I've been in denial

about how long I've gone since posting. But I'm back now, so never fear.

Tonight I'm reviewing Hoppy Brewing Company's Liquid Sunshine Blonde Ale. Hoppy was my very first follower on Twitter, and for that I'll be ever-grateful. I'll also be grateful for the fact that they make delicious beer. They're based in Sacramento, which is only a couple hours from where I live, and I've been wanting to drive up and check out their pub. Hmm, come to think of it, my birthday is Saturday. Are you reading this, husband?

Back to the matter at hand.

This is a very pretty beer. It pours a deep gold with a slight haze, has a generous 1-finger head, and is nice and effervescent. I love watching all the tiny bubbles float up through the glass, don't you?

The aroma is well-balanced. I'm not knocked over by any single smell. It's a little floral and a little citrusy.

The flavor is definitely citrusy. Funny, because as I poured I thought the haze made it look like a very light wheat beer. The flavor does the same. So I Googled and found out this one is made with barley, rye and wheat. Then I Googled further to find out if all Blonde Ales are made with both barley and wheat, because I realized I don't actually know what a blonde ale is. From what I can tell, it's any ale that looks and/or tastes like a lager but is not a lager. So wheat is not required, though it seems to be at least a fairly common ingredient. Glad we cleared that up. Back to the issue at hand: this beer has some wheaty characteristics, but doesn't taste like a full wheat beer. For what it's worth, it doesn't necessarily taste like a lager either. Though it does have the nice crisp finish that my homebrewing research tells me comes from the lagering process (which can be done on both lagers and ales).

But crispness is more a matter of mouthfeel, which is...crisp. And carbonated. We'll call it light-to-medium bodied.

As for drinkability, I'm classifying this as a good dinner beer. At 5% abv, a glass or three won't leave you feeling too loopy. However, the sweetness and the carbonation I'm guessing wouldn't be too kind to my stomach after more than that. Quality over quantity though, right?