Leffe Blonde - Abbaye de Leffe S.A.

DeanMoriarty

California

3.33/5  rDev -6.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Picked up a 750ml bottle from Newport Farms Liquor in Ocean Beach for $4.59 and poured it into a Tripel Karmeliet tulip glass. They were running a special on the 750's so I couldn't pass it up.

A: Pours a super clean straw-like hue with a one inch fluffy white head and decent lacing.

S: Bubblegum, cloves and wild honey, crackery malt, traditional Belgian yeast with the faintest hint of earthy hop.

T: Flavors are light and subtle and similar to the nose - unfortunately the sweetness and spice is overwhelming though and washes out the other flavors suggested in the smell.

M: On the bigger side of medium bodied, sticky and lightly carbonated with a syrupy finish that coats the mouth.

Had tons of these on tap in Brugge, as it's served there like Budweiser is here in the States and I really enjoyed the hell out of it - drinking glass after glass throughout the afternoons moving on to bigger beers in the evening, but man this stuff does not translate the same in the bottle. Too sweet and spice ridden and it only seemed to get worse as it warmed up. I think i'll wait till the next time im in Belgium to revisit this one.

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2012 07:21:41 | More by DeanMoriarty

kvnstfrd

Missouri

1.25/5  rDev -64.8%

05-23-2013 04:47:55 | More by kvnstfrd

InspectorBob

New Jersey

3.5/5  rDev -1.4%

05-22-2013 16:21:47 | More by InspectorBob

ChaseBacon

New York

4.25/5  rDev +19.7%

05-21-2013 02:00:55 | More by ChaseBacon

oso

Illinois

2.5/5  rDev -29.6%

05-20-2013 06:43:46 | More by oso

Tjvan2

Iowa

3.5/5  rDev -1.4%

05-20-2013 01:20:42 | More by Tjvan2

HollyHops

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +12.7%

05-17-2013 22:42:03 | More by HollyHops

bobbyr5

Michigan

4/5  rDev +12.7%

05-17-2013 21:57:10 | More by bobbyr5

Matak3

Serbia

4.25/5  rDev +19.7%

05-16-2013 23:46:49 | More by Matak3

ElizabethEleanor

Texas

5/5  rDev +40.8%

05-16-2013 20:41:00 | More by ElizabethEleanor

ajtorres311

Florida

3.5/5  rDev -1.4%

05-16-2013 17:27:08 | More by ajtorres311

MrParker

Ohio

4.25/5  rDev +19.7%

05-16-2013 04:24:39 | More by MrParker

NickThePyro

Washington

3.75/5  rDev +5.6%

05-16-2013 03:36:13 | More by NickThePyro

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -1.4%

05-15-2013 18:34:20 | More by Slatetank

buzzy

Pennsylvania

2.75/5  rDev -22.5%

05-15-2013 02:28:10 | More by buzzy

hotsudge

Ontario (Canada)

3/5  rDev -15.5%

05-15-2013 01:16:12 | More by hotsudge

apanloco

Sweden

4.5/5  rDev +26.8%

05-14-2013 13:39:14 | More by apanloco

Bikeboy1

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +19.7%

05-13-2013 04:40:25 | More by Bikeboy1

TANelson

Oklahoma

3.5/5  rDev -1.4%

05-10-2013 23:45:11 | More by TANelson

rph97

Texas

3.5/5  rDev -1.4%

05-10-2013 20:12:48 | More by rph97

pkenkman

Estonia

4/5  rDev +12.7%

05-10-2013 19:22:52 | More by pkenkman

twenty5

Pennsylvania

2/5  rDev -43.7%

05-10-2013 14:25:30 | More by twenty5

Xzfgiimtsath

Texas

3.75/5  rDev +5.6%

05-10-2013 00:26:27 | More by Xzfgiimtsath

MelissaMonosoff

Pennsylvania

2.5/5  rDev -29.6%

05-09-2013 03:39:54 | More by MelissaMonosoff

spoony

Colorado

3.5/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

From a 330 ml bottle (best by May 30, 2014) into a tulip.

A-This is a decent-looking beer with a nice, dense, shiny, three-finger-tall head of white foam. The head drops leisurely into a collar. The brew is clear, with very little active carbonation, and is a yellow-tinted golden color.

S-The smell is sweet, surprisingly boozy/hot for 6.6%, and fruity. I detect apple and pear fruit, as well as a touch of banana/clove-scented doughy yeast. No hops bitterness.

T-The taste is also quite sweet with a mild, medicinal kick from the alcohol. Still apple and pear fruit, but also some bubblegum, with only the faintest, herbal bitterness from the hops. Again, I'm surprised by how hot this beer is for 6.6%.

M-A slightly aggressive carbonation livens things up, but I can't agree with the label that the feel is "soft." On the contrary, feel is slightly firm and crisp.

O-I like sweet, fruity, Belgians as much as the next guy, but this brew lacks hop balance and the mouthfeel leaves a little something to be desired. What one gets is a slightly hot, fruity sweet jumble of flavors that don't seem to integrate with one another. Are the worse beers out there?Definitely, but with so many great Belgian pales/blonds, this is not one that I would seek out again.

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2013 02:45:31 | More by spoony