Augustijn Blond - Brouwerij Van Steenberge N.V.

tectactoe

Michigan

4/5  rDev +7.5%

08-15-2012 01:27:36 | More by tectactoe

archero

Texas

3.5/5  rDev -5.9%

05-25-2013 16:02:34 | More by archero

desint

Belgium

3.25/5  rDev -12.6%

05-24-2013 11:14:36 | More by desint

Stinkypuss

Pennsylvania

4.28/5  rDev +15.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

LOOK: Carefully poured with most sediment reserved, this looks mostly clear and blonde. White champagne like head pours out of the glass and is not going anywhere. Leaves behind a bubbly lace.

SMELL: Expressive Belgian yeast notes of green grape, sour apple and funk. Cakey malt aromas chime in too, as this is a big strong blonde.

TASTE: This blonde has vinioys qualities and big doughy malts. Funky yeast notes provide a dank tartness. Noble hops are identified by a stewed leafy flavor and pleasant bitterness. Finishes with a ciderish tang as well as a metallic flavor. Warming alcohol is felt more than tasted. Dry maltyness gives the body good depth. As this blonde approaches room temperature grainy flavors develop, along with the powdery yeast, estery fruit and sweet malts.

FEEL: Full bodied ale that has a champagne like carbonation. The carbonation dries the beer out certainly, and there is an aftertaste of fruity yeast. Very drinkable with enjoyable feel and flavor.

OVERALL: Quite a nice Belgian blonde ale here. Funky yeast, copious malt, good flavors and feel. The bottle now states this beer is 8% abv, and that's the reward for paying the price. A perfect beer on a sunny Sunday afternoon.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2013 18:07:29 | More by Stinkypuss

djcreepshow

Nova Scotia (Canada)

3/5  rDev -19.4%

05-17-2013 05:17:30 | More by djcreepshow

hotsudge

Ontario (Canada)

3.25/5  rDev -12.6%

05-15-2013 01:11:13 | More by hotsudge

Chrysostom

Ohio

4.41/5  rDev +18.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

As always, this beer is reviewed live, not from notes. As always, it is reviewed to style (ala BJCP), modified by personal taste (contra BJCP), unlike the "hedonic scale" of certain beer-review sites. If I reviewed solely to taste, certain beers, poor exemplars of my preferred styles, would receive consistently higher marks than excellent exemplars of styles which are not favoured by myself.

It's called "Augustijn", and I'm a Catholic seminarian-monk and huge fan of the great Saint and Doctor Augustine and his theology (it's basically the one thing that keeps me from having both feet in the Eastern Orthodox world - they don't like St Augustine or his doctrines of election or original sin), so it was irresistible.

From the brewers of Gulden Draak. Without further ado, a review:

Presentation: 750mL corked and caged bottle, $11.99, poured in to a Duvel tulip at around 40ºF and warming as I write the review. The cork popped off with extraordinary force.

A: Nearly clear golden straw/hay, golden-orange or red gold (red gold is gold alloyed with copper instead of the common silver, which produces white gold, nor a copper-silver mixture, which mimics the colour of real, pure gold, and is the standard common gold for sale in jewellery [as opposed to bullion]: not an actual "red", in other words) colour, like a darker Budweiser. Three or four or five fingers of fluffy bright-white head (as much or more head than beer) on even the GENTLEST POSSIBLE POUR! (Most beers I pour end up with a scum of head unless I up the vigour purposefully.) Whoa, carbonation! Ridiculous levels. If some Belgians are "lively", this is like Christ after he was resurrected. This makes fresh Duvel look flat and lifeless. Head recedes at a moderate rate, "poppling" a little bit along the way, to a half-finger thick cap on the top of the beer - leaving huge chunks of foamy sheet-lacing on its way - maintained by a veritable tornado of carbonation bubbling up from the bottom of the glass. This is a beautiful beer.

S: Whoa, Nelly! Some Major (with a capital "M") Belgian funk, big yellow fruits (bananas, apricots) and esters, huge sour tartness, fresh-baked sourdough bread, a little bit of horseradish-like spice and maybe a faint whiff of hops every once in a while. There are massive notes of Orval coming off of this beer, mixing with some notable Duvel-like characteristics, and blending in to something that is altogether reminiscent of a toned-down, less-sour gueuze lambic. This smell is more complex than the taste of some more pedestrian libations.

T: Belgian, Belgian, and more Belgian. Funky Belgian yeast, bready, tartness, hints of sweetness, spicy malts, and a bit of spicy hop kicking in on the finish. On the finish, the malt also shineth through with notes of toasty bread. The sour/tartness carries through from the front of the palate to the finish. If a man had never had a Belgian beer before, and tasted this, he'd exclaim something in a mix of German and French.

M: Light and airy, with bubbly, spritzy carbonation blowing all of the flavours together in the mouth and then separating them out again. Huge carbonation makes the beer much lighter than it is (or should be), with this kind of complexity.

D: Pretty high. Light and refreshing, although not as addictive as St Bernardus Abt 12, Chimay Blue, and some other Belgian Strong Darks/Quadrupels.

O: An excellent beer. Funky, fruity, dry and sweet (how's that for contradiction?), sour and tart, bready and Belgian. This was quite a treat. Yet again, Steenberge doesn't disappoint.

To style: 90/100
To taste: 90/100

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2013 01:14:03 | More by Chrysostom

jkball01

Kentucky

3.75/5  rDev +0.8%

05-13-2013 15:56:35 | More by jkball01

Stugotzo

Florida

4/5  rDev +7.5%

05-07-2013 21:41:40 | More by Stugotzo

zonker17

Illinois

4/5  rDev +7.5%

05-05-2013 00:39:48 | More by zonker17

quirk6

Connecticut

3.75/5  rDev +0.8%

05-03-2013 01:42:59 | More by quirk6

mwilbur

Minnesota

3.81/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Poured from 33 cL bottle into snifter.
A: Pours a clear golden yellow with high carbonation producing a 3 inch bubbly white head. Excellent retention produced by the carbonation jets continuously refueling the head.
S: Toasted malt, clove, spice and black pepper, and a hint of soft citrus.
T: Toasted malt, citrus, clove, and bready belgian yeast.
M: Light body. Sweet and slightly oily feel. Moderate prickly effervescence from the carbonation.
D: A decent beer...especially for style. A solid table brew...best served with a meal.

Serving type: bottle

05-02-2013 03:08:28 | More by mwilbur

JJStorm

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -5.9%

05-02-2013 01:07:44 | More by JJStorm

schopenhauerale

British Columbia (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev -5.9%

05-01-2013 00:01:42 | More by schopenhauerale

RonaldTheriot

Louisiana

4.06/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Augustijn Blond has a pretty thick, off-white head and a somewhat hazy, bubbly, golden appearance, with a large amount of thick lacing left behind on the glass. As a side note- the contents exploded out of the bottle when I popped the cap. The aroma is of overly-sweet, strong malt and grain husks. Flavor is the same, with some fruitiness and even caramel, if one can believe it. The alcohol is masked, to an extent. Mouthfeel is medium and a bit slick, and Augustin Blond finishes semi-dry, sweet, and fairly drinkable. Overall, this is not for the weak-at-heart, but it is still a bold, wonderful beer. It’s worth the price!

RJT

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2013 16:23:21 | More by RonaldTheriot

browniewithnuts

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +7.5%

04-18-2013 20:06:59 | More by browniewithnuts

jduprey007

Michigan

3.75/5  rDev +0.8%

04-13-2013 10:49:32 | More by jduprey007

Janeinma

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +7.5%

04-13-2013 01:01:19 | More by Janeinma

brin611

Texas

4.5/5  rDev +21%

03-28-2013 00:10:58 | More by brin611

shick1

Ohio

4.75/5  rDev +27.7%

03-11-2013 16:00:13 | More by shick1

BoringBunny

Russian Federation

4.5/5  rDev +21%

03-10-2013 19:01:37 | More by BoringBunny

chinchill

South Carolina

3.74/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.75

11.2 oz bottle poured into a snifter.
Appearance: Pours a golden-copper color with a modest white head. Plenty of visible carbonation bubbling up. A thin partial coat and ring last throughout the entire drink, and bubbly lacing is left behind with each sip.

Smell: Belgian style spiciness dominates, with hints of clove and cardamom, but there’s also more than a hint of fruitiness, a biscuity malt base, and a light touch of floral hops.

Taste: Largely conforms to the nose and is mainly the flavor of spiced malts. Sweet, especially up front, but with a mild hop bitterness kicking in from the finish onwards.

Mouthfeel: Medium body; Medium-strong carbonation is lightly prickly.

Overall: A solid and spicy blonde with well-hidden ABV that lacks the complexity and refinement of the best Belgian alternatives.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2013 00:21:26 | More by chinchill

Chepe

Chile

3.5/5  rDev -5.9%

02-15-2013 00:05:00 | More by Chepe

VALIS666

New Hampshire

4/5  rDev +7.5%

02-12-2013 23:23:04 | More by VALIS666

Antnyd82

Illinois

3/5  rDev -19.4%

02-11-2013 23:00:05 | More by Antnyd82