Wild Wolf Blonde Hunny
Having tried Wild Wolf’s Area 151 back in July, I was really looking forward to finding the beer with which is uses as its base — the brewery’s Blonde Hunny. Well, lucky enough for me, I happened across a bottle of this 6.8% ABV Belgian Pale Ale last month. And while I didn’t pick up all that much of a raspberry influence on the Area 151, I felt it had a decent enough base to stay enjoyable.
Does Blonde Hunny hold up without the added fruit influence? Did the mention of a “special spice blend” on the label of this 22oz bottle scare the crap out of me (and my taste buds)? Yes on both counts.
Appearance
Golden yellow in color the brew sits with a small cap of white foam that faded quickly to a sparse ring.
Aroma
As mentioned that note of spices on the label had me worried, but so far they don’t make much of an impression aside from some clove in the nose. Along with the muted spices are elements of wheat, soft grain, light honey, distant fruit and a hint of yeast. It smells pretty tame.
Taste
The flavors pretty much follow the aroma. The beer arrives with a moderate sweetness, hints of honey and distant spice notes loitering in the background. The beer is surprisingly more viscous on the tongue than anticipated. A touch of banana and yeast arrives late in the ever so slightly drying finish. The beer is fairly unassuming and easy drinking.
Overall
I can see why Wild Wolf uses Blonde Hunny as a base for their Area 151 series. It’s a solid enough recipe, but also one that doesn’t demand too much from the drinker. It’s easy on the palate with a mild presence of that special blend of spices. I can see the brew doing pretty well served much cooler on a hot Summer day.
Rating: 3.25/5
