pour with a small white cap of a head. Nice lace left behind. Spicy nose has a whack of pepper in it, but a good citrus kick. Kind of like lemon pepper. Crisp flavour, lots of good biscuit backing up the hops, which overlay a great citrus hit. Nice peppery finish. Really interesting for the style, and definitely superior to most. Zingy carbonation and crisp mouthfeel suited it well.

A pleasing and crisp blonde ale, which made a nice change of pace from some of the more hardcore brews. This is the sort of beer that may be a little underappreciated, but it worked really well for me, and I'm sure it could pair very well with most foods too.

Serving type: on-tap

06-08-2010 13:45:15 | More by bobsy

cfrancis

Ontario (Canada)

4.15/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Bottle from Fred82. Pours a cloudy, straw yellow. Aroma is tart with lemon and malt. Taste is tart with citrus fruit. Dry mouthfeel with popping flavours of yeast, grain and little subtle flavours that really come out as you savor this beer. My first Hopfenstark and definitely not my last.

Serving type: bottle

11-06-2009 04:24:09 | More by cfrancis

grub

Ontario (Canada)

4.03/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Viggo shared this one. thanks eric!

750ml bottle. sampled dec 14/08.

pours hazy yellow with a huge, chunky white head. the head drops slowly and leaves tons of thick clumpy lace behind.

aroma is wild. my first thought was pickle juice. bit of vinegar and spice. bready. bit of barnyard funk.

taste is a little less wild. medium-high bitterness level. hint of cider vinegar. orange peel and other light citrus. clingy barnyard funk. light spice. leather. horse blanket.

mouthfeel is good. medium-high carbonation level. light body with a nice dry finish.

drinkability is good. nice balance. interesting funk. i wouldn't call it an american blonde, but it's good stuff.

Serving type: bottle

12-14-2008 20:14:13 | More by grub

Viggo

Ontario (Canada)

4.03/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Big thanks to Fred from Hopfenstark for hooking me up with this one.

Pours a cloudy dark straw yellow, huge and crazy thick bone white head forms, insanely rocky, like whip cream on my glass and leaves a ton of chunky lacing, fine bubbles rise up from the bottom of the glass. Smell is nice, sweet and sour, honey, wheat, tropical fruit, citrus, hay, some spices, refreshing aroma, pretty neat. Taste is very sweet and fruity, pineapple, mangoes, honey sweetness in the middle, some herbal and spice bitterness in the finish, ends up quite dry, some breadiness. Mouthfeel is light bodied with high carbonation, pretty neat and refreshing, fruit juice, solid bitterness. Thanks Fred!

Serving type: bottle

12-14-2008 19:53:55 | More by Viggo

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.9/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Rather a Belgian styled blond, cloudy yellow/peach and unfiltered. Good yeast and hop and fresh. Grapefruit and orange and some yeast in aroma. Medium plus creamy mouthfeel.Nice hopping. Had 3.5 years later on tap at Volo, funky and hoppy, great blond. Good colour.

Serving type: on-tap

06-01-2007 00:24:17 | More by northyorksammy

Goldorak

Quebec (Canada)

3.93/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

On-tap at Vices & Versa, one of the first batches of this brand new brewery.

Appearance: Peachy golden ale that was slightly opaque with a decent head.

Smell: Excellent crisp noble hop aroma, freshly crushed grain, some hay, kind of reminded me of the bottled Kellerbiers a buddy of mine brought back from Germany. Nothing super fancy here, just well made.

Taste: Perfectly balanced bubbly carbonation, chewy, honest base malt and green, grassy hops. For a first try, they really nailed it! This Beer is going to be amazing during the summer months. Apparently the brewery will sell growlers to go, and I'll be first in line to get some!

Serving type: on-tap

01-27-2007 13:48:01 | More by Goldorak