Reason Beer Blonde
Reason Beer — out of Charlottesville, VA — officially launched just this year. The brewery may be brand new on the scene, but it’s been on the minds of three friends, including a former Director of Brewing Operations at Maine Beer Company, for quite some time. Blonde (4% ABV) is the first beer from the company that I’ve come across thus far.
As the beer’s label states, this blonde all leans on its hop profile fairly heavily as a strong lemony citrus and flowery notes lead the way for the rest of the aromas and flavors. The nose on Blonde is outstanding as yeast, cereal and distant spices also come into play. Once the beer hits the tastebuds, however, things don’t quite follow through as expected. The grassy, floral hop profile is there, as is the lemony character, but it just doesn’t seem to want to come together with the other elements (grain, cereal, yeast, spices) quite as well. There’s also a measure of acidity — not totally uncommon to the style — that feels a bit stronger than it should especially in conjunction with the sharp mouthfeel.
Blonde served as a decent introduction to the newish Virginia brewery. It’s not a style that I particularly chase after, but there are some elements here that were enjoyable. The overall experience (aroma, flavor, mouthfeel) feels a bit unfinished as though maybe the company is still working out the kinks in the brewing system, but as we’ll see with their Pale Ale (review coming soon), the company knows how to craft a tasty beer. I look forward to trying more from Reason Beer in the future.