QUICK TAKE: AFFLIGEM BLONDE

AFFLIGEM BLONDE just started showing up on restaurant taps in the San Francisco Bay Area; I'm guessing they scored a pretty good distribution deal to join the ranks of Chimay Red, Leffe Blonde and Hoegaarden as high-end, Belgian beer restaurant standards. The beverages from the AFFLIGEM folks I've tried before this were a Christmas ale from last year that I gave an 8/10 to, as well as AFFLIGEM TRIPEL that I also scored just as high. That's some fine company.

The blonde has almost no discernable aroma (I furtively sniffed at it when the other restaurant patrons had their backs turned), and is a medium-bodied, fairly smooth beer. Absolutely more going on here than your standard American blonde, and this is Belgian is every way, shape & form. Rich yeasts complement a spicy mouthfeel, and in all this is one interesting blonde beer. I'd drink it again for sure, especially on tap. 7/10. Affligem got it going on.