Leffe Blonde - Abbaye de Leffe S.A.

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

LXIXME

New Mexico

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

Medium sized off white head just pretty much sits there above a clear rich sharp golden colored beer.

Spiced aroma of nutmeg, cloves, banana, and maybe a light sour grain in the background, I really don't know but something else seemed to be trying to come through.

Cloves, nutmeg, and other spices along with a light banana tasting drink.

A light dryish aftertaste that pretty much loses all of the spices on this light to medium bodied blonde.

When I pulled this from the fridge I was thinking "another blonde beer without anything to look forward to", I was pretty much wrong. This beer for being a blonde had a lot of spices and other light tastes enticing me again and again, I wish more American 'Blondes' had similar things happening.

Serving type: bottle

10-02-2012 21:45:34 | More by LXIXME

Theheroguy

Maryland

3.53/5  rDev -0.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

This is a Belgian Pale Ale , a collaboration between Inbev and the Abbey De Notre Dame de Leffe. If it matters to you whenever you purchase this ale (as with all abbey ales) some of the money goes to the monks who brew it. This isn't my favorite BPA it lacks that Belgian yeast/funk flavor and its slightly too sweet for my taste. This could be due possibly to the fact that it's brewed with corn. The flavor is a lot less complex that one would expect for a Belgian. Its a great drink none the less (especially for its price a bomber was $5). I recommend it, above average but not great.

Serving type: bottle

09-20-2012 20:28:01 | More by Theheroguy

Bayern1971

Illinois

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

Leffe Blonde, my gateway into the wonderful world of golden Belgian ale. I have no idea why this is classified as a "Pale Ale" as there's nothing pale about this full-bodied beauty. Pours a nice golden hue into a Duvel tulip-glass. A bit heady which dies down much too quickly with light lacing. Smell is tart, bright and slightly clovey like a German Weizenbock. Mouthfeel is mellow carbonation and no trace of alcohol even though it's 6.6% alcohol. Tastes slightly sweet with a nice interplay of sweet yeasts against tart hops, leaning more sweet at first sip, almost like it's a Weissbeer with identify problems. Finish is smooth and you can't wait to take another sip. Now that Leffe is distributed everywhere these days (even my local WalMart has it), it's a great value for those seeking a nice, slightly-complex golden Belgian on the cheap.

Serving type: bottle

09-19-2012 00:44:00 | More by Bayern1971

rlee1390

Indiana

3.6/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A-Clear yellow, high to extreme carbonation, three finger head with some lacing.

S-Wheat, clove banana, spice and lemon.

T-Very similar to the nose, mainly clove and banana but neither brings a lot of flavor. The mesh well together though.

M-Light in body, high in carbonation again, easy drinking.

O-A run of the mill BPA, nothing offensive, a decent beer to give to someone who doesn't care for beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-15-2012 02:58:41 | More by rlee1390

Cavanaghty

Maine

3.03/5  rDev -14.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured from bottle into a pint glass.

Appearance: Amber copper in color with a thin white head and a lot of carbonation.

Smell: Smell of wheat and cloves.

Mouthfeel/Taste: Smooth and light bodied. Well balanced. Mostly cloves and banana flavors up front with a hint of grass.

Overall: Not my first choice at all, but credit were due. I personally don't care for the overwhelming clove flavor.

Serving type: bottle

09-10-2012 15:06:13 | More by Cavanaghty

pschul4

Illinois

3.9/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

This beer was "highly recommended" by one of my friends. I hope she doesn't let me down

A- I don't know if I'd call it an explosion of head but I didnt get the whole bottle into my pint glass. Golden color as expected with 3 inches of white head that didnt fall back too quickly

S- Belgian yeast BIG TIME nothing else stuck out of the nose for me.

T- Some candied fruit flavors come through but the belgian yeast just dominates everything

M- A little less carbonation could go a long way

O- Keeping in mind this is a BPA it's quite good. I however am not a fan of the style and likely won't put any more of my money towards this one

Serving type: bottle

09-04-2012 04:27:25 | More by pschul4

StoutHunter

Michigan

3.75/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I picked up a six pack of Abbaye de Leffe's Leffe Blonde today for $8.89 at Liquor King. I was surprised to find this beer at a place that doesn't have a great beer selection, in a sea of crappy beer this Belgian Blonde caught my eye, so lets see how it goes. No visible bottling date. Poured from a brown 11.2oz bottle into a Tulip.

A- The label is pretty simple but it has a nice clean look to it, it poured a pretty clear golden yellow color that took on more of a darker golden color when held to the light with four fingers worth of fluffy white head that died down to a thick rocky layer that stayed till the end and left lot's of nice lacing. This was really good looking beer that had lots of nice head.

S- The aroma starts off with light biscuit and bread like aromas along with some sweet grains, those aromas quickly give way to a large amount of Belgian yeast that imparts a very dominating banana aroma followed by all those typical spices that come with the Belgian yeast with the clove and a little bit of nutmeg sticking out the most. The aroma is nice and full of bananas and spices, I like it.

T- The taste seems to be very similar to the aroma, it starts of with some sweet, bready, and biscuity malts that have a higher amount of sweetness. After that comes a pretty big banana flavor that is followed by all those Belgian yeast spices that I picked up in the aroma. Towards the end there's some more sweetness with hardly any bitterness and a sweet banana and slightly spicy aftertaste. The flavors are good but it was a little too sweet for my taste.

M- Fairly smooth, a little chewy, a little sticky, slightly creamy, on the light side of being medium bodied, with a nice amount of medium carbonation. The mouthfeel was ok, but it got to be a little too sticky.

Overall I thought this was a goof beer and an above average example of the style, it was full of flavor with the Belgian yeast really dominating all aspects of this brew. This beer had ok drinkability, it went down fairly smooth, but the higher amount of sweetness and stickyness would prevent me from having a bunch, three in a sitting is enough for me. What I liked most about this beer was it's appearance and aroma, they were both pretty good with lots of nice head and a pretty bold aroma. What I liked least about this beer was the higher amount of sweetness and the slightly sticky mouthfeel, if the sweetness was a toned down a little it would for sure improve this beer. I would buy this beer again when looking for something cheap and flavorful but I don't think I will be keeping it in the fridge that often, I recommend giving it a try, it may make for a good gateway into the style. All in all I thought this was a good beer for what it was and it was a much better choice then all the other beer available at that store, this is one solid Belgian Blonde.

Serving type: bottle

08-27-2012 03:35:23 | More by StoutHunter

RuckusDu

Colorado

3.83/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - huge amount of head on this thing, like other Belgian beers. White with only a slight orange hint. Body is clear as day and a yellow wheat color. Very strong, beautiful lacing.

S - Belgian yeast, banana, and clove. Pretty average and the low point of this beer.

T - Nice sweet...I don't know...Belgiumness? Cloves, banana bread, and malts.

M - Great carbonation and solid body. Nice all around. A little buttery on the finish.

O - A great Belgian beer. Sweet and just what you look for to compliment that yeast. One of my go-to's.

Serving type: bottle

08-27-2012 00:48:31 | More by RuckusDu

TheRealBigC

Nevada

2.88/5  rDev -18.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Booooring. This is like a macro Belgian that has mass appeal by being very basic and inoffensive. It's yeasty and crisp. Mild fruity notes, etc. I see this beer featured in Belgian Beer classes at the Total Wine over here and I guess it should be there because it is famous and a decent introductory Belgian, but for me, if I'm looking for a Belgian, I'm looking for a bigger one. If I'm looking for something lighter, I'm going with a lager or something I can session. As such, Leffe doesn't work for me.

Serving type: bottle

08-21-2012 00:08:40 | More by TheRealBigC