A friend from Dalhousie brought me a Growler of Blonde du Quai from the new nano-brewery in Dalhousie called Shiretown Brewery.
Appearance- It has a light golden-honey color. It is cloudy, but not too opaque. It has a nice creamy head, albeit small (1/2 finger) and short lived, but a nice lacing.
Smell - I had a difficult time with the smell... very light/faint... very little hops, but it is there, lingering. I think I'm picking up a hint of diacetyl, but not in a bad way, it somehow works nicely with the gentleness of the beer. Small trace of carmel (but that may be part of the diacetyl?) Smell, is pleasant, but very very low key.
Taste - Fist impression was light... then butter, noticeable absence of hops, with light maltiness. The taste was pleasant... something I would like to drink in summer on the beach.
Mouthfeel - First impression was very smooth, light and creamy with maybe a little buttery slipperiness. I have to admit, it's difficult to put a finger on this beer. I like it, but it doesn't jump out at me at all. It does say "light" right on the cap though ;-)
Overall Impression - This is a pleasant beer, but I don't mind a hint of diacetyl. It's light, it's refreshing... I could drink a lot of these in a row ;-) Especially around the pool on a hot sunny day.
I say welcome to Shiretown... a new craft nanobrewery in New Brunswick. We need more entrepreneurs willing to risk a lot to provide people with good beer. It has my recommendation.
