Leffe Blonde - Abbaye de Leffe S.A.

His_Royal_Hoppiness

United Kingdom (England)

4/5  rDev +12.7%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

A: Copper colour, small white head - huge concentration of bubbles. Unlike most belgian pale ales I've had in the past, this is very clear, with no visible floaters.

S: Banana and clove, slight fruity sweetness.

T: Peppery clove taste, with a longlasting malt aftertaste - very well balanced.

M: Lots of carbonation - very refreshing, though perhaps a little watery.

I'm growing to love this beer - it may not be as complex as many other examples of the style, but at £4.50 for a 4-pack it's definitely one of the best-priced beers available in UK supermarkets, and in my view the most enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2013 20:32:53 | More by His_Royal_Hoppiness

Mojo

Alabama

3.19/5  rDev -10.1%
look: 4.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

12 ounce bottle -> World Market Tulip glass

This beer pours up a medium gold with a wonderful foamy, fluffy head, legendary retention, and lacing the likes of which is not often seen. The smell is kind of yeasty and maybe a little putrid. Taste is very yeasty and dry with apple notes being the predominant flavor. Mouthfeel is simple and inoffensive. Nothing awesome here, but hardly the worst beer ever brewed.

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2013 04:08:44 | More by Mojo

FosterJM

California

3.4/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

1703rd Review on BA
Bottle to Leffe Glass
12oz

App- A solid mix of oranges and yellows in the glass. A solid 2 finger white head with a good amount of cling. A good amount of density in the center. A fair amount of cling.

Smell- A solid bit of malts mixed with yeasty green apples and a bit of prickly booze.

Taste- For a pale ale it was tasty. Yeasty, apples and a bit of hoppy balance.

Mouth- A bit of a light body with a medium yeasty carbonation.

Drink- Nice, balanced and prickly. For a intro Belgian this is easy to drink and drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2013 23:38:52 | More by FosterJM

babayaga

3.16/5  rDev -11%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25

Poured from a 33cl bottle into a tulip.

Appearance- Big white 3-finger head, mixture of bubble sizes. Body is crystal clear yellow. Head is very lasting.

Aroma- Clove and banana, can smell the yeast, not much else.

Flavor- Decent Belgian yeast flavors come through, more clove, sweet light malt, very mild bitterness. I am having trouble smelling/tasting the hops in this.

Mouthfeel- Light with lively carbonation.

A pleasant but uninteresting ale. Reminds me of a clear, sweet hefe.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2013 20:42:19 | More by babayaga

bskrtz

Illinois

3.24/5  rDev -8.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

11.2 ounce bottle served cold in glass beer challis.

A) Bright polished brass, clear. Small white head disappears in moments

S) Citrus Fruit and spice. Mild alcohol esthers.

T) Sweet caramel with mild but bitter hopps finish. Browned malt.

M) Ample carbonation; a bit thin. Crisp.

O) I like this beer though I believe it diverts from its Belgian Ale roots. Sort of the Kolsch of Belgians

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2013 01:05:08 | More by bskrtz

Mxslms

3.58/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I drank this straight from the bottle. The smell is light and fruity, appealing. It has a light feel to it with a strong taste on the way down. Definitely strong fruit taste. It is well carbonated and was a quick, refreshing drink. This is above average but not something I would drink regularly.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2012 21:34:18 | More by Mxslms

pkalix

California

4.25/5  rDev +19.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

pours a golden blond with a nice head which dimishes quickly (or as quick as it needed for me to drain the old gizzard...)
smells fruity, weak kind of fruity for a belgian...
tastes like a belgian. kind of fruity. surprised at THE BROS' score. i dont feel it's a 66.
although it's not one of my favorite belgians it does have some refreshing qualities to it. i didnt know it was an anhauser busch product until i read it by a previous reviewer, but i agree with his take- rate the taste, not the company. but dang, i need to start reading these labels better. sucks when ya turn 40- cant read anything anymore with out a magnifying glass.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2012 22:57:39 | More by pkalix

tastybeerinmybelly

Virginia

3.9/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Very crisp, clean, and refreshing beer. I usually like some darker Belgians, but this is a nice change of pace. It has the standard fruity Belgian taste with a decent amount of carbonation that leaves a somewhat spicy aftertaste. There are better Belgians out there, but this one is not bad at all. One of "The Brothers" has this beer rated at a 2.2. That is worse than Budweiser. I find that ludicrous.

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2012 04:06:37 | More by tastybeerinmybelly

Ethanol4one

New York

3.95/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Presents wonderfully clear and clean in the class, both color and massive froth, with a light banana, clove aroma, followed by a light clove malted tast, balanced against very little to bitter the flavor.

Made a nice starter beer, when followed by a few strong, hopped up American IPAs (Sam Adams' Latitude 48) at the tree trimming party where no trimming took place.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2012 03:40:58 | More by Ethanol4one

Labeorphile

Texas

3.25/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Poured from a bottle into a tulip glass. Instantly apparent that the beer is too clear and looks very filtered for a Belgian. A little bit of head that hangs out for a while, but no lacing.

Fruity smell, lots of pear and some Belgian yeast, but the fruitiness dominates. Taste is a little to clean and almost tastes like sparkling pear juice or cider more than beer. Mouth feel is very lively, which again makes it taste more like a sparkling juice than a beer.

Overall enjoyable, but doesn't seem to fit the style well.

Serving type: bottle

12-22-2012 04:00:43 | More by Labeorphile

BeerDocT

Georgia

4.15/5  rDev +16.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

One of brewing monstrosity Anheuser–Busch InBev's European brands. Some would like to give it harsh reviews on that fact alone. I am only concerned with how it tastes.

Appearance 3.5: Poured out a deep golden color. Lots of CO2 carbo bubbles everywhere. Nice 1/2" head faded into an acceptable 1/8" head that stayed around for the entire session.

-Smell 4.0: Very nice bouquet. Hints of wild yeast, honey, grains and deep malt. Not very nuanced, but still very appetizing.

-Taste 4.5: Slightly sweet up front with a small amount of sour. Middle is where the flavors hit and you get that wonderful spiciness from the Belgian yeast, the smooth malt and a very pleasing deep sweetness. Finish is sharp and dry, but the pleasant flavors from the middle are still present. Aftertaste is of medium length and is somewhat dry, but very enjoyable.

-Mouthfeel 3.5: Managed to ape bottle conditioning with their CO2 carbonation, which is remarkable.

-Overall 4.0: A very good golden ale that is readily available and relatively cheap (I paid $7.99 for a six pack at Publix in Atlanta). The flavor profile is comparable to Belgian ales that are only available at specialty beer providers and are much more expensive. This is a wonderful find for fans of Belgian beers who are not willing (or able) to invest in an expensive bottle of Belgian master-brewing, but want that delicious Belgian taste.

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2012 23:06:44 | More by BeerDocT

NilocRellim

Minnesota

3.55/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from the tap in Bruges, Belgium.

This beer is a light amber/gold colour with a frothy, white head. The taste is sweet and and malty with a hint of banana. The beer is quite carbonated, more-so than more beers, but just right for a Belgian blonde. Very nice drink-ability.

Would I buy it again? Yes.

Serving type: on-tap

12-19-2012 04:14:23 | More by NilocRellim

MikeDippel

3.15/5  rDev -11.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured from a bottle to glass. Light golden clean, clear, and bubbles.

I enjoyed the fruity yeast smell.

Standard Belgian taste that goes down nicely.

High amount of carbonation, which was nice in a Belgian blonde.

I would recommend this Belgian blonde as a solid staple blonde. It completes the basics of what a blonde should be.

Serving type: bottle

12-19-2012 03:06:15 | More by MikeDippel

Maakun

Afghanistan

3.08/5  rDev -13.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Clour is golden, small white head that doesn't last too long. Leaves a thin layer.

Smell is cloves, malt. It's quite light, there's a hint of fruit and some other spices, but it's a bit flat.

Taste starts sweet and spicy. Cloves, yeast, banana. Then some malts and more fruit, like plums. After it's warmed up a bit there's more cloves and sweetness, some korainder and other spices coming in. The sweet cloves gets a bit overpowering for my taste. There's hardly any hops to balance it out. Aftertase is more cloves, and only now a slight bitterness.

Mouth is medium with nice carbonation, but the spicyness doesn't really fit well with it.

It's not bad, but I don't care much for the heavy cloves and sweetness. It's a commercial beer ofcourse, but would be much better with more balance.

Serving type: bottle

12-18-2012 19:38:33 | More by Maakun

gcamparone

Rhode Island

3.88/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a pint glass. Purchased in Wakefield, Rhode Island

A- Pours a golden clear body resembling an adjunct. The head is nice though, rises a good 3 inches before reduceing to a round chunk of foam in the center of the glass. Leaves some uniform lacing.

S- Unripe bananas, cloves, belgian spices, crackers, some slight skunk.

T- Wheaty, malty, nice banana notes mixed in with a spicy clove taste.

M- Medium carbonation, medium body. Pretty drinkable.

Overall I was pleasantly suprised with this beer. It definitely hits all the good points of a traditional belgian while still being affordable.

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2012 03:15:20 | More by gcamparone

godlessape

Georgia

4/5  rDev +12.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured this into my Palm snifter glass, and watched the gorgeous two finger head sink gracefully down to a respectable cover into the honey colored body.

I'm smelling a very subtle clove aroma mixed with caramel, banana bread, white sugar and wheat. I'm liking this a lot.

What I taste is surgery sweet and fruity with just a kiss of peppery hop bitterness which balances things out just right.

The mouthfeel seems medium to heavy.

Overall I could, with out a doubt, recommend this one. I'm glad I tried this beer (the price was way right) and I look forward to more Belgian brews.

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2012 04:10:25 | More by godlessape

Nocturnographer

3.58/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle into a goblet.

A: Yellowish-gold, lots of head (2 fingers or so), with serious lacing.

S: Wheat, and very little else. Not too strong or bold, but nice overall.

T: Primarily wheat and malt, little bit of hops, some very mild bananas. Refreshing, but full-flavored. Virtually no bitterness, and a nice malt/wheat aftertaste.

M: Nice amount of carbonation. A little thick for my taste (and, perhaps, the style).

O: A nice beer with a good amount of maltiness and a distinctively wheaty taste. Overall, enjoyable and solid, if not mind-blowing.

Serving type: bottle

11-29-2012 01:07:37 | More by Nocturnographer

M_C_Hampton

Georgia

3.2/5  rDev -9.9%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A: poured from 330 mL bottle into a clear plastic cup, golden colored with an excessive thick head on a gentle pour, intense carbonation, clear
S: standard wheat smells of yeast, banana, and clove
T: bread, clove bitterness, odd vegetable taste
M: thin with a ton of carbonation
O: this is an average Belgian blond

Serving type: bottle

11-23-2012 02:25:18 | More by M_C_Hampton

Twincrasher

3.5/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A: Really nice deep golden color. Nice head.

S: Fruity smell but less complex than I would expect from a blonde.

T: Sweetness too high and astringency too low. Not balanced enough for my taste.

M: Syrup.

O: Good but for price, not worth it. Others out there in this style that blow this away. Tastes industrial - lowest common denominator.

Serving type: bottle

11-14-2012 14:20:30 | More by Twincrasher

Phelps

Arizona

4.03/5  rDev +13.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Enjoyed at Handlebar in a tulip.

A gorgeous beer. Perfect clarity, honey-hued, two inches of sticky white froth.

Light, sweet pear in the very spicy nose. Lots of clove, white pepper, white bread and a hint of banana.

Less flavor. A tiny bit of earthy hops, dry pears, candy sugar. Smooth and lightly sweet, with the perfect touch of bitterness.

Medium body, moderate pinching carbonation. Crisp finish.

Smooth, light, crisp. I could drink this for days.

Serving type: on-tap

11-08-2012 05:18:39 | More by Phelps

tvv375ia

Iowa

2.78/5  rDev -21.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

poured from 11.2oz bottle into pint glass

A-amber colored with a 2 finger head that stays around a while and fades to a nice cap with lots of lacing

S-some spiciness maybe cloves

T-sort of a citrus/lemon at first and the cloves on the finish I don't really care for that combination

M-good carbonation but that clove finish is not great

O-not something that I particularly care for

Serving type: bottle

10-26-2012 09:27:20 | More by tvv375ia

gpogo

California

3.68/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A- Clear golden body with a white head that leaves an interesting lacing behind. Lots of carbonation.

A- Sweet malt with a spiciness to it. Slightly tart with a definite clove aroma.

T- This is not a belgian pale ale. Smooth sweet wheaty flavor, some spice and clove flavors into the aftertaste and that "dirty-dishwater" wheat flavor. Mixed with some hot salsa I got a taste of cream soda.

M- Incredibly smooth medium body with high carbonation.

D- Honestly it isn't my favorite, I'm typically into lighter Belgians. Quite drinkable though.

Serving type: bottle

10-21-2012 21:52:21 | More by gpogo

RossCain

Florida

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

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a pint glass:

A: Pours with an aggressive white head which tops a clear, golden-blonde body. Leaves good rings of the remnant head around the edges of the emptying glass

S: Bananas, phenolic notes, a touch spicy with a bit of black pepper. Pretty standard belgian ale fare.

T: Assertively clean with a spicy sweetness touched by notes of lemon and sweet malts. Bananas, clove, what you would expect from a blonde ale. There is a rather peppery finish. Overall balanced but leaves a bit to be desired.

M: Clean and smooth in the body with tickling amounts of carbonation. Finishes slightly dry.

O: I rather enjoyed this beer as an easy-drinking belgian blonde. The spicy/phenolic character of similar beers of the style is present but not overpowering. The beer lets loose a bit more flavor as it warms to near room-temp.

Serving type: bottle

10-13-2012 01:04:36 | More by RossCain

PancakesbyMail

2.68/5  rDev -24.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Bottle, poured into glass. Bought at Henrietta Wegman's.

A: Very light golden in color, translucent. Pours with a very large bubbly head that slowly dissipates and laces the sides.

S: Sugary, with notes of yeast and citrus. Faint, nothing special or memorable.

T: Sweet to a fault, absolutely no trace of alcohol. A little lemon taste, as well as banana, with noticeable yeast flavor. Malt flavor is essentially absent from my tasting.

M: A little too much carbonation, and not exactly crisp - just a little bit syrupy. Aftertaste is mild and not unpleasant.

O: Too sweet for me, but this is the first Belgian Abbey style I've tried and it definitely got me interested. I don't particularly care for this beer and wouldn't buy it again but it's something I'll be exploring in the future..

Serving type: bottle

10-06-2012 23:50:42 | More by PancakesbyMail

SometimesIfart

Michigan

3.08/5  rDev -13.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A - Can't really judge as I drank it straight from the bottle.

S - Citrus, slight wet hops, very faint malt, and even fainter adjunct

T - Tastes of citrus, slight lemon, slight malt, and very slight hops.

M - Medium bodied with a medium amount of carbonation

O - Overall, it reminded me of a Hoegaarden. Not bad, but not really my cup of tea.

Serving type: bottle

10-05-2012 22:53:54 | More by SometimesIfart