Pure Blonde - Carlton & United Breweries, Ltd.

Everydayoff

Thailand

2/5  rDev -11.1%
look: 3 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

355ml bottle poured into a pils glass by freshness date.

L:
Golden in color with decent head, well retention and left some good lace. There is full amount of active fizzy carbonation.

S:
Cereal, grain malt, a bit metallic, some pinch from hop, overall the smell is awful.

T:
So grainy and dull, I have found it hard to get along with pinch of grain which dominating all around, very light on hop side.

F:
The body is rather light, semi-smooth mouthfeel with some crisp by average amount of carbonation.

O:
To shortly summarize, avoid this, definitely not worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2012 18:40:57 | More by Everydayoff

magpieken

Australia

2.5/5  rDev +11.1%

04-11-2013 16:48:39 | More by magpieken

Poupae

Thailand

3/5  rDev +33.3%

03-19-2013 14:39:38 | More by Poupae

musqayan

New York

3.75/5  rDev +66.7%

02-14-2013 16:50:41 | More by musqayan

Fusion7777

Virginia

2.7/5  rDev +20%
look: 2.75 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 2.75

It is what it is, and doesn't pretend to be something it's not. Mostly inoffensive. Grainy with some skunkiness, probably attributable to the green bottle, and maybe some pear. Almost flavorless, thin and watery, albeit light and refreshing, especially during a hot summer day (in January) overlooking a beautiful expanse of Bondi Beach while eating fish and chips.

Sidenote: beer is outrageously expensive in Australia

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2013 06:01:49 | More by Fusion7777

hanwong

3.25/5  rDev +44.4%

08-06-2012 19:11:38 | More by hanwong

Julian4077

Australia

3/5  rDev +33.3%

05-11-2012 10:44:44 | More by Julian4077

hopnerd

Australia

2.75/5  rDev +22.2%

05-11-2012 09:42:33 | More by hopnerd

dmorgan310

Michigan

2.5/5  rDev +11.1%

02-26-2012 12:57:23 | More by dmorgan310

BrazilianAussie

Brazil

2/5  rDev -11.1%

02-21-2012 17:18:38 | More by BrazilianAussie

tedho21

Pennsylvania

1/5  rDev -55.6%

01-28-2012 21:57:39 | More by tedho21

klipper

Michigan

1/5  rDev -55.6%

12-15-2011 00:39:13 | More by klipper

rao2100

Malaysia

4/5  rDev +77.8%

11-23-2011 05:40:51 | More by rao2100

soju6

Missouri

2.05/5  rDev -8.9%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

A: Served a pale golden color with a nice full head and good lacing.

S: Bland aroma of mild grain and hint of sweetness.

T: Again, bland flavor of mild grain and bit of malt sweetness.

F: very light body, quite watery.

O: Just an Aussie version of a light beer. Nothing to see here, keep moving.

Serving type: on-tap

10-19-2011 05:00:20 | More by soju6

heygeebee

Australia

2.53/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 3.5

Ok - a bit leftfield here, I will review, as drunk straight out of the bottle, straight out of the esky of ice, after playing football.

We can forget appearance, as it looks like a bottle, it also doesn't smell of anything at that temperature.

Taste is thin, a little malty and sweet-ish.

However, in my opinion that's somewhat irrelevant in this instance as it is refreshing, very, and that's what this type of beer is about.

No, I am not going to pour and serve in a glass in the evening at my place. Nor buy a case.

I suspect the suggested serving temp should be altered for this style.

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2011 05:27:37 | More by heygeebee

laituegonflable

Australia

1.75/5  rDev -22.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2

Pours a pale gold colour that thins to paler around the edges. Head is a shade darker than snow white, and sunk to a thin cloudy film. Steady but strong bead, fair amount of lace. Looks fizzy and weak, but not terrible.

Nose smells like glass. Oh hang on there IS beer in here. Eh, mildly grainy with a sweet corn edge and a weak citrus air freshener note. I've had more aromatic Asian lagers. But given what might have been there it's better than I expected; it's at least not as offensive as Super Dry.

Taste is weak, bland. Oh and let's not forget unpleasant. Starts weak and watery, with a slight adjuncty hit like sticky rice. Nothing but a forced carbonation flavour on the mid that turns mildly into finish which is... I guess the word is bitter, but not enough flavour for me really to notice. Bland, watery, a bad palate through and through.

Thin upfront, and huge carbonation fizz on the back. Just bad.

Here's an exhortation for you: let's not bring up kids thinking beer's meant to be like this, yeah?

Serving type: on-tap

02-15-2011 23:00:32 | More by laituegonflable

CrazyDavros

Australia

1.98/5  rDev -12%
look: 2.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Pale gold pour with a large but quickly fading head.
Aroma is pretty weak, with some grainy malt and cooked vegetables. Pretty bad. Some very faint grassy hops.
Very watery flavours with some cardboard and more cooked vegetables. Easy going but not nice.
Watery body.

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2010 01:46:30 | More by CrazyDavros

istarilord

Hawaii

2.42/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 2 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pale yellow lager with thin head and large bubbles. Medium carbonation.

Skunky, metallic, very light malt/hop odour.

Very light flavour with a slight touch of hops, making for a fairly easy drink with nothing of interest.

Low carb beers aren't much in the flavor department and this is par for the course.

Serving type: bottle

08-01-2009 09:31:12 | More by istarilord

Cs1987

Australia

2/5  rDev -11.1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Appearance - Gold, 1 finger of head, excessive carbonation on the sides of the glass.

Smell - Virtually non-existent

Taste - Like most beers that are popular in Australia, very weak.

Mouthfeel - Good carbonation, but watery.

Drinkability - Easy to drink, but boring.

Overall - Quite simply, this is your typical Corona-esque, almost tasteless lager.

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2009 11:55:09 | More by Cs1987

LittleCreature

Australia

2.03/5  rDev -9.8%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

Appearance - 3.0
Poured a finger of very bubbly white head that reduced quickly over a clear, pale straw body that looks moderately carbonated.

Smell - 2.0
There was some skunk upon opening, but this disappeared quickly. What is left smells slightly sweet with a whisper of hops, and a metallic edge.

Taste - 1.5
Pretty much as expected for a CUB product, i.e. sub par. Vague grain flavours, a little hop bitterness in the finish, and a metallic taste that is particularly evident in the aftertaste.

Mouthfeel - 2.0
There is an over-sharpness that is almost stinging in the carbonation. It feels light in the mouth.

Drinkability - 3.0
Scores points for its reduced carbs, so will be popular with the weight conscious. However, most of these points are lost due to the unappealing taste. Sessionable for many.

OVERALL - 2.1
There are two reasons to drink this beer: it's low carb, and it's cheap. Other than the reduced carbs there is very little to differentiate it from other Aussie macro lagers. I actually chose to drink Pure Blonde for a short while due to the low carbohydrate tag. After one night of boring swilling I came to the conclusion that I would much rather drink three good craft beers than a 6 pack of "Blondies" for roughly the same carb intake. Not terrible, but below average and very forgettable.

Serving type: bottle

10-30-2007 08:26:36 | More by LittleCreature

rec

Australia

2.17/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 1.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

If you're looking to watch those love-handels, like Amstel, this may be something to consider. Otherwise, steer well clear of this awful brew.

Visually it's golden in colour and is void of lacing - the head is quick to dissapear after pour.

There's absolutey nothing worthy of note about the taste, except for the fact it's actually drinkable. It lacks flavour and proves to be very bland which is emphasised by it's cardboard-like aftertaste.

One positive, is that it's very easy to drink if you can put the taste (or lack there of) aside.

Serving type: on-tap

01-21-2007 09:34:02 | More by rec

norwichboy

Australia

1.85/5  rDev -17.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Well I'm not that upset about the labelling as this isn't the first Australian beer where "blonde" is used as beer terminology for "unchallenging". Hey, the "low carbohydrate" tag is a clear giveaway it will have no flavour. So, I tried with an open mind out of curiosity. Okay, there is virtually no smell or taste, with just a hint of cereal grain. I think it's fairly attractive though: it has a small well retained white head, quite good lacing, and although it's rather watery, the carbonation is quite well controlled unlike other CUB fizz monsters. Good to look at, diet conscious, pleasantly bubbly, but not much depth... blonde joke anyone?

Serving type: on-tap

12-10-2006 06:08:30 | More by norwichboy

Finite

Australia

1.33/5  rDev -40.9%
look: 1.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 1 | feel: 2 | overall: 1

A - Not Blonde, Golden in colour with moderate carbonation. Very little head which disipates oh so fast and leaves no lacing to speak of.

S - This is the best part of the beer which is still bad. A little hop aroma and thats about it.

T - Any hope of some hops is gone when you taste it, maybe a tiny bit but im scraping the bottom of the barrel. Beer is very sweet and there is no bitterness in the aftertaste. Leaving a sweet cany-like and very smooth feeling in your mouth. Very light flavours.

M - Very little bite. Highly bland and watery, very smooth and easy to drink.

Drinkability - Couldnt even finish one. I see University students drinking this crap all the time and I shudder. Its not to expensive and it shows. one of CUB's very worst.

Serving type: bottle

11-29-2006 08:17:17 | More by Finite

benst

Australia

1.75/5  rDev -22.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

I guess if you're out for a big night it's not going to make a huge difference in the KJ intake if you have a low-carb beer or not. The first thing I checked on the Blonde was how much lower it claimed to be; a meagre 20% or so as it happened. So my starting point for taste, texture, smell etc. was no more than a 20% decrease in quality (an arbitrary measure perhaps but in my thinking you're not getting such a boost from the decrease carb intake to completely write-off aesthetic attributes).
Regrettably, there is not much to recommend the Blonde on any measure. The taste is inconsequential, a mere few seconds after a mouthful has been taken there is nothing remaining on the pallete. Maybe an initial light floral taste. There was not much nose/smell of which to speak. And as the pub in which we drank was dingy I couldn't speak of the colouring, but to be honest that is going to be the least of its worries anyway.
I am quite disappointed by the taste as the label claims it to be "double hopped" but you wouldn't know it. Maybe it tasted like Budweiser at best, which is little better than carbonated yellow water.
The only thing to recommend this beer is that it's 'full strength'. But I suppose you can get drunker quicker doing shots, and to boot have less carbs to worry about.
I consider drinking beer to be an aesthetically challenging experience and was sorely disappointed that Blonde did not afford me this opportunity.

Serving type: bottle

11-02-2006 11:14:48 | More by benst

jarmby1711

Australia

2.7/5  rDev +20%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Pouring mid gold crowned by a loose head that quickly dispersed
The smell from the stubby has a floral quality , which rather typically was not evident once poured into the glass
Initially the palate is grainy water but somewhat surpriingly there is a hint of floralness in the finish It reminds me a bit of Stella Artois in this respect , but the start and finish are so opposed it makes for a confusing drink.
If they could iron out the crappy initial taste they would have a drinkable beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2006 07:50:50 | More by jarmby1711