Deep Ellum Dallas Blonde

Aroma: “Dank, piney, and earthy hops aromas with hints of onion, cheese, garlic, and green pepper. There’s a moderate lemon citrus and floral rose note mixed with bready malt and honey.” Flavor: “Hops-forward with mostly lemon and rose. There’s more tea-like hops in the flavor as well. Mouth- coating, dank hoppy finish that is both bitter and slightly astringent. Floral, slightly fruity.” Overall: “Kind of old school hops character built around a very light malt bill. The hops are a bit overwhelming to the beer, especially in the bitterness and harshness of the finish. A bit too heavy-handed to want more than a few ounces. More focus on late additions and dry hopping, with more fruit character than bitterness, would make it more attractive.”

Aroma: “Strong rich apricot aroma, reminiscent of apricot nectar. Very subtle floral hops in the background. Almost like a fruit cocktail. Sweet.” Flavor: “Apricot-dominant. Distinct apricot flavors that incorporate aspects of both flesh and skin. Slight floral and perfumy hops flavors help cut through some of the fruit sweetness, without lowering the overall impact of the fruit. Fruit notes are slightly acidic and crisp. More ‘beer’ character emerges in the flavor, so it’s not all fruit. Pretty well-balanced. Slightly tart finish.” Overall: “Fairly well-balanced beer that integrates the apricot well into the base beer. Nice apricot flavor and well-balanced in the finish. For such an intensely fruit-forward beer, it still manages to convey an endearing beer character that keeps it from being alcoholic fruit punch.”

Aroma: “Strong clove phenols up front with moderate bubblegum esters. Behind the yeast character, there’s an herbal and grassy hops character and light bready malt.” Flavor: “Still clove-forward on the front, but the hops come through more on the palate with lemon, grassy, and grapefruit character. Low sweetness and low bitterness. This is almost like a spiced holiday wine. Moderate carbonation accentuates a crisp finish. A bit fuller in body than a ‘traditional’ blonde.” Overall: “An interesting combination of hops-forward flavors and Belgian fermentation characteristics. Definitely a unique beer that is well-executed for what it was intended to be. The fruity esters from the fermentation nicely complement the hops flavors.”