For being such “newbie” in this whole beer nerd thing, Friend Of The Program David Gonos has some pretty great taste. He recently mentioned in a guest blog about his admiration for Leffe Blonde, which just so happened appeared in my fridge not long after. What a pleasant turn of events, considering the beer’s got an 82 on Beer Advocate.

I’ve always liked Belgian beers, but less so Americanized versions. So, it’s always nice to get a taste of the real thing, especially when it doesn’t disappoint.

What I liked most about Leffe Blond was how great it was in its simplicity. It’s not trying to be anything fancy or complicated, just a straight Belgian pale abbey ale. It’s got strong banana esters that are easily the most pronounced part of the smell and taste. There’s also some yeasty malt character in the smell (bread-like, I suppose), but it’s all straight forward.

Ah, but then the taste. The smell doesn’t do it justice. It’s sweet (malt?), there’s banana and a little taste of grape on the finish. It’s so smooth it could easily be a drink-all-day kind of beer. At 6.6 percent ABV, it’s not exactly a session beer, though.

This is all a very shorthand way of saying that I really liked this beer. I’d imagine that it may be a bit too “beery” for drinkers looking for generic, macrobrew flavor, but it’s also so easy that I could see it being accepted by anyone. Trial and error, I suppose.

Hit the jump for my “Rate That Beer” sheet.

