Reel Deel: Irish Blonde (Amber Ale)
Key Stats:
Brewery: Reel Deel
Beer Name: Irish Blonde
Country: Ireland
Style: 19A - American Amber Ale
ABV: 4.5%
Irish Blonde by Reel Deel
Aroma - —/12
Initially, I get an unfermented sweetness, like wort. There are certainly high caramel notes in the aroma. Upon a swirl, there is a phenolic, band-aid aroma; very plasticky. Unfortunately, that’s an off-flavour that it making this beer very hard to judge by style.
Low hop aroma, is mixed in with the high caramel and high phenols.
Appearance - —/3
Moderately opaque, deep amber beer with a moderate white frothy head that dissipates fairly quickly.
Flavour - —/20
Unfortunately, the off-flavour from aroma has carried into the flavour. What starts out as initially a grainy sweet beer is well infected with a band-aid, plastic, medicinal, phenolic flavour.
What I can taste is that the beer is balanced slightly to the sweet side, leaving not enough hop bitterness or flavour for the style.
Mouthfeel - —/5
The carbonation is medium-low, slightly under what the style demands. Unfortunately, I didn’t perceive much more as this was undrinkable.
Overall Impressions - —/10
What may very well be a good recipe seems to have been let down by bad brewing practice or an infection. Take care to clean everything, and be careful with bleach-based cleaners which can leave residues. Check your yeast health, and make sure your fermentation temperature is correct for the yeast and beer style.
