Blond - Brouwerij Hof Ten Dormaal

BeerAdvocate

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Review from BeerAdvocate Magazine Issue #44 (Sep 2010):

The cork whizzed by our heads--a lively beer with a very expressive head. Yeasty nose, earthy with ripe peaches and herbal phenols. Big fluffy crispness from the higher level of carbonation. Yeast runs from earthy to nutty, which works well with the ripe orchard fruit and dried grass malt base. Wild herb phenols and alcohol hold strongly to the taste buds with suggestions of sage, bay leaf, rose water and peppery complexities. Wow, sort of a raw, in-your-face, knock-your-socks-off kind of brew.

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2011 18:17:42 | More by BeerAdvocate

InspectorBob

New Jersey

4/5  rDev +0.5%

05-29-2013 16:36:46 | More by InspectorBob

jtladner

District of Columbia

3.75/5  rDev -5.8%

05-18-2013 21:59:21 | More by jtladner

danipp

New Jersey

3.75/5  rDev -5.8%

05-14-2013 02:09:59 | More by danipp

soxandbeer

Massachusetts

2.5/5  rDev -37.2%

04-17-2013 01:20:34 | More by soxandbeer

nzerbe

New York

3/5  rDev -24.6%

04-10-2013 00:41:00 | More by nzerbe

weonfire

Illinois

3.81/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.75

A - Golden/Brown, 2 fingers of white, tiny bubble head. very nice lacing.

S - hmm... faint. if at all. there is about a 1 mm layer of head possibly capping the nose. when i do break through: lemon/grass, floral, minor honey

T - As far as saisons go this would be in the dyer category. again- lemon/grass comes thru, white wine, a little boozey on the way down.

M - Wow this is frothy. almost too much. high carbonation pops on the way down. high viscosity.

O - Minor nose hurts, taste is good but nothing noteworthy, thickness is wonderful - but i end up coming back to wishing there was another layer or more complexity to the taste. it really has great potential to be an excellent, excellent beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-15-2013 02:26:51 | More by weonfire

fields336

North Carolina

3.66/5  rDev -8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

A: a cloudy, orange, hazy. A sloppy poor by me left a lot of yeast in the bottom of the glass.

S: skunky, grassy, bready, herb, honey

T: candy sugar, bready, citrus, honey, herb, slight tartness, banana, apple

M: very sweet upfront, medium body, with a medium/dry finish

O: this beer was good, but I think it was a little skunked, the flavor was good though

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2013 23:48:20 | More by fields336

soccerfancooch

Wisconsin

4.25/5  rDev +6.8%

02-03-2013 21:01:48 | More by soccerfancooch

Mattias

Sweden

4/5  rDev +0.5%

01-25-2013 18:39:47 | More by Mattias

Sludgeman

District of Columbia

3.75/5  rDev -5.8%

01-13-2013 22:11:49 | More by Sludgeman

OtherShoe2

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours medium gold with a big head that reduces in a flash. Some lace.

Sweet grassy notes, some yeast and grain, a little honeyed fruit.

This beer has enough herbal sweetness to lead you in one direction, but malt structure and moderate bitterness to lead in the other. Grain, honey, wood, grass, a touch of alcohol, husk, raw grain, and some yeast.

Medium bodied, good carbonation.

Nice version, and very smooth. Spikes in complexity as the beer clears the palate are nice and keep this one interesting. Liked this.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2013 00:32:38 | More by OtherShoe2

Melonie

3.5/5  rDev -12.1%

10-17-2012 00:44:43 | More by Melonie

brentk56

North Carolina

3.85/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: Like others have said, beware of flying corks...still, it was not a gusher and poured out an impressive head that displayed great retention and lacing action; the liquid color was a hazy amber

Smell: Bready, with light fruit, hay and vanilla esters

Taste: Bready, up front, with the light fruit and grainy hay flavors appearing early on; slightly herbal but somewhat sweet, in the middle, with the vanilla entering into the picture after the swallow

Mouthfeel: Medium body with high carbonation levels

Overall: An interesting take on a variety of styles - has tripel sweetness, a bit of light fruit and herbal elements and I'm not sure where to place the vanilla; still, I can't say all the flavors really came together in a way I enjoyed that much

Serving type: bottle

09-23-2012 17:25:45 | More by brentk56

t0rin0

California

4.25/5  rDev +6.8%

09-08-2012 00:27:10 | More by t0rin0

Guarddog

4.75/5  rDev +19.3%

08-31-2012 02:13:51 | More by Guarddog

LiquidAmber

Washington

4.23/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a Gulden Draak tulip. Pours a cloudy light golden amber. Upon release of the wire bail the cork shot out with such force that it hit the roof, ricocheted off a wall, hit a lamp; I still haven't found it. Although the bottle itself was not a gusher, I had to remove a half cup of foam during the pour to get even a 1/3 of a glass of ale. Needless to say, massive head and lacing; great carbonation. Aroma of sweet malt, Belgian spicing, yeast, light orange and grass. Flavor starts with sweet, somewhat caramel malt, light fruit and Belgian spicing. Flavor changes to dry fruit and finishes dry with light fruit and a touch of wild yeast funk. Medium bodied with spicy active carbonation. A very interesting flavor progression; at first I thought "this is no saison, it's a Belgian blond", but as the finish developed I thought "oh, yeah, there it is". Nice Belgian with a pleasant combination of characters from two styles.

Serving type: bottle

08-22-2012 03:26:42 | More by LiquidAmber

msarver16

Pennsylvania

5/5  rDev +25.6%

07-17-2012 08:37:03 | More by msarver16

Thomas_Picton

Florida

3.5/5  rDev -12.1%

07-04-2012 23:27:54 | More by Thomas_Picton

onix1agr

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Glad to find this on tap as I passed up bottles due to reservations about freshness. This was at the hulmeville inn, go there and have fun.

Hof Ten Dormaal Blond ha a dirty blond look with some bright yellow and twinges of orange. A nice Belgian eque white head with girth, lasting ability and stick. Smell is pretty straight forward. A big grassy scent comes up with some light orange and lemon scent. Wheat pops up along with some pale malt. The alcohol does not intrude the nose though. Bright scent that hits. Taste is a mix between blond, saison, and a bit of wit character as some wheat pops up. Grassy taste with some bready yeast. Orange peel and slight spice. All together, nicely balanced and a bold taste, perhaps bolder than what I am used to for a blond. The body is medium and a bit thicker than your normal blond. The alcohol only comes out toward the end while a grassy after taste is always there along with the yeast. This is a nice beer. I wish it had less alcohol in it so I would drink more of it.

Serving type: on-tap

06-27-2012 01:12:52 | More by onix1agr

Thorpe429

Illinois

4.05/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Bottle from Whole Foods on P Street NW. Served in a Mikasa tulip. Pours a cloudy light copper with a thick head and some nice spotty lacing. Good cap throughout. The nose brings earth and light spice plus some backing grain and hay. Flavor adds a bit of bitterness and a nice dryness. Light pepper and just a bit of fruit. Light-medium body with high carbonation. All around a very nice saison.

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2012 21:15:52 | More by Thorpe429

PEIhop

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +6.8%

03-11-2012 00:17:01 | More by PEIhop

flagmantho

Washington

4.1/5  rDev +3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from 375mL bottle into a tulip.

Appearance: lightly hazy silvery-gold hue with a moderate effervescence and a huge 3+ finger cap of frothy white foam. I like it.

Smell: rich, sweet malt aroma with a distinct graininess. Decent enough, though there was also a quick whiff of skunkiness when first uncorked.

Taste: rich malt flavor with a lighter graininess than in the aroma. Very smooth and with just a tiny hint of funkiness and sourness toward the end. Sweet, but not cloyingly so.

Mouthfeel: medium body with a huge carbonation and basically perfect creaminess. Love it, love it.

Overall: a tasty and satisfying brew. Highly reminiscent of a good triple; drinkable and with a first-rate mouthfeel.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2012 02:53:06 | More by flagmantho

mrfrancis

Kentucky

3.55/5  rDev -10.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours a cloudy golden orange with an enormous, towering white head that gradually recedes into a thick, creamy mousse.

S: Aromas of spice (coriander, clove, and perhaps cardamom) immediately hit the nose, though I do not believe that any spices are used in this brew. Aromas of bitter orange, grass, and lemon rind emerge later.

T: A bitter, medicinal entry reveals notes of lemon rind, bitter orange, kumquat, minerals, lime, sugar, grass, and spicy yeast. The finish is intense and puckering with robust notes of citrus and spicy yeast.

M: This ale displays a medium-to-full body that is a bit closer to the former than the latter. In the mouth, it is firm and dry with prickly, active carbonation. Alcohol presence is restrained.

O: This is a very solid saison, but I do feel that it is somewhat overrated. The Hof Ten Dormaal beers have never impressed me all that much, as I feel that they do not quite display the balance and depth of the more authentic Wallonian saisons. If you're a saison fan, Hof Ten Dormaal Blond is worth checking out--in fact, it is arguably the best and most consistent beer in Hof Ten Dormaal's regular range--but it is a bit crude compared to saisons like Fantome and Dupont.

Serving type: bottle

02-14-2012 14:34:44 | More by mrfrancis

BillHilly

Washington

4.05/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served at 55 degrees in a Duvel tulip.

A: Huge head, slowly collapses to 1 finger, golden & sparkling, massive yeast action off the etching.

S: Musty, banana, yeast and more yeast, old hay

T: Tastes of yeast, apple, light hops & faint pears

M: Huge carbonation, perfect viscosity for a saison.

O: A worthy buy, great saison, too bad the bottle isn't bigger! My only complaint.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2012 01:52:08 | More by BillHilly