Bombshell Blonde - Southern Star Brewing Company

deltatauhobbit

Maine

3.83/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to screach for tossing in another canned extra from this brewery.

Pours a golden color with at least two fingers of fluffy head, fades at a slow rate, lots of floaties in the glass, as the can says, "Clarity is overrated."

The smell is almost nonexistent, I can barely make out even the sweet malt.

Taste is light and crisp yet also has a soft edge to it, carbonation is good, mostly sweet malt with a hint of citrus, a good smoothness to it, slight bitterness in the aftertaste.

Not usually a fan of blonde ales but I'd say this is one of the better ones I've had.

Serving type: bottle

07-16-2009 23:01:39 | More by deltatauhobbit

jdense

Oregon

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

Six pack of 12 oz. cans carried back from San Antonio, enjoyed with beer buddy 4.25.11.

Cloudy straw yellow body, multiple streams of rapidly rising carbonation under one finger small bubble head, medium dissipation with some lacing. Some fruity esters in the nose, meyer lemon, bready malts. Taste mirrors nose, not a lot going on here. Mouthfeel is on the light side of medium, decent effervescence. Not a lot going on here, but taste pretty good and tres drinkable, I can see myself popping one of these after mowing the lawn on a hot summer day. Very sessionable.

EDIT: After having another can I believe this may be better classified as a Kolsch, big lemony esters. In any case, very refreshing, nice summertime quencher.

Serving type: can

04-30-2011 15:07:17 | More by jdense

hosehead83

Ohio

3.53/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Poured from a twelve ounce can into a standard pint glass
Cloudy gold in color with a moderate head of white foam
Aroma-Buttery biscuit, bread
Taste-Sweet malt, buttered biscuit, creamy, with a bit of a funky, earthy finish.
Overall, not too bad coming from a can, certainly drinkable and creamy, if a bit unbalanced in the finish

Serving type: can

04-12-2010 15:33:09 | More by hosehead83

nlmartin

Ohio

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

Thanks to Wagonvolks for sending this beer as part of Ryans Ghetto Bif. The beer was served chilled in a pint glass.

Appearance: The body of the beer is a dirty copper coloration. The head was about half inch high white in coloration. Good retention of the head is noted. Lacing speckles my glass marking its passage.

Smell: The biscuity aroma of the beer is covered in caramel and honey. Floral hops combine with citrus to create a marmalade aroma. Very nice!...

Taste: The flavors mirror the aroma. This beer is well balanced malty and hops. Again very nice and well executed.

Mouthfeel / Drinkability: The beer has a light body. It never dips into the thin bodied notes. The carbonation is active and totally appropriate to this beer. This is a beer that I could session with and never be bored. Well played!

Serving type: can

09-10-2009 01:53:30 | More by nlmartin

AleWatcher

Illinois

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

Thanks to Twiggamortis420 for sending me this one in the Chillin and Grillin BIF.

Pours a golden, bright, slightly hazy (I'm thinking chill hazed) color. Nice tight white head of about one finger with some spotty chunky lacing. There are some particles floating around in here too.

A real easy, refreshing taste to this beer. My wife stole a sip and liked it too. This is a beer that you could really drink when you just want to have a beer. Almost a citrusy note, but not quite. A fresh note and a sweet malt makes this pretty tasty.

Light body with plenty of carbonation. Not the most amazing beer ever, but this is a solid canned craft option.

Serving type: can

08-04-2010 04:49:09 | More by AleWatcher

TexIndy

Texas

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

Poured from a 12oz can into a pint glass. No dating info but just released so I know it's fresh. It was a cloudy light golden honey color. A few lazy carb streams and come sticky lace. It had a good sized off-white head that stuck around for awhile and settled into a thin film and collar.

The aroma was malty and sweet with really no hop presence. The taste followed the aroma. Crisp, clean and drinkable. Good session beer for hot days. Also probably a good BMC conversion beer. Mouthfeel had a bit too much carb.

Overall, a good beer that I mildly recommend if you can easily find it (especially if in a buddy's fridge). For me, it doesn't have enough flavor to warrant buying many unless on tap and limited choices or a friend has it.

Serving type: can

04-27-2009 01:49:02 | More by TexIndy

indiapaleale

Massachusetts

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

Pour - more amber than blonde in color. Nice carbonation levels with a great looking head. Pretty nice looking pour I must say, I would've missed out on this if I had drank it straight from the can.

Aroma - slight hints of malty, grains and a bit of citrusy hops. Pretty mellow in aroma, nothing too intense but non-offensive that is for sure.

Taste - sweet and tangy with some subtle floral hop flavors. Some similarities between aroma and taste that is for sure. I'd say the maltiness is the biggest surprise this beer has to offer. This is not a watery blonde like some that I've had and stand out as one of the better versions of the style as far as I'm concerned. Nice work Southern Star.

Overall - solid, full-flavored Blonde ale. Nothing too crazy but thats what makes this extremely smooth and easy drinking. Another great candidate for camping and disc golf (or whatever other outdoor activity you find yourself doing).

Would I buy more of it? - sure, if I lived down in Texas I could see myself drinking a few of these from time to time.

Serving type: can

01-04-2010 01:09:11 | More by indiapaleale

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

jasonjlewis

Texas

3.73/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a nice 1 finger head with great retention and a cloudy yellow color. I think yeast is still in the can.

Smell is of some citrusy hop with a bit of a honey malt characteristic underneath.

Taste has a low bitterness with a touch of honey malt sweetness, spicy hop flavor and some good aroma to add to it. Sort of like an extra pale ale in terms of body, sweetness, and hop flavor without too much hop bitterness. That being said there is a tiny hint of fusel alcohols in this beer.

This beer leaves a bit too much body on the palate for a blonde ale.

As the beer warms the grainy/grassy notes come out which I expect in a blonde ale.

Not bad. The beer has an interesting honey malt sweetness and a good hop flavor and aroma. However, there is a bit of fusel alcohol in this one which is sort of a turn off in a beer this light.

Serving type: bottle

07-16-2009 03:56:32 | More by jasonjlewis

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

Urbancaver

Ohio

3.5/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a pale hazy orange with a bit of white head... Smells floral and a but hoppy. Tastes smooth and sweet with a nice kick of malts on the backbone. Vry drinkable and pretty tasty all things considered. Not something i would seek out but above average

Serving type: can

04-29-2011 00:15:21 | More by Urbancaver

jujubeast6000

Texas

3.28/5  rDev -12.5%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Reviewed 10/25/2008 (Draft @ Southern Star Brewery, Conroe, TX):

Pours a golden yellow colored amber body, with a frothy white head, good lacing, somewhat diminishing. Somewhat fruity aroma, some pale hoppiness. No very strong. Hoppy dryish taste. Tasty light taste. Creamy-like.

Serving type: on-tap

02-22-2009 19:38:47 | More by jujubeast6000

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

RonaldTheriot

Louisiana

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

Bombshell Blonde has a very thick, off-white head and a rather hazy, golden-orange appearance. Carbonation is relatively high and lacing is prominent down the glass. Aroma is grainy, with a orange peel background. Hop presence is good, but not strong. The taste is of roasted grain and it has a slight orange under-taste. Mouth-feel is medium. Bombshell finishes wet and satisfying. I enjoyed this ale and would have it again.

RJT

Serving type: can

08-29-2010 17:59:00 | More by RonaldTheriot

biggred1

Indiana

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

Dark, honey blonde with a massive rocky merengue like head of cream colored foam that lasts for days. Honeysuckle, pale malt and a touch of floral hops in the nose. Plenty of pale and Vienna malt flavors with a touch of honey and decent hop bittering in the finish. Creamy bodied with mild carbonation. A nice beer but not one I would go out of my way for.

Serving type: can

03-14-2010 20:22:30 | More by biggred1

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

Kromes

Georgia

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

A: A hazy blond color with a thick off-white colored head.

S: Somewhat of a boozy smell. Smells sweet and malty with a floral hop aroma.

T: The initial taste is of very sweet bready malt and a bit of yeast. There isn't too much hop flavor and bitterness, very slight in the finish. There is an overall tang to the beer though that seemed like it didn't belong.

M: Light and not overly carbonated.

D: The taste is good and the beer is light and refreshing with low carbonation. Makes this beer good and drinkable.

Serving type: can

06-15-2010 23:46:51 | More by Kromes

Brabander

Netherlands

4.3/5  rDev +14.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

We had a beertasting at Beerpirates place on sunday the 15th of may 2011. Jeffo, Claark13, Bierschenker, beerpirates and i drank a whole bunch of beers. Thanks for your hospitality Wim!

Poured in my Westvleteren tasting glass this beer looks normal, nothing fancy. This beer is a real sessionbeer to be used between some stouts.

I love blond beer and that makes that i am giving this good brew a high rating. A very soft and tasty beer.

Serving type: can

05-20-2011 13:36:49 | More by Brabander

samie85

Illinois

3.68/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4.5

A-Pours a hazy orange with a white one finger head that quickly dissipates.

S-Carmel and bready malt notes with a hint of orange.

T- Orange citrus hops upfront with a bready malt backbone with an orange and lemon aftertaste and a bit of grain.

M-I would put the carbonation in this one on the heavy side of medium carb. It's almost light-bodied, yet it's very smooth.

D-Pretty easy drinking as most bloneds tend to be. This one has very full flavor though which I've really not experienced with this style before.

Serving type: can

02-13-2010 23:19:05 | More by samie85

Reaper16

Alabama

3.05/5  rDev -18.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

12oz. can served into a pint glass

Pours a golden darkish-straw color. Somewhat hazy. A finger's worth of off-white head yields minimal lacing. Not much to say here; it's a boring looking blonde ale. Average stuff.

There isn't much at all going on in the nose. Biscuity malts dominate. But I also get a floral hop component: some honeysuckle, some dandelion. It's too grainy to really be anything higher than average, though.

Also, this beer bores on the palate. A grainy, bready malt base provides a skeleton. Too bad there isn't much flesh (in this metaphor) to make use of it. I get some white grapeskin flavor and there's a major plant stem characteristic going on.

The carbonation level seems alright; along with the beer's medium body, the mouthfeel is Bombshell Blonde's most appealing characteristic. Ultimately, though, I find this to be a boring, bland example of the blonde ale style. When people say that they don't usually like blonde ales, it's because of snooze-fests like this offering.

Serving type: can

04-14-2011 04:33:04 | More by Reaper16

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

steve8robin

Massachusetts

3.33/5  rDev -11.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3

First brew I have ever tried from this brewery. 12oz can...

A: A slightly clear / slightly hazy golden straw color with a small white head that fades quickly to a lace. Decent.

S: A mild, hidden wheat scent upfront with not much else going on. A slight tea scent. Eh.

T: A hint of spicy strong wheat upfront blended with some tea in the middle and almost some mild spice and almost pumpkin flavors on the backend. Very easy and smooth. Good.

M: Medium body with a fabulous carbonation! A nice bready finish. Very good.

O: All in all, this is a solid brew. Not much going on in the scent but a very easy and natural taste. Great to try if you like session brews and have access.

Serving type: can

04-14-2011 02:36:41 | More by steve8robin

GPHarris

Alabama

4/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

a - poured a four-fingers thick fluffy white head into a nonic that settles into a thing ring with good lacing. the body is bright golden and clear.
s - bready and grainy with a hint of pale malt sweetness.
t - bready malts with a hint of spicy hops.
m - medium and slick.
d - great session beer.

Serving type: can

06-25-2010 01:12:11 | More by GPHarris

ColdPoncho

Ohio

4.03/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to tsatem for this!

A - Murky and cloudy amber/yellow. Thick white head with huge bubbles vanishes before my eyes.

S - lemon, black pepper, tomato, sweet malt.

T - Clean and crisp malt, some vanilla, touch of lemony zest.

M - smooth and creamy, quite light. A touch drying.

D - well this is very drinkable. tastes pretty good, pleasant, and not heavy.

Serving type: can

02-07-2011 21:28:45 | More by ColdPoncho

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