Blond - Brouwerij Hof Ten Dormaal

womencantsail

California

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

On-tap at Beachwood BBQ

A: The pour is a cloudy orange color with a big white head sitting on top.

S: Lots of fruit to the nose such as peaches, apricots, apples, and oranges. Still plenty of bread and malt character and perhaps some lemon zest. Yeast is there too, but more in the background.

T: The flavor starts off much the same as the nose. That is, with a great fruit character. Some of the same players here like peaches, apricots, and oranges. There might be a little bit of white grape in there too. A mild spice ester quality to the beer. There's quite a bit of malty sweetness which is very nice.

M: The body is medium with a moderate carbonation.

D: Not sure if this is really a "Farmhouse Ale", but it certainly was enjoyable. I had never heard of this beer or brewery before, but I am a fan.

Serving type: on-tap

01-12-2011 22:53:54 | More by womencantsail

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

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

Mora2000

Texas

3.9/5  rDev -2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to bu11zeye for sharing this beer. This is the first beer I have had from this brewery, which I believe just began being imported into the United States.

The beer pours a hazy gold color with a huge white head. The aroma is mainly yeast with some spices. The flavor is citrus fruit, yeast and pepper. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation. Not a bad Belgian ale.

Serving type: bottle

06-21-2010 06:16:58 | More by Mora2000

metter98

New York

3.98/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A: The beer is cloudy yellow in color and poured into a tulip glass with a three finger high bright white head that has good retention properties. It has a moderate amount of visible carbonation.
S: There are aromas of spices and yeast in the nose.
T: The taste is similar to the smell and is quite spicy--flavors of black pepper stand out in particular.
M: It feels medium-bodied on the palate and has a moderate to high amount of carbonation. There is also a good amount of dryness, which particularly stands out in the finish.
D: The high amount of carbonation in this beer improves its drinkability as it helps to diffuse the spiciness in the flavors.

Serving type: bottle

02-01-2011 03:20:47 | More by metter98

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.43/5  rDev -13.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This poured out as a hazy yellowish gold color with a foamy white head on top. The smell of the beer was kind of not all there to me... I wasn't getting a lot of Saison aromas or funk from it. The taste of the beer was soft and fairly refreshing. The mouthfeel was smooth and well carbonated. Overall it's not a bad blonde in my opinion, I'd probably try it again some day.

Serving type: on-tap

11-27-2011 17:42:13 | More by Knapp85

tempest

Pennsylvania

4.28/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Picked up a 375ml bottle at Abe's Cold Beer in Bethlehem for $4. I'd call it a good deal. Sure it was overcarbonated and the cork was halfway out, but once the hazy yellow beer settled down I had a heck of a beer on my hands.

It's full of sharp Belgian spicy phenol with the same coriander, fresh pepper corns, and orange peel that I tasted in the Dormaal Amber. There's also a big bitter Euro hops character of floral, herbal, and earthy citrus note.

Overall, this reminds me a bit of Saison Dupont, and might be just as good. Find this beer, you won't regret it.

Serving type: bottle

06-25-2010 23:38:37 | More by tempest

barleywinefiend

Washington

4.33/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: Poured a hazy orange color with huge carbonation leaving a nice white cap

S: :ight barnyard funk, lighter fruits

T: Tasted of lighter fruit, some funk and horseblanket, Belgian yeast, and mild floral hops. A light spice in it.

M: Light body but massive carbonation

O: An excellent saison

Serving type: bottle

11-08-2011 03:47:55 | More by barleywinefiend

johnmichaelsen

Oregon

4.03/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at Max's during Baltimore Beer Week.

The beer pours a slightly hazy honey gold color with very good head retention and considerable sticky lacing all around. The nose is attractive, showing orange citrus, honey and vanilla. The flavor profile replicates the nose, though the initial light sweet honey is dominated by the orange citrus and bitterness on the finish. As a result, the finisih is fairly dry, bitter and long in this nicely crafted beer. Mouthfeel is medium bodied with a fairly long finish. Drinkability is good, though you can tell there's some alcohol. Nevertheless, this is a well made, easy to appreciate, well made beer. Good stuff.

Serving type: on-tap

10-15-2010 21:36:44 | More by johnmichaelsen

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

3.35/5  rDev -15.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

First had: on tap at the Belgian Café, Philly, PA

Poured into a tulip glass a cloudy orange with pinkish highlights? (It was dark in the bar and perhaps my eyes deceived me.) Little to no head going on. Very light aroma of floral hops and peaches. Tastes of yeast, grass, peaches, herbal and floral qualities filling my senses at all times. Light mouthfeel, and quite drinkable, though didn't really stand out in any specific way to me.

Serving type: on-tap

06-09-2011 16:58:53 | More by Rifugium

thagr81us

South Carolina

4.18/5  rDev +5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Served from tap into a tulip. Poured a hazy golden yellow with a one finger pure white head that subsided to a minimal amount slowly. There was no lacing evident throughout. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, bread, and banana. The flavor was of sweet malt, bread, banana, and wheat. It had a light feel on the palate with low carbonation. Overall this was a decent brew. You could definitely tell it was brewed in Belgium with the heavy Belgian yeast influence and fruit flavors going on here. Had a good aroma and flavor though. I really had no idea this was a Saison, thought of it as more of a Belgian Strong Pale Ale. Pretty good to say the least...

Serving type: on-tap

01-12-2011 18:04:00 | More by thagr81us

ccrida

Oregon

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

275 ml bottle poured into my large Gulden Draak tulip, Hof Ten Dormaal's blonde is a ridiculously large white head, in spite of the fact that I had in the in the fridge for the last 4 days or so in an effort to calm it down. Beer is murky dull gold, the head has long last and leaves heavy chunks of foamy lace.

Smell is classic fruity farmhouse esters, nice minerality.

Taste is very sharp, no doubt accentuated by the coldness, bitter, a little corky. Peppery, a little lemon pith and slate comes out as it warms, a bit yeasty as well, tasty and classic.

Mouthfeel is dry, medium bodied.

Drinkability is pretty good for a saison lover such as myself. The over carbonation slows down the start, but after that, all day.

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2010 03:55:17 | More by ccrida

avalon07

South Carolina

4.38/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Warning: I'm sure everyone else has written this before, but it bears repeating. This is a highly carbonated beer. The cork will fly out the second the cage is removed, so be prepared.

A: Poured from a bottle to a pint glass. Had a dirty orange color and a thick consistency. There was a huge, long-lasting, creamy/rocky head. OK lacing.

S: A blast of saison funkiness hits you the second you open the bottle. There are also traces of yeast, fruit and malt.

T: Tasted of light fruit, malt, Belgian yeast, and mild hops. A vibrant, nicely balanced flavor.

M: An almost absurd amount of carbonation with a super dry finish. Light-bodied.

D: An excellent, complex, drinkable saison.

Serving type: bottle

08-29-2010 12:15:05 | More by avalon07

DefenCorps

Oregon

3.63/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On tap at Max's tonight.

Cloudy and hazy, this beer is orange with a dense white head that falls off to a ring leaving some lace. The nose is grainy, sweet and yeasty. Very raw and rustic, this is mildly grassy and has some honey as well as a little heat.

The palate opens with a blend of sweet and grainy flavors. A touch of grainy astringency is present as well. Moderately sweet on the mid-palate with honey and a wort-like sweetness, alcohol appears on the finish. Mildly drying, this is fairly sweet and alcoholic for a saison. The yeasty spice is second to the grainy sweetness here. Still, this beer is decent, but I preferred it out of a bottle.

Serving type: on-tap

10-14-2010 02:16:09 | More by DefenCorps

drpimento

Wisconsin

4.22/5  rDev +6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pretty good beer overall. Cork exploded out of the bottle as soon as the cage was untwisted, went straight up and straight back down and bonked the opener on his noggin. Poured with an over the top off white head that turned into suds. Color is a hazy amber with some sediment. Aroma is malt, wine, skunk, yeast. Flavor loses the skunk and is quite good while being true to style. Body is good and so is carbonation. Finish is like flavor and of medium length and lots of alcohol warming.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2010 02:38:46 | More by drpimento

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

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

argock

Virginia

4.25/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured from 12.7oz green bottle into a Duvel tulip. Notched for best by but only 2013 decipherable. Purchased at Wine Warehouse (Charlottesville, VA) for $6.49.

A: Pale straw gold with huge billowing big-bubbled white head which leaves some spots of lacing.

S: Pleasant mix of lemongrass, pepper, mustiness, and pale malt sweetness.

T: Lemony with strong bready yeast overtones and the thick mustiness that finishes with a mild tartness. Pale malts keep the tartness from being puckering. A very tight package all-around.

M: Much more heft than most saisons, but not unpleasant, and despite the huge amount of pressure, the carbonation is not overwhelming.

D: A really nice saison with a good classic aroma and flavor with a bit more body than most in the style.

Serving type: bottle

12-13-2010 04:40:36 | More by argock

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

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

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

crossovert

Wisconsin

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

375ml green corked and caged bottle. I grabbed it from the very back of the shelf.

Beware of this one, the cork shoots off the second you make your first untwisting of the cage. It is only a mild gusher, however, as long as you have your glass near you will be fine. It pours with just an uncontrollable head, the only other beer that has been this carbonated for me is Bos Keun. It must be the special house yeast at work.

It pours a hazy golden orange with a foamy white head that billows tall as mentioned. It recedes rather slowly, which is kind of annoying and it has some nice lacing.

The smell is not skunked in the least and it is a fruity, estery brew. There is a little bit of spice. It reminds me more of a dirty Belgian strong pale ale than a siason. I guess it is a farmhouse" ale however.

The flavor is great, if a hint sweet. It has a nice earthiness and a sweet hit of sugar. There are plenty of fruits in here like apple and golden raisins. There is a slight hint of lemon and clove as well.

The carbonation is high, but it still goes down pretty smoothly. The alcohol is less hidden than it should be, but not detrimental per se.

It is a nice brew, grab it from the back of the shelf and enjoy.

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2010 23:17:04 | More by crossovert

popery

California

3.95/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bottle. Very good beer, though the cork nearly took one of my eye's out. The liquid actually didn't gush too badly, but the bottle sure had a lot of pressure packed in there. Pours a light gold with a big, rocky, white head. Some yeast floaties were kicked up from the explosive uncorking. The aroma has lots of fresh grain, musty earth, mint, bubblegum and spice. Rather interesting and rich. Taste is somewhat sweet with a yeasty finish. Mouthfeel is smooth, a bit heavy for the style but still good. I didn't expect to like this one much, but now I think I'll have to pick up the Amber.

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2010 05:32:03 | More by popery

number1bum

Pennsylvania

4.05/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Best by 4/2012 notched on the side. Popping the cork on this one lets out a huge pop and I immediately thought it was going to start gushing. It didn't, luckily, but it did produce a super fast rising, foamy white head that made for a very slow pour. It's a cloudy, somewhat musty looking golden color with some sediment floating around. Head keeps a full, chunky lace that takes about a year and a half to fall down. Leaves some splashes of stick on the sides.

Smell is very grassy with spicy and fruity notes as well. Sort of lemony and peachy, with black pepper and some herbal aromas. A dash of sweetness and some must as well.

Taste also has a ripe fruity flavor, peaches again come to mind, less lemon than the nose. Maybe some pear as well. Has a modest sweetness like the nose did. Very spicy and musty. Lots of herbal flavors going on here, those plus the black pepper spice makes for one spicy drink. Pretty clean in the finish with some herbal, earthy flavor left lingering.

Mouthfeel is a super crisp medium body. Very aggressive carbonation, puckers the mouth a touch. A little too aggressive imo; hurts the ability to savor the complexities this is offering.

I'm surprised that this is classified as a saison rather than a BSPA. It does say Farmhouse Ale on the lable, but it drinks a lot like a Duvel or something in that vein in my opinion, albeit in a more rustic, less refined sort of way. It alson doesn't have the funky farmhouse sort of character that most saisons do. No matter, I like it. It's flavorful, crisp and easy drinking, save for the super aggressive carbonation. Definitely worth picking up.

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2011 01:35:58 | More by number1bum

rtepiak

Poland

4.33/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

on tap at hopleaf in the end of august '10

this beer pours two fingers of head on a golden cloudy body. moderate cloudiness. nose is something like a blond and saison. good honey pollen with a farmhouse straw coin to the style. palate is a mild sweeter then most but still well place and rounded. straw and lemongrass bitter with a mild candy orange peel and licorice. peppery mild mineral finish that brings on hunger. great example. not unique but without flaw belgian saison. great.

Serving type: on-tap

09-29-2010 08:10:32 | More by rtepiak