Bombshell Blonde - Southern Star Brewing Company

DavidST

Texas

3.28/5  rDev -12.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a pint can into a pint glass, non canned date. This pours a near clear light yellow color with a large off white head which has goo retention and leaves a lacing. The smells are of light grassy hops and crisp malts, something closer to a pilsener. The feel is medium to light. The taste is okay, pretty light with a little malts and hops, disappointing.

Serving type: can

10-24-2012 04:44:55 | More by DavidST

barczar

Kentucky

3.53/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a clear golden color with a solid 1 inch ivory head that lingers, eventually dissipating into a nice pool of foam.

Aroma is light, fairly grainy, with a touch of corn and slightly sweet malt. Floral hops are subtle.

Flavor reveals more complexity, though grain still dominates. There's also a substantial corny aspect to the profile. Slight hints of green apple are somewhat offputting, carrying into a lightly bitter finish.

Body is a touch heavier than expected, with significant carbonation helping to keep the flavor fresh.

Overall, a very sessionable brew. Wouldn't pay 3 bucks a can for it again, though.

Serving type: can

08-07-2012 05:30:48 | More by barczar

Pegasus

Texas

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

Appearance: Clear depp gold, with moderate, dense white head, which retains well. The lacing is thick and glass-coating, The carbonation moderate.

Aroma: Somewhat sweet a bit like honey, with grassy and lesser grapefruit rind notes.

Taste: Quite malty, the opening of the test is like fresh-baked bread drizzled with honey. As the taste progresses, there are floral hop notes, and towards the close, some mild medicinal hops. The taste finishes rather cleanly.

Mouth fee: Smooth, soft, quite pleasant.

Drinkability/notes: An excellent, refreshing summer beer, very well done.

Presentation: Packaged in a twelve-ounce aluminum can, served in a Chimay chalice.

Presentation

Serving type: can

07-29-2012 13:51:49 | More by Pegasus

tubeyes

Texas

3.2/5  rDev -14.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A- Not much head, minimal carbonation, deep amber, somewhat hazy yellow cloudiness
S- Little nose, dog park, grassy, clean
T- Some citrus, estery, wheaty
M- Light, crisp, nice aftertaste
O- Subtle after bite after swallowing, little lacing. Had in shaker pint at OSDH in Denton, paired with Mellow Mushroom's Red Skin Potato Pie pizza. They were both delicious.
[from note, drank 7/1/12]

Serving type: on-tap

07-25-2012 01:22:19 | More by tubeyes

facundoCNB

New Jersey

3.85/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

a hazy golden pour with a finger of foamy white head and good lacing. smells of lemon, grass, banana, bready. tastes sweet up front with a lemon zest. hints of pepper, a bitterness in the finish that tastes very grassy/earthy and a nice bready backbone. this is all over for a blonde ale!
fizzy on the tongue, creamy on the palate, light body and pretty refreshing. for a beer style that's so plain (blonde ale) this is pretty excellent. great tasting and perfect for the summer!

Serving type: can

07-07-2012 01:12:47 | More by facundoCNB

spentplanet

Massachusetts

4.1/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This is THEE epitome of a Texas Blonde.
Screw Firemans #4.
Southern Star Bombshell Blonde is barely $7 a 6 pack from my neighborhood Specs and goes down easy on these 106 degree days. Even when the Texas heat cools this beer down it is supported by a great malty backbone where most other beers fall flat, literally.

LOVE THIS STUFF.

Serving type: can

06-28-2012 01:20:28 | More by spentplanet

Pacostacos

4.23/5  rDev +12.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Serve it cold. I repeat, serve it cold. There is something terrific about this beer in a can served ice cold on a hot summer day. Granted, a lot of low quality beers taste pretty decent if you really get them cold. But this beer is different and doesn't fall within that category. It has some body, texture, and a satisfying breadiness.

I've had it served on draft at many bars and they routinely don't get the temperature correct and it just doesn't taste right to me.

Serving type: can

06-12-2012 01:51:36 | More by Pacostacos

russpowell

Oklahoma

3.68/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Picked this up in Kentucky

Pours an opague apricot with 2+ fingers of cream colored head. Good lacing & head retention

S: Breadyness, pear, some steely hops

T: Follows the nose, plus white grapes up front & a touch of lemon too. More fruittyness, slight bready sweetness & faint lemony hops as this warms, Finishes with pear & lemony hops mixed a slight breadyness

MF: Fluffy body, slight carbonation, decent balance

Drinks eay, a slightly off-centered Blonde IMO, but more interesting than most of this style

Serving type: can

06-06-2012 01:36:53 | More by russpowell

acevenom

Louisiana

3.38/5  rDev -9.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours hazy gold with a massive, fluffy biege head. The head dissipates slowly, leaving some lacing on the side of the glass. The head retains very well. The smell is pretty mild, but I can detect some breadiness as well as some citrus. The taste is bready with some strong citrus flavor. There is some bitterness on the back end. The body is light to medium. The beer is refreshing and easy to drink. Overall, this is a good beer. This would be great for drinking on a hot summer day.

Serving type: can

04-16-2012 01:37:30 | More by acevenom

OWSLEY069

Pennsylvania

2.95/5  rDev -21.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Pours a lightly hazy yellow to orange-ish color with a white head. In the aroma, a small dry malt and a note of dry hops. In the taste, a small pine like hop and a dry malt. A smooth and medium bodied mouthfeel, with a small dry pine hop in the aftertaste. A bigger hop than expected, but just ok, kind of average.

Serving type: can

03-03-2012 19:03:18 | More by OWSLEY069

DavoleBomb

Ohio

3.38/5  rDev -9.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a perfect pint.

3.0 A: Moderately hazed golden brownish color. One finger of frothy white head. Retention is a touch below average and no lacing is left.

3.0 S: Grassy/hay and lemon. Light biscuity maltiness and yeasty breadiness. The nose is pretty faint overall though.

3.5 T: Grassy hops with hay, lemongrass, and lemon zest. Pleasant biscuity sweetness with a light yeastiness. As good as the nose, but more powerful.

3.5 M: Light to lighter medium body. Good moderate carbonation. Crisp despite the yeastiness and smooth. Could use some more creaminess though.

3.5 D: Fairly tame, but tasty and easy to drink.

Serving type: can

03-02-2012 01:36:00 | More by DavoleBomb

WoodBrew

Illinois

2.73/5  rDev -27.2%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

The Bombshell Blonde Ale from Southern Start is ok. The beer pours a nice clear golden color with bubbly white head that is leaving a spotty lace. The smell is underwhelming, some faint lemon/lemon grass zest. The taste is very sharp, starts with a lemon flare then turns to a grainy/bread finish. The mouthfeel is light to medium with good carbonation. Overall it is a decent beer.

Serving type: can

02-19-2012 02:19:33 | More by WoodBrew

kemoarps

Washington

4.03/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From the can: "Clarity is overrated."
This beer pours a hazy straw colour with a beautiful off white head that dissipates quickly but leaves a nice fine... layer? Is that really the best word I could come up with for it? Anyway, it leaves a nice ___ on the top, which contributes to the lacing. I love watching the bubbles come up through this opaque brew.

The nose is almost fresh cut hay, Like straw harvested maybe a few days early. A bit of bready malt as well. Think a picnic in a barn on a warm summer afternoon/evening.

The straw characteristics carry through to the palate, alone with the mellow bready malts. Maybe a hint of hops on the finish, but not readily identifiable, almost like an afterthought.

kind of thick and chewy, but drinkable. I would continue with the farmhouse comparisons (man, I'm getting all nostalgic over here for childhood summers playing with hay bails). I'm not generally a big fan of blondes (at least not when it comes to beer...), but I really like this brew. I'd love it on a lazy summer afternoon. The fact that it is in cans also makes it that much more accessible to bring camping/hiking or to the beach or to a hayfield somewhere for a midsummer picnic. Grab a sixer if you see one and like the summer months. Well crafted and immensely enjoyable.

Serving type: can

02-07-2012 21:48:03 | More by kemoarps

peensteen

Ontario (Canada)

3.68/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thank you to LadyOfMuchBeer for this fine looking can.

Hazy golden orange/blonde colour, one finger of white head with some lacing on the glass. Smell is mostly bready malt, crisp hops, earthy with some cut grass notes, grainy and crackery as well. Taste follows the nose with grainy bready malt, mild bitterness throughout, grassy, light lemony flavours, earthy finish with a long malt driven aftertaste. Medium carbonation, dry and medium bodied with a nice overall feel. Nice easy drinker here, good balance and tasty as well, could drink a few of these in the backyard on a summer day.

Serving type: can

01-30-2012 20:22:07 | More by peensteen

zander4dawin

Texas

3.78/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A cloudy dark golden beer with a fluffy white head. Smells and tastes bready and rich. Very creamy body, smooth, buttery. Totally not filtered. Best "all-purpose" beer made in Texas. Very little hops added, but comes off as distinctively balanced.

Serving type: can

11-28-2011 18:01:25 | More by zander4dawin

Siriusfisherman

Montana

3.58/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: A cloudy gold with a nice bready head, bubbles rising through the glass, slight reddish tint.

Smell: A great blend of hops and bready notes, very well balanced and very fresh smelling.

Taste: Both the hop flavoring and the bread notes hit you right away in a gentle wave, developing into a full-fledged flavor that bitters as you swallow it. A great after-taste that gives off hints of spices.

Mouthfeel: Gives you the impression of a lack of carbonation, but I feel it works to effect. The beer sits in your mouth and nothing really hits you in the face. The carbonation is very soft, the hops are very pleasant, and the breadiness and spices bring a full sense of flavor to the palate.

Overall: This is one hell of a refreshing beer, and Southern Star have achieved it without sacrificing flavor. This is a great beer to drink, and it is very complex. There is no other Blonde ale that I drink the way I drink this one, it is in another league.

Serving type: can

11-26-2011 21:12:54 | More by Siriusfisherman

BeersCriteria

Texas

3.48/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A- Pours a hazy yellow with a white head.

S- Malty and bready along with a wheaty aroma.

T- The taste was malty and bready, like drinking brioche bread, it sort of reminded me of drinking a Boddingtons, the breadiness quality of it. It was a good blonde ale overall.

Food Pairing- I had this with pizza and it was a great combination.

Serving type: can

11-20-2011 18:05:17 | More by BeersCriteria

eclipse54

Idaho

4.05/5  rDev +8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A 12 ounce can I received as part of turfy's "Taste of Texas LIF!" Drank on 09/03/2011, and reviewed from notes taken then.

A large, 4-finger white, bubbly head develops with good retention. A hazy yellow and straw colored body is accentuated by an endless stream of bubbles emanating from the bottom of the glass. The aroma is of wheat, straw, hops, lemon, orange, a slight funk, a bit of spice, and a bread/biscuit finish. It tastes of bread, straw, lemon, orange, some hops, and a bit of funky yeast. Mouthfeel is very smooth, and crisp on the finish. Overall, a delicious, refreshing brew.

Serving type: can

11-07-2011 01:31:52 | More by eclipse54

elNopalero

Texas

3.68/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

In the mood for something hoppy, crisp, and portable. So I cracked open a can of Southern Star’s Bombshell Blonde Pale Ale. Poured half of it into a small Mason jar to review, finished the rest from the can. To mimic real-world conditions. Here’s what I thought about it.

It pours a clear golden, true to its name, with a good amount of foam. Light nose, a little sweet malt. The sweetness carries over to the first taste and the clean finish. Smooth.

It’s a well-crafted golden ale, a light beer for the craft set.

Serving type: can

09-17-2011 22:49:26 | More by elNopalero

TenHornsProud

Colorado

3.48/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a cloudy orange with a big white head that is surprisingly viscous.

Smells of some sweetness, some bready malt, slightly floral/soapy character.

Floral hop notes up front that meld into a slightly sweet/honey like character with a clean, almost no bitterness finish...some yeast character

Light bodied with a higher amount of carbonation make this one quite easy to drink.

I like this beer even though there isn't much going on...some floral hop and biscuit notes. It's one of the better blondes I've had.

Serving type: can

09-14-2011 22:00:20 | More by TenHornsProud

nhindian

Pennsylvania

2.53/5  rDev -32.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

12oz can poured into a Dogfish Head Signature glass. Generously provided as an extra by Exiled, thanks Jason!

A - Pours a hazy, unfiltered goldenrod color with 3 huge fingers of soft white head. Insane retention as well, due in part to the creaminess and thickness of the head. It's lavish and almost like a pillow in the way it is rocky and mountainous. Lacing as well brings a very nice welcome with a thick, generous coating of foam all around the glass.

S - The nose opens with a pleasant breadiness as well as some yeast esters. Somewhat fruity throughout with a slight bitter hop presence in the finish. Overall fairly clean.

T - The flavors begin with a biscuit-like malt flavor, paving the way for the backbone to come. However, some band-aid phenols make themselves known almost immediately this, which kind of spoils it for me. In fact, the flavor, or lack thereof, is nearly completely barren after the start. It has a faint citrus flavor in the finish, but overall, everything is quite faint and disappointing after the great appearance and nice aroma.

M - Mouthfeel is medium-bodied with surprisingly light carbonation. Another detriment to this beer is the sub-par carbonation, which really needs to be beefed up. Still, it finishes clean and semi-dry.

D/O - Drinkability is low. Great look, promising smell, but the taste and mouthfeel stick the nails in the coffin. A pleasure to admire from far, but not the best beer to actually imbibe.

Serving type: can

09-06-2011 00:27:27 | More by nhindian

UMNbeerhunter

Minnesota

3.75/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a Darkness goblet on 8/12/11

Pours a pretty honey colored orange yellow with a solid finger and a half of foamy white head. Nice appearance but I would like some more lacing.

Smells of sweet malt with a yeast backbone and a nice slap in the face of citrus hops. This is a great blonde, I cant complain about the smell.

Taste is very light on the pallet. A little bit of the sweet malt and some yeast flavors but it hits off with a honey lemon flavor that dominates. I would like some more malt sweetness but it is a great summer drinker.

Mouthfeel is light in the weight and has little or no carb or hop bitter characteristics.

Overall this is a great Blonde. Very well balanced and the citrus flavor makes it a great summer sipper..

Serving type: bottle

08-12-2011 08:12:32 | More by UMNbeerhunter

HopsKeepDroppin

Texas

3.8/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A- Pours a golden straw color with some yeast floating in the beer. Thin white head that hangs around for a while.

S- Very bready and grassy.

T- The taste is dominated by the malts. A lot of biscuit flavor and not a lot of hops unless you look for them.

M- This beer is very easy to drink and the carbonation level is just right. Really like that they can their beers.

O- This is a great session beer and a perfect beer to take to the beach or fishing. Keep up the good work Southern Star.

Serving type: can

08-11-2011 18:04:14 | More by HopsKeepDroppin

jmarsh123

Indiana

2.68/5  rDev -28.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Pours a cloudy light gold with a thin white head. Some yeast particles float in the beer.

Smells of really sweet bready malts. No hop presence at all. Hopefully the taste is better cause this thing smells awful. I kind of thought it may be skunked until it tasted fine.

Bready malts coming through on the taste, but not nearly as overwhelming as the nose. Just a little hop bitterness which is about right for the style. A little pungent bitter aftertaste is detectable.

Fairly light mouthfeel although good and creamy for the style. Good carbonation, but not overdone as on a lot of lighter ales.

Overall this is a solid offering, especially since it comes in a sometimes more friendly can format, as long as I don't have to smell it much. It still doesn't close to unseating Sun King for my go to lighter ale.

Serving type: can

08-04-2011 18:53:20 | More by jmarsh123

DoktorZee

Alberta (Canada)

3.53/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a can into a pint glass. No canning or best before date on it.

A - not quite what I was expecting as it's midway between gold and amber in color and a bit hazy. Was expecting it to be a bit lighter in color and body. Very little head and almost no lacing. Just a bit of obvious carbonation.

S - the nose has a solid sweet bready malt element to it; no real hops to speak of

T - similar to the nose: just a hint of bitterness resolving into some big bready malt; not overly sweet, so it's still satisfying. Reminds me a bit of a maibock. Another thing to note is the abruptness of the finish - it's over very quickly.

M - medium body but with very little carbonation; no booziness.

D - nicely drinkable - a good all weather beer.

Solid beer, but not quite what I was expecting for a Blonde; is a bit more malty than I was expecting.

Serving type: can

07-31-2011 21:23:22 | More by DoktorZee