Schlafly Double Bean Blonde

Schlafly Double Bean Blonde is an American Blonde Ale, 6.3% ABV. Bottled on 01/27/16, opened on 04/17/16. Bottled provided for review. This Blonde Ale is brewed with cocoa nibs and French roast coffee. I was pretty excited to see a couple of bottles of this show up at the door, I love to find unexpected flavors in a normally simple style of beer.

The pour is a tad darker than you might expect from a Blonde, but it is still very pleasant looking. A slightly hazy golden yellow with a good off white head that is 95% gone after about five minutes. The aroma does not disappoint given the name. I am getting a strong amount of both coffee and chocolate on the nose, it isn’t too much, really just the right amount for a lighter bodied beer. The taste is interesting, I was expecting something a bit bolder after the aroma, but this is pretty good. I am getting some chocolate notes that come off a lot like a Tootsie Roll candy to me in the taste. A solid, sweet grain sweetness from the malt is there, and in some ways I am pleased to see the base beer isn’t totally lost with some dominate speciality ingredients. The coffee comes into play in the aftertaste, but I do wish there was just a bit more of it in the actual taste. The feel is a bit on the big end for a Blonde, but not too surprising since the ABV is on the higher end of the style range.

This beer is certainly outside the box, but it is working for me.