Crosstown "Siren" Blonde Ale

It seems odd to me that this is my third beer from Crosstown, and all three of these beers have had alcohol content in the mid-5% range. Ordinarily, a brewery tries to get its feet under itself by producing an IPA, and they tend to be somewhere above 6%. I haven't had the chance to try an IPA from these guys yet, but I'd like to know if it was better or easier for them than the styles they've chosen so far.

True to its very nature, this beer is clear as a summer's day and more pale yellow than my logo. There is a whole lot of head to deal with coming out of the can, and the dingy white bubbles reduce themselves to the familiar lily pad in the middle and ring around the edges. The aroma is bread, flowers, and some light spices. This should make a good recipe.

First sip is very mild. The fruits are gentle, the malt is rather thick, and that malt imbues the beverage with a certain amount of sweetness. The flowers really aren't even asserting themselves to angrily assault the taste buds. Instead, the whole sip was rather uneventful, but it was still generally satisfying. This wasn't as watery as my description might have made it out to seem.

Tip-in is gentle carbonation burn with flowers, light spices, and thick bread. The middle slides into more intense carbonation as the spices rise up and the flowers start to really announce themselves; I expected the middle to be a lot more sedate, but it's quite flavorful. The finish is a rush of spices and sweetness that flow into a misty trail off.

Bottom Line: It's a blonde that can stand on its own.

3.75/5