Thursday, December 8, 2011

December 8 - Affligem's Blond Ale



Happy Birthday Phil (Bob) Evans


Why we picked itKaty liked the name.

About Affligem's Blond Ale:  Affligem Blonde, the classic clear blonde abbey ale, with a gentle roundness and a 6.8 alcohol percentage.  Low on bitterness, it is eminently drinkable.

The Pour:  Serve Affligem at cellar temp (44-48 F) Pour slowly into a wide mouthed glass careful to leave the yeast in the bottle. If you prefer a nuttier taste feel free to pour the yeast into the glass.

About the Brewery:  Founded in 1074 by Benedictine monks, Affligem is a high quality, well-balanced genuine Belgian abbey beer. Affligem takes its name from the abbey in which it originally was brewed. Affligem is the oldest abbey in Flanders. Benedictine monks live according to the rules of St. Benedict, which meant that the monks had to be completely self-sustaining within the abbey walls. So in addition to brewing beer, the monks also farmed and harvested their own dairy prodimages. Artifacts indicate the abbey was brewing beer for pilgrims as early as 1129. Eight centuries later, a Friar, by the name of Tobias, married the traditional Affligem recipe with modern techniques. He called the result "Formula Antiqua Renovata".

Following the Friar's rules, only all-natural ingredients are used: artesian well water and hops and malt from the Abbey's own fields. A fine dosage of yeast lets Affligem mature and mellow in the bottle. The result is a true "Belgian Burgundy" - the perfect beer to sip and enjoy slowly. Belgium's abbey ales are known as "the Burgundies of Belgium" because of their intense flavor.

ABV:  6.8%

Case Cost:  $46

19 comments:

  1. Can we rename this contest 24 days of Ale?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Liked the name? How do you pronounce it? What part did you like? GEM? Anyway, I actually like this beer! If this is the classic blonde Ale then I guess I gotta try more of these. No bitter after taste and goes down very gentle. Nice drink before dinner because it is light. Thumbs up!
    8 out of 10
    My updated rankings
    Dirty Bastard
    Belhavens Scottish Ale
    Affigem
    Southern Tier Old man winter
    Hofbrau Hefe Weizen
    Lagunita's
    Hoegaarden
    Smuttynose

    ReplyDelete
  3. I gotta agree with you; another Ale??? Where are the lager's? Pilsner?

    ReplyDelete
  4. By the way Tony - you've been awesome with the pictures and notes, but clearly slipped up here. Per the bottle:

    Serve Affligem at cellar temp (44-48 F) Pour slowly into a wide mouthed glass careful to leave the yeast in the bottle. If you prefer a nuttier taste feel free to pour the yeast into the glass.

    May want to update the notes for the folks who don't read the reviews before drinking(I don't) There's also some copious information about the brewery on the label as well.

    ReplyDelete
  5. No, it wasn't the name that I liked, I thought it looked good because it's called blonde ale. Haven't tried it yet - my report will come in a couple hours.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Founded in 1074 by Benedictine monks, Affligem is a high quality, well-balanced genuine Belgian abbey beer. Affligem takes its name from the abbey in which it originally was brewed. Affligem is the oldest abbey in Flanders. Benedictine monks live according to the rules of St. Benedict, which meant that the monks had to be completely self-sustaining within the abbey walls. So in addition to brewing beer, the monks also farmed and harvested their own dairy prodimages. Artifacts indicate the abbey was brewing beer for pilgrims as early as 1129. Eight centuries later, a Friar, by the name of Tobias, married the traditional Affligem recipe with modern techniques. He called the result "Formula Antiqua Renovata".

    Following the Friar's rules, only all-natural ingredients are used: artesian well water and hops and malt from the Abbey's own fields. A fine dosage of yeast lets Affligem mature and mellow in the bottle. The result is a true "Belgian Burgundy" - the perfect beer to sip and enjoy slowly. Belgium's abbey ales are known as "the Burgundies of Belgium" because of their intense flavor.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Okay - this is my favorite by far. DELICIOUS. Smooth. Good kick. Definitely better out of a glass.

    Grade: Blackout drunk

    ReplyDelete
  8. Yes please pour slowly because it foamed up quickly and went all over the table.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Katy - so you liked it b/c it was a blonde? Must be a blonde joke

    ReplyDelete
  10. I LOVE this beer! Whoever picked it must be pretty smart. Smooth, light and wheat tasting, just the way I like it. I give it a check ++, probably my favorite so far.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Not much of an aroma to talk about. For me the taste is just OK. It taste like a session beer to me, meaning it's light, has an OK taste, goes down smooth and it would be easy to drink alot of them. But, the 6.8% ABV would sneak up on you if you pounded a few of these. I'll give it a 7.5, C+.

    Also, thanks to DJ for typing up all the information on the bottle that I was to lazy to type. Copy and paste was alot easier that typing all that off the bottle.

    ReplyDelete
  12. This beer was awesome. My 7 month pregnant wife likes this one the best. After drinking her allotted two sips, i had to yank it out of her hand for fear of my future daughter.

    I do love the Belgian beers. And this one isn't as potent as most so I could have more than 2 before there was an incident.

    All you ale whiners. A simple fact. Heineken is a lager. I rest my case. Lagers suck.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Very tasty beer, though I think it has a bit of an aftertaste that I won't like so much. I wish I had a few more so I could do some research.

    ReplyDelete
  14. This beer is great. Light and easy to drink. I agree with Tony though that it could sneak up on you with the 6.8%. I also love the historic nature it.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Did not enjoy it, i prefer darker beers i guess., although i did not drink it as prescribed.

    ReplyDelete
  16. This is the ale that I have disliked the least, so far.

    ReplyDelete
  17. I like this beer. It does a funny aftertaste but I do enjoy it. I would have a couple in a sitting but not a whole as I feel that it is a bit more binge drinking. Good beer with a meal or after a long day.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Didn't taste as bad as it smelled (I smell everything before tasting), but I don't think I would enjoy it much after a few sips.

    ReplyDelete
  19. it made my pee smell funny, otherwise unremarkable. miller lite above everything had to this point

    ReplyDelete