Drake's Blonde Ale - Drake's Brewing Co.

cpetrone84

Pennsylvania

3.65/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Big thanks to Kevin for sharing this one!

A-pours a clear golden color with a thin bubbly white head.

S-the nose is rather grainy, hints of slight toasted bread, plenty of lemon, lots of white peppery spice, slightly herbal hop presence.

T-the flavor is similar, hints of toasted bread and a fair bit of grain, sweet lemon but slightly tart, lots of peppery spice in the back to balance.

M-medium body and very creamy and slightly syrupy. low carbonation lacking the crisp finish i wanted to see. still a soft feel and rather thick.

D-this is an easy drink and well balanced with sweetness and peppery spice. the flavors are very blonde ale style. the feel is off for the style with low carbonation and thick creamy texture.

Serving type: bottle

09-26-2010 00:56:20 | More by cpetrone84

illidurit

California

3.58/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

On tap at the Parish Publick House in Santa Cruz. Poured into a pint glass. Shimmering gold color with a thin wispy white head. Aroma is noble hops and pilsener maltiness. Flavor is grainy pale and pilsener malts with a lemony and grassy noble hop tinge. Mildly sweet and earthy. Body isn't thick by any means but it's a touch too full for the style. Nonetheless this beer is pretty refreshing without tasting like water.

Serving type: on-tap

04-02-2009 07:53:24 | More by illidurit

FtownThrowDown

Ohio

3.35/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a light gold in color with a nice rocky head that quickly disappears. Wish the head would of stuck around a bit longer, it looked really nice. Smell is the said noble hops and some spice. Taste is crisp and spicy. Wish there was a bit more going on in the flavor, but that's the niceness of this beer, it's simplicity. Very nice. Clean, crisp and refreshing.

Serving type: bottle

02-28-2009 19:01:27 | More by FtownThrowDown

barleywinefiend

Washington

3.03/5  rDev -13.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured a pale golden color with a small white head. Nose is light with a dash of hops and a little citrusy. Taste is thin, crisp, citrusy and some straw, grain and honey maybe. Mouthfeel is ok, lightness leaves drinkability good but not the best of this brew type. Worth a try

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2009 03:22:27 | More by barleywinefiend

hopdog

Pennsylvania

3.43/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Bottle acquired in trade with DarkElf (thanks!).

Poured a lighter and slightly hazy, golden color with a smaller sized white head. Sweet and fruity aromas and tastes with some citrus. Starts of sweet and ends in a spicy and somewhat bitter finish.

Notes from 6/2/05

Serving type: bottle

11-12-2008 14:12:19 | More by hopdog

DoubleJ

California

3.68/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Part of a mix-pack from Cost Plus Market, on to the beer:

Poured into a pint glass, this beer is chill-hazed peach color. The head retnetion is good.The aroma is mildly phenolic (plastic)with some peach and apricot crawling up. The taste is light on the palate with a high carbonation, but not over the top. Soft flavors of apricot and touch-ups of by-products off what one could find in a Belgian pale ale, the letter which I found to be very interesting. An easy drinker with a light bitterness in the aftertaste, this beer was enjoyed with a grilled chicken dinner.

Serving type: bottle

06-19-2008 02:12:11 | More by DoubleJ

Stoneman78

California

3.75/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

A- Clear golden straw hue, head is three fingers of soapy white foam, minimal lacing
S- Mostly light and crisp grain malts, subtle hops
T- Taste is dominated by refreshing pilsner-esque grain malts with a nice accompanying lemon citrus hops, finishes dry
M- Light-bodied, watery texture, high carbonation
D- Pleasantly surprised by this Kolsch style beer, very easy to drink and in the session range, feels like a more balanced and hoppy Heineken, not bad at all

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2008 05:23:19 | More by Stoneman78

pjwilson

California

3.73/5  rDev +6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: pours a bright clear yellow color. strong carbination and decent head. looks pretty inviting on this summer's day.

smell: that soft grainy flavor you get from light beers like this. some very nice fruity hops are in here as well. subtle yes, but on par for an americanized kolsch. (thinking this should be under american blonde). some sweet grain here as well. nice

taste: very pilsner like crispness, sharp hops and bitterness up front, burying most of the grain. very clean taste, without too much going on. that's good for a beer like this, i like it, my problem is with mouthfeel....

mouthfeel: a pilsner stuck in an ale's body. you kinda wish the body were more on par with the light, crispiness of a lager, rather than the more full ale body this has. really quite a full bodied beer, which seems out of place with the taste.

drinkablity: the fullness certainly slows you down more than it should. i'm thinking this would hit the spot much better on a cool fall evening, rather than the heat summer. but, a nice beer that I would get again.

Serving type: bottle

07-25-2006 01:01:58 | More by pjwilson

Furball

California

2.58/5  rDev -26.7%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Drinking this out of our keg right now... I'm just really not impressed with this beer.
It pours a pale golden color. Nothing outstanding. A little too much head for my liking, even after playing with the pressure.
The smell is slightly yeasty and sour. The taste just about the same as well. To be honest, reminds me of somthing you would drink at a high school kegger just to get drunk. I'm trying to see what the hubby see's in this beer, but i'm really not. I guess I'll be making Snakebites out of this keg.

Serving type: on-tap

03-29-2006 00:50:10 | More by Furball

TheLongBeachBum

California

4.03/5  rDev +14.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Presentation: 12 ounce bottle sealed with a very colorful and nicely decorated crown cap. Simple brown glass bottle is covered in one of those plastic shields where the see through parts lend the impression that the bottle has separate front, back and neck labels, when in fact it does not. Standard “Drake’s” 12oz design is differentiated only with the words “Blonde Ale” against a brown background. Described as a Kölsch style ale and listed at 4.8% Alc/Vol.

Appearance: Light but shining Golden body, clean presentation with a fascinating almost glowing body. Massive white head on the pour forms a gargantuan cap, rugged and irregular with an appealing Teutonic aspect. Super fine cascading conditioning milks the body on the pour, but soon rises to quickly support the thick cap. Lovely smattered lacing once the deep head collapses, head retention is excellent and the looks are impressive.

Nose: Soft and gentle with a Pilsner like quality to it. Delicate hopping is crisp and refreshing. Light in strength but very nice nonetheless.

Taste: Effervescent start, the conditioning lightens the entrance. Malts start with a gentle lemon hop tickle in the center. Straw-like feel with fresh herb and spices supporting the hop character. Finish is clean and unfettered.

Mouthfeel: The body is light in nature but the depth of flavors and the gorgeously smooth conditioning make for a brew that feels much bigger than its initial impression suggests.

Drinkability: I snaffled a Six-Pack of the Blonde Ale during a recent trip to BevMo and I’m finding that I am pouring top-ups from the next bottle in my fridge rather than the one I started with, I’m well into the second bottle and a third will follow soon no doubt.

Overall: I’ve had some good brews from Drake’s recently, and this one is no exception either. Funny how I did not have much expectation from this, yet as it turned out it was a very nice surprise. Don’t let the “Blonde” moniker put you off, this is far from dumb. Subtle, but definitely not boring.

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2006 04:44:20 | More by TheLongBeachBum

aracauna

Georgia

4.03/5  rDev +14.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

This is surprisingly good, actually. Pours a full, but pale gold that catches the light and seems to glow on its own almost. The head is bright white and lingers. The aroma is light, mostly light noble hops. The flavor is bright and crisp, citrusy and straw malt flavors. The hops are very reminiscent of pilsner hops, as is the malt profile. This is light and chuggable but avoids being bland. The quintessential summer beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-14-2004 06:27:00 | More by aracauna

BeerManDan

California

4/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

It poured a light pale golden color. This is a Kolsch style ale and is light and crisp. The smell is of hops, with an herbal and spicy aroma. The taste is pleasant and not overpowering. The taste is mostly a herbal and spicy in the mouth and has no bitterness on the after taste. This beer is different, but pleasant. The print on the bottle says, "A Pint A Day Keeps Scurvy Away".

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2003 14:17:40 | More by BeerManDan