Carolina Beer Company- Carolina Blonde: Simplistically Good
Monday, August 16, 2010 at 7:10PM | by Jason 
Sunday August 15th – Wow!! We finally arrived at our destination. Topsail Beach North Carolina is freaking beautiful. We were invited by a long time family friend whom I haven’t seen in 13 years. I could not describe this place any better than perfect. The nice thing is that day 2 brought us through Durham, NC and they have a chain liquor store called Total Wines & More that is stocked full of Craft Beers that are not available in the Midwest and let me say that I went a little crazy. Imagine being a kid in a candy store…with $100 burning a hole in your pocket. I would have been better off if I only dropped $100 but let’s just say that it was a little more than that. I could not believe how much killer brew I walked out with. You will soon find out as the reviews from this trip will be coming hard & heavy here very shortly. So as not to be bias, I decided to just grab anything out of the box and what I ended up with was a Carolina Beer Company’s Carolina Blonde. I prefer brunettes but nothing like spicing things up a little by hooking up with a blonde.
Carolina Beer Company classifies this brew as a Blonde Ale and their website describes Carolina Blonde as, “Made with 100% real barley (not rice like the mass-produced guys), our signature Blonde is a full-bodied golden ale with a smooth refreshing taste. For a quick chill down, try it in cans- the perfect non-breakable package perfect for poolside, boating or tailgating.”
Carolina Blonde pours a yellow straw color with a 1/4” snow white head. The aroma is faint malt sweetness and heavy on the grain with no hint of any hops.
This is brew number two on the vacation and I have to say that it’s not bad. It’s very light and the flavor is not overly big. It seems to be a little bit on the carbonated side. The flavor is a very simple traditional amber ale, very grainy in the front and a little hop bite in the finish. Carolina Blonde is very simplistic but very drinkable. Carolina Blonde is a sessionable 5.0% ABV and to be honest, you can sit and drink one after another without any problems. My problem is that there is nothing remarkable about this beer; it’s just good, not great.
Side Note: Twist Off Caps Do Not Belong On Craft Beers...IMO!
ABV: 5.0%
Consumed: Pint Glass
Verdict: Buy A Twelve Pack
