O9 Blonde

Brewery: Otley Brewing Company

Supplier: Beer52

This is from a little brewery down in Wales from an all family brewery. There is a bit of confusion out there as to what style of beer this is, but judging by the ingredients I would say that this is a Witbier, especially as it is spiced with Orange and Coriander. I served this only very slightly chilled.

Appearance: Very light, with a bit of gold (darker than most Witbiers) and super clear. There is a lot of carbonation with a medium but short-lived white head. I don't usually mention the bottle appearance but there was a lovely wine bottle-like foil around it, but with a badly fitting label. 

Aroma: Quite sweet and fruity, like pear, with a floral note. This is mixed with a less pleasant cider-like note.

Flavour: Not much flavour at the front just a thick wheat profile, towards the end there is hints of mellow citrus, the best description I can think of is an orange flavoured pear (without the citric acid).

Body: A nice thick wheat body.

Aftertaste: This sweet orange lasts through, but sometimes changes into an unpleasant cider-like note.

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 5, nice and definitely more than drinkable, but not much to it and it is a bit like barley water. It smells a lot more flavoursome than it tastes. Would be better served straight out of the fridge.

Price Range: Part of a monthly beer subscription at £19 (usually £24) for 8 beers, so that would make this approximately £2.40 for a 500ml bottle; not a bad price for a decent beer, I would definitely get this in a pub but wouldn't go out of my way to find it, or buy bottles of it.

Food Pairings: Something very delicate, I would agree with Beer52 that it would be best served with white fish, I would say white flatfish like sole would go well.