Blue Moon Vintage Blonde Ale - Coors Brewing Company

grittybrews

Washington

3.78/5  rDev +14.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured a hazy gold with a finger of quick-fading bright white head. Aroma dominated by grapes with a touch of honey and light spice.

Moderate carbonation and a slightly syrupy mouthfeel. Taste is all grapes up front followed by some banana sweetness, lemon, and light clove on the finish.

Tasty and refreshing with big Chardonnay grape flavor and just a hint of booze. Could have used a little more carbonation and a little less sweetness; had a fairly "winey" feel.

Serving type: bottle

08-21-2012 02:49:11 | More by grittybrews

ScottyDuzntNo

Pennsylvania

5/5  rDev +51.1%

05-14-2013 02:06:59 | More by ScottyDuzntNo

blknikon

Massachusetts

3.5/5  rDev +5.7%

04-30-2013 19:34:48 | More by blknikon

Hophead420

Maryland

3.25/5  rDev -1.8%

04-13-2013 07:39:43 | More by Hophead420

beerbrains

Nebraska

3/5  rDev -9.4%

04-11-2013 03:55:25 | More by beerbrains

jco3rd

California

4.25/5  rDev +28.4%

03-06-2013 04:39:06 | More by jco3rd

NYR_Rob

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev +5.7%

03-02-2013 01:11:43 | More by NYR_Rob

matjack85

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev +13.3%

02-11-2013 06:50:05 | More by matjack85

GaryFields

Indiana

2.25/5  rDev -32%

02-07-2013 02:26:40 | More by GaryFields

Haybeerman

Colorado

3.5/5  rDev +5.7%

02-06-2013 23:42:49 | More by Haybeerman

KillaB

Illinois

3/5  rDev -9.4%

01-29-2013 08:15:01 | More by KillaB

mactrail

California

2.91/5  rDev -12.1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Clear golden color in the tall Stella glass. The carbonation doesn't seem to hold up so well. Starts out with just a hint of foam, and subsequent pours are virtually flat.

Fruity like mango nectar. The drying flavor becomes fairly pronounced, but it doesn't seem yeasty otherwise. With the meagre carbonation it emphasizes the apple cider taste. Altogether, this seems kind of sweet and a little cloying. A whisper of bitterness. I tried to like this, but there is not much to like, especially for 11 bucks.

From the 22 oz bottle bought at Coit Liquor in San Francisco. 2012 vintage.

Serving type: bottle

01-29-2013 06:32:17 | More by mactrail

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

4.21/5  rDev +27.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

I was simply intrigued when I saw this recently at one of the many bottle shops now in my area. I know the back story and I really do not care at this point. As long as it tastes good, I do not care who brewed it.

From the bottle: "From our Reserve Collection comes our limited-edition Vintage Blonde Ale. Winning several medals, including Gold at the 2010 Great American Beer Festival, it's crafted with Chardonnay grape juice and all-wheat grain for a crisp, dry taste. Cellar-aged, this work of art is ready to enjoy now or can be set aside for the right moment."

I'm ready now! I have a champagne flute from the 1998 Seabee Ball, held on Diego Garcia while I was the POIC of the Honor Guard and this seemed an appropriate beer for this glass. I got a finger of fizzy, foamy, bone-white head with limited retention from my pour. Color was a gorgeous golden-yellow with NE-quality clarity. The effervescence really looked like champagne in the glass. Nose was quite fruity, not entirely vinous as the label had led me to expect, but instead, more like chewing gum, which is not a bad thing, given their use of wheat. Mouthfeel was medium and the flavor was very much of mixed fruit, very tasty and not cloying or over-the-top. Finish was actually quite dry and refreshing. This would be excellent during the summer, maybe in a picnic basket with a friend to share it with.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2013 22:38:34 | More by woodychandler

mendvicdog

Maryland

3.75/5  rDev +13.3%

01-22-2013 01:38:18 | More by mendvicdog

Twan22

California

3.25/5  rDev -1.8%

01-21-2013 06:52:33 | More by Twan22

spycow

Illinois

3/5  rDev -9.4%

01-17-2013 16:25:41 | More by spycow

NCStateAE

3.25/5  rDev -1.8%

12-29-2012 19:22:20 | More by NCStateAE

imthaschmidt

3.75/5  rDev +13.3%

12-28-2012 17:04:49 | More by imthaschmidt

Boilerfood

Indiana

3.25/5  rDev -1.8%

12-19-2012 05:21:02 | More by Boilerfood

2neardead

California

2.75/5  rDev -16.9%

12-04-2012 03:26:53 | More by 2neardead

UCLABrewN84

California

3.55/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Bottle pour at the BevMo Holiday Beerfest held at Golden Road Brewing in Los Angeles, CA.

2012 vintage.

Pours a clear light orange with a foamy bone colored head that settles to a film on top of the beer. Small dots of lace slowly drip into the remaining beer on the drink down. Smell is of malt, grain, spices, and yeast. Taste is much the same with a mild yeast bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good beer that is actually pretty nice for a Blue Moon beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2012 22:28:26 | More by UCLABrewN84

irishgreensoda

Washington

3.5/5  rDev +5.7%

11-20-2012 22:11:12 | More by irishgreensoda

NODAK

Tennessee

2.98/5  rDev -10%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

I think it's sometimes tough to review beers like this because there's a tendency to roll your eyes at the maker being Blue Moon (or more specifically, Coors). However, we need to review the beer for what it is, fairly, as if it was produced by a craft brewery. So here goes.

Smell is very, very reminiscent of a white wine, which isn't very surprising, but it's actually pretty strong and sweet. I know chardonney tends to be a bit drier than many whites, but this has a real sweet white grape juice aroma going. I poured it into my glass...not too surprisingly, it's bright golden. Head fizzes away almost immediately. So that part isn't so hot.

Now for the taste. Carbonation is pretty average, but not too high for a beer that's supposed to be a Belgian style. Really, it's all semi-sweet white grape juice and notes of apple to me. I also get a bit of yeast on the finish, but that's about it. Honestly, it feels to me as if I'm drinking a decent, rather sweet white wine with carbonation. So if that's what they were going for, I'd say it's fine. As a beer?? Not as much, and not for the price tag.

So I think this "beer" doesn't quite hold up on its merits....not because of who makes it, but because it really just fails to be very distinctive or complex.

Serving type: bottle

10-18-2012 01:28:07 | More by NODAK

ilikebeer03

Texas

2.25/5  rDev -32%

10-17-2012 21:42:56 | More by ilikebeer03

DaveRTP

North Carolina

3/5  rDev -9.4%

10-17-2012 00:33:04 | More by DaveRTP