Black Isle Organic: Blonde Ale
- Chris Lee
- Jun 5, 2015
- 2 min read
I recently relocated to Scotland for the second time in my life. It's a long long story, so lets just say that I'm happy to be back in my second homeland. One thing that I have been very excited to discover is how the burgeoning craft beer scene has been coming along since my last visit. It was only a few years ago that I began to explore the UK breweries through the likes of The Cotswolds, Brew Dogs, and Blackjack brewery. Since my return, however, one brewery has really stood out to me with its quality beers based on traditional recipes. Black Isle Brewing Company.
The first of their beers that reeled me in was their Blonde Ale. Now I know what you might be thinking, "A blonde ale is what got your attention?" There's really no denying that this beer is one of the cleanest and most refreshing beers I've ever tasted. The careful attention to ingredients and process make this one exceptional blonde ale. The second thing that really peaked my interest is when I did a little research on the brewery and discovered their commitment to using all organic and locally sourced ingredients, without the use of any pesticides, in their beers. The brewery also grows and malts their own barley on site! What brewery does that? All the water used in their beers is drawn from an underground spring deep in the earth below the brewery. Super cool.
Black Isle Organic pours a slightly golden, wet straw like colour. Its topped with a light dense and frothy foam that chases the beer all the way to the bottom of the pint glass. Organic Blonde has an aroma dominated by damp hay, a playful hint of lemon peel, a touch of pear, and wet grass. Its flavour profile is lightly bready, subtle floral bitterness (from the hops), with a subtle mix of other flavours like lemon, apple, and elderflower. This beer finishes extremely clean. It has a mildly refreshing yet dry effervescence about it. I paired a few pieces of applewood smoked cheddar with it (just to see what happens) and the beer completely cleansed the cheeses funky pugnacity from my palette.
This is an exceptional Blonde Ale and quite likely the best Blonde that I've ever tasted. I attribute this beers zest and freshness directly to the breweries acute attention to ingredient sourcing. If it were somehow 28c on a hot Scottish summer, I'd be hanging on a patio with this Blonde.
Exceptional in my books.... you deserve an A
Support your local brewery!
Chris
