Augustijn Blond - Brouwerij Van Steenberge N.V.

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

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

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

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

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

ckollias

Maryland

4/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Enjoyed this 11.2oz bottle out of a Belgian tulip glass.

A: Pours a clear golden hue with a huge, frizzy, white that lasts forever leaving a nice trail down the side of the glass and ends in a solid, fizzy, persistent lace.

S: Sweet and tart fruity Belgian yeast aroma.

T: Slightly sweet and sour apple tart flavor with a Belgian yeast middle and finishes slightly dry.

M: Medium body and high carbonation.

O: Decent BPA – not my favorite but worthy of a try.

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2013 19:04:20 | More by ckollias

TheSixthRing

California

3.61/5  rDev -3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Appearance - Pours a fairly clear, golden yellow color with a white, frothy 3-finger head. Decent retention. Fair lacing, but little to no stick.

Smell - Aroma hits on grain, with a touch of sweetness and mellow sourness. Fruity esters. Hints of apple and banana.

Taste - Plentiful grain character upfront and throughout, while lesser notes of sour apple and a faint spice round out the profile. Finish is quick, with a lingering sourness.

Mouthfeel - Light to medium in body, with sharp, biting carbonation. Lively. Slick, almost buttery feel as it goes down. Very easy to drink.

Overall - While I enjoyed this beer, I found the flavor a bit boring. The mouthfeel definitely helped in delivering a better than average, good belgian brew. That said, I don't think this is a beer I'd look to buy again.

Serving type: bottle

02-08-2013 04:17:15 | More by TheSixthRing

Hunter

Arizona

4.4/5  rDev +18.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Appearance: Hazy yellow-gold color, minimal carbonation. Heavy head of dense white foam, thick tracing patterns.

Smell: Light notes of malt, citrus, hops.

Taste: Clean, light notes of hay, sugar, banana, alcohol heat.

Mouthfeel: Bracing, clean, scouring.

Overall: Balanced, refreshing.

Serving type: bottle

02-08-2013 01:18:21 | More by Hunter

Jetulio

Spain

3.86/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

330 ml bottle poured into a Big Tulip (gulden draak) glass
Appearance... hazy yellow beer with head colour white of 1 finger (not lasting head)
Aroma...grape and raisin, clear smell with a little touch of malty aroma
Taste... citrus and herbal, bitterness appears in a second wave,
Mouthfeel... medium body and medium/high carbonation, very fizzy appearance but not so in mouth
Overall... a very nice and balanced ale, bitterness is present in a malty environement (it is a Belgium), refreshing beer too.

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2013 20:57:48 | More by Jetulio

TempeBeerMan

Arizona

3.93/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Poured from a bottle into a tulip.

A - Golden yellow with a fluffy, four-finger, meringue-like head. Small amounts of lacing, as most of the bubbles seem to want to stick to the mass in the middle instead.

S - Belgian yeasts, clove, a hint of banana, mix of other phenols.

T - Big phenolic taste forward, with banana, bubblegum, and clove. Honey sweetness underneath. Some spicy hops kick in around the mid-palate and makes things a little more interesting. This brew has some things in common with a German Hefeweizen, but with a decidedly Belgian slant, as the yeast strains stand out noticeably, bringing along a hint of sour. Finishes with a clean mineral twang.

M - Medium bodied but at the same time being kind of airy, with standard fizzy Belgian carbonation. A "swish test" nearly had me spitting foam out my nose. But yet, it works.

O - Kind of an oddity, but I enjoyed it. A surprising attention getter in the Van Steenberg sampler.

Serving type: bottle

01-18-2013 05:11:07 | More by TempeBeerMan

DavidST

Texas

3.61/5  rDev -3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 33cl bottle into a goblet, no bottled date. This pours a slightly hazy golden light brown color with a massive off white head which is slowly dissipating right now, this leaves a lacing. The smells are of fruity belgian yeast esters, a little citrus. The feel is medium high carbonination. The taste is okay, like many of the other beers from this brewery, it suffers from a high alcohol content which isn't well masked and gives this a certain boozy taste, under that you get some nice citrus like hop bite, a dry finish, not bad.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2013 22:11:52 | More by DavidST

puboflyons

New Hampshire

4.08/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

From the 11.2 fl. oz. bottle. Sampled on January 7, 2013.

The pour is golden yellow with a white fizzy head that slowly dissipates but never really goes away. There is a subdued haziness in the color.

The aroma is a beautiful array of Belgian pale malts, Belgian candied sugars, yeast, banana, clove, and allspice with a much mellower hop note.

The body is medium but creamy.

The taste is similar to the aroma with a slight pepper bite coating my throat and well-integrated alcohol. Very fine.

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2013 22:25:20 | More by puboflyons

Jwale73

Rhode Island

3.23/5  rDev -13.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

11.2oz. bottle served in a tulip. Pours a translucent, golden-orange with a rocky, two inch, bright white head that slowly collapses in on itself. Head eventually settles into a frothy cap with thick, textured clusters of lacing revealed during the tasting. Nose expresses tangerines and a suggestion of candi sugar. There's also a trace of clove and a slight metallic quality. Taste is somewhat bland and also reveals a wet cardboard character as well as a bit of grassiness. Mouthfeel is light-medium with a lively, palate cleansing carbonation and a light acidity. Overall, a fairly lackluster BSPA - not something I need to revisit again.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2013 03:12:31 | More by Jwale73

KKB

Massachusetts

4.23/5  rDev +13.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

A – Belgian beer just always looks so damn good. This is not an exception. Golden chestnut body with a voluminous pale white head that just looks phenomenal. Carbonation rising up from the bottom steadily, very appealing.

S – A faint fruity, citric, zesty goodness that I am inhaling; a little bit of sweet malt and a wonderful candied aroma as well. All of it very well balanced. Gets stronger as it warms. Can’t wait to taste.

T – Yum! Wonderful. Refreshing, complex, smooth, balanced. It is fruity, and lightly sour, yet still sweet with an earthy and toffee element to it as well. I’m tired so I’m not giving as lengthy of a review as I might have otherwise, but just suffice to say that it tastes very good. Really refreshing after having a few bad beers the other night.

M – Superb, on the lighter side, and really just like a cloud in my mouth with lots of carbonation. So, so good.

O – Every single one of these Augustijn beers are so, so good. I highly recommend each one of them. Just such a treat, and this one is especially good.

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2013 06:02:05 | More by KKB

ikantspel

California

3.05/5  rDev -18%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

stubby bottle into a duvel tulip

pours a duvel-esque goldan straw color with a soapy foamy head

granny smith apple, clove, spices in the nose

starts off fruity, then some herbal notes hit, finishes sweet but slightly boozy

solid effort. prefer american BSPAs though

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2012 04:31:09 | More by ikantspel

Giggy

Michigan

3.9/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: A golden oak cored pour with a good off-white head. Slightly hazy, small carbonation bubbles raise to the top until the end.

S: Aroma develops more as the beer warms. Tastes of malt, yeast, cloves, spices, and citrus.

T: Sweet and fruity, peaches, lemons, oranges, slightly spicy but very balanced

M: Slightly heavier on carbonation than I prefer.

O: Good solid Belgian. Would drink again.

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2012 21:29:45 | More by Giggy

mick303

Ontario (Canada)

3.83/5  rDev +3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a nice frothy head, which shows pretty good retention. Colour is a medium amber gold, strong carbonation. Leaves a slight film and decent lace.

Smell is mostly malty with strong citrus/grapefruit undertones. Some slight nuttiness, and hops. Oily lemon notes, quite interesting. Some sulfury components develop.

Taste is a solid crisp balance between malts and hops. Quite light and fresh, citrus and a bit of sourness at the end. More herbal hops and a bit of roughness to the end, bit musty on the end.

Mouthfeel has a fair bit of carbonation, it is really crisp with a pretty big presence due to the ABV, finishes really cleanly though. Nice and sessionable, quite refreshing and bitter.

Its pretty good, and gets the good done. And although it can be complex at times, this didnt come across as awe-inspiring. Nice, with a good body, and refreshing. Would have it again, but no reason to go out of my way to buy more, especially not at the price i got it at.

Serving type: bottle

11-27-2012 20:17:09 | More by mick303

LXIXME

New Mexico

3.85/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Big white head settles into a into a fairly decent lacing above a clear copper golden colored beer that seems to have some pretty good carbonation to it.

Light aroma with grain malts, bread, cooking spices, lemon, and a lighter sourness.

Lemon pepper with grain malts and some breadiness along with other light spices in a warming taste.

A dryish aftertaste with just a hint of the tastes remaining on this medium bodied beer.

This is a pretty good beer considering they call it a blonde, has more and better tastes than most blondes around here, well blonde beers anyway.

Serving type: bottle

10-10-2012 21:28:10 | More by LXIXME

Agent1

Alberta (Canada)

4.1/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Appearance - Great head retention. A striking and beautiful white layer of head. Very active and bright. Larger bubbles can be seen throughout and until this settled, it was fairly spongy and foamy-looking with plenty of lacing. This pours a vivid orangey-gold. Quite colorful. Carbonation appears to be quite active.

Smell - Lemon, honey, light toffee notes, wheat and barley, banana, cloves and sourdough/ bread.

Taste - Honey, pineapple, faint licorice notes, caramel, toffee, subtle spices such as cinnamon, cloves and coriander, orange peel, apricot and lemon citrus. There are even hints of banana to this as well, although not too obvious. Light breadiness on the finish, which is nice.

Mouthfeel - Stimulating mostly the roof of the mouth, this does not seem to activate all areas of the palate. This may be this beer's weak spot. Personally, not the greatest. Not terrible, but not one of Van Steenberge's best.

Overall - Reminds me of Gouden Carolus' Tripel, however, perhaps not as complex or defined. Nice tropical fruits can be noted in this beer when paying attention. Fairly smooth. More in the style of a Tripel to me than a "Blond" per se, but still great nonetheless. Definitely worth buying again.

Serving type: bottle

10-07-2012 01:21:38 | More by Agent1

PaulThePolymath

4.03/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

A cloudy rust orange looked gorgeous in a glass. Had a very foamy sticky head that laced around the glass like crazy. foamed up a little too much, had to let it sit for a few minutes to drink it.

Smelled like malt and some floral notes, not too crazy.

The flavor hit me immediately, the mouthfeel was fantastic, i wish all beers were this way. Mouthfeel contributed to the flavor as it "carried" the flavor across perfectly. The aftertaste is a little sweet, but the beer doesn't come off as a sweet beer at all. Very creamy and smooth.

Overall a 4, its 8% ABV (Least thats what my bottle says!) And is great for sipping and enjoying the turn of the seasons.

Serving type: bottle

09-09-2012 17:03:48 | More by PaulThePolymath

UCLABrewN84

California

3.9/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a hazy orange with a foamy white head that settles to a small cap on top of the beer. Small streaks of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of malt, grain, and some mild grass and hay aromas. Taste is of malt, grain, grass, hay, and some fruity flavors on the finish. There is a mild hop bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a good beer that is tasty and pretty refreshing.

Serving type: bottle

08-29-2012 01:54:39 | More by UCLABrewN84

Bung

North Carolina

3.58/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

11.2. From a sampler pack. My bottle says 8.0 abv.
A solid gold with some haze to it. Giant head overflows the New Belgium glass even with a very careful pour.

Aroma, my nose is a little stuffy, but there is sone yeasty spice and clove. A faint fruitcake and caramel.

Taste, taste has some more earthy hop notes to it. Stone fruit, some clove, light bready malt back. Finish is a little spicy clove.

Pretty light feeling with the high carbonation. There is just enough stickiness to it though. A good middle to slightly above example. Nothing to complain about, nothing to rave about. Worth trying.

Serving type: bottle

08-26-2012 03:04:42 | More by Bung

Kooz

New York

4/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Slightly cloudy orange colored brew with a good off-white sticky head that leaves a nice lacing around the glass. Looks appetizing.

Smells of malt with a bit of a floral essence. It's nice and not overpowering.

There's an explosion of flavor, with floral hints and a heavy bitterness followed by a malty aftertaste. There's a slight sweetness to the aftertaste too. It's pleasant.

Mouthfeel is excellent. Nice consistency with some bite, but not much. Creamy foam on a swish, which makes he flavors pop. All beers should be this good in this category.

I don't know if I'd have more than 2 or 3 in a sitting, but that would be plenty. This might be a good beer to end a night with. A sipping beer for after work.

Serving type: bottle

08-16-2012 01:11:22 | More by Kooz

TwelveOunces

Kentucky

3.9/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

11.2 Oz bottle poured into a tulip glass

A- Hazy golden straw yellow with a massive three finger head with a slow pour. Good retention and lacing.

S- A lot of wheat in this beer. There is a lemon zest to it. Belgian yeast. A slight spiciness. An earthy hop note.

T- A very sweet beer is the first thing I notice. The Belgian yeast comes through very much so in this beer. It has a spicy earthy quality to it. A lot of wheat in here and a lot of graininess. A slight dry and bitter aftertaste.

M- High carbonation, a nice feel thanks to the wheat and yest. It goes down easy except the carbonation kind of keeps it at a slow pace.

O- I really enjoyed this one, its not the type of thing I drink often so this was a nice change of pace and a well made beer.

Serving type: bottle

08-09-2012 02:04:40 | More by TwelveOunces

jonmikel

Spain

3.3/5  rDev -11.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a snifter glass from a 330 ml bottle.

It is opaque. It's colour is orange with some golden sparks.

In my opinion, it smells to cheese (I would say Edam) with some hints of lemon. The alcohol is also present.

The mouthfeel is quite good. A little bit bitter, in my opinion.

The overall taste acomplishes my expectations but it is not the best Belgian Pale Ale that I've tasted.

Serving type: bottle

08-05-2012 15:55:39 | More by jonmikel