A Golden Summer

Simply smooth brews

Blonde or golden ales are classic American ales, appreciated for their smooth, round, and subtly sweet flavor. They’re exceptionally drinkable and make for the perfect summer day (or night) brew. Here’s a roundup of some of my favorite golden ales.

Sober Carpenter: Blonde Ale

This is a crisp and bright golden ale that quickly rose to my top spot. It pours a clear, bright, yellow-gold body with a one inch head. This brew tastes just as crisp and bright as it appears, with notes of malt and some subtle honey. Delightfully crushable and refreshing. (I also love the Sober Carpenter White with notes of coriander.) Available at proofnomore.com

Athletic Brewing Co.: Upside Dawn

Upside Dawn is one of Athletic Brewing Company’s core beers that launched when this non-alcoholic brewery first opened in 2018. It’s also the first Athletic brew I got to try when a friend, who had recently decided to drop alcohol on weekdays, brought it to one of our dinner parties. Several people, that I’ve introduced to Athletic, swear by this brew. It’s their go-to for when they want the experience of drinking a refreshing brew at a campsite, after an adventure, or while relaxing for the afternoon.

Personally, this isn’t my favorite Athletic brew. I am a fan of beers with fuller flavors and will choose a Run Wild, Free Wave, or All Out most days. Though on a particularly hot day, the subtle, sweet, and malty flavors of Upside Dawn hit the spot. (Also check out this expert review of this brew by the Steady Drinker.)

Bravus: Golden

This is a light-bodied, slightly malty, smooth golden ale with no discernible hop profile. Smells of honey and malt. Pours a small head with tiny bubbles that recede quickly, leaving a smooth ale behind that approaches the feeling of a cream ale. Some burnt malt and notes of biscuits. Delightful.

Gruvi: Golden Lager

I have a tendency to drink golden ales directly from the can and to chug them without thinking to take a picture of them. That must have happened with the two 6-packs of Gruvi Golden I devoured this summer. So here’s a screenshot from Gruvi’s website, celebrating their score at the 2022 World Beer Cup Awards.

This is the Bud Lite (before their downfall) of nonalcoholic brews. Yes, Bud 0 exists as well, but Gruvi’s brew tastes more like a beer than the idea of beer, which is a concept that Bud 0 has perfected. This is a light, crisp, slightly sweet and very subtle brew with notes of grainy cereal and grassy florals that goes down so easily, the experience is fleeting. If you enjoy pounding brews on a boat or by a beach, this is your go-to.

RIP…Strapless Brewing: Gold

This was a good brew. Sadly, it exists no more. This brew poured a thick foamy head on a light, malty body that smelled like fresh bread. It had tastes of citrus and hops with a lemongrass and herbal undertone. It gave off a nice sharp sensation on the tongue that made it feel like a real beer. This was a job well done.

As covered by Good Beer Hunting:

Durango, Colorado’s Bootstrap Brewing discontinued its two NA beers, NA Strapless Golden Ale and NA Strapless IPA, late this summer after less than two years in the market. Co-owner Leslie Kaczeus said via email that “the process we used which made them taste like real beer was just too labor-intensive and cost-prohibitive.”

While I get it, it’s still a shame.

Eighteen Twenty Brewing Company: A Better Blonde

This brew is a very approachable golden ale with a medium mouthfeel. There’s a good amount of malt making this brew taste quite bready. Its surprisingly zesty for a golden ale with a bitter lemongrass finish, featuring more hops than some others in this roundup.

ATMOS: Alturas NA Golden

This is another find on proofnomore.com. This brew was overly carbonated, leading to a massive foam head and difficulty pouring this one. I’d like to think I am well experienced at pouring foamy brews since I hail from the land of wheat beers: Bavaria. This one was a challenge that overflowed the can as soon as I cracked it open. (Quick, spill no more!)

Once you’ve overcome this first obstacles, this is solid golden lager with a sweet, malty aroma on notes of honey and floral hops. Quite good!

BONUS BREWS

No review of golden ales is complete without On Your Mark by Kit NA Brewing. See my full impression and some extra thoughts and history about the appeal of blonde hair, at the link below.

Untitled Art: American Gold

This is another example of me drinking an entire 6-pack of this brew since 4th of July and failing to take even a single picture. Sometimes you’ve just got to be fully present in the moment, at the cost of having only memories for proof. So here is a picture by my Instagram NA buddy, Jack, who I had the pleasure of enjoying some NA brews and a deep dish pizza with while I was in Chicago last fall.

This is the champagne of golden ales. As I’ve come to know Untitled Art, their brews are consistently on the sweeter side of the flavor spectrum. Their American Gold is a sweeter, bubbly, crisp golden ale that tastes light and slightly malty. This will appeal to most beer drinkers. A solid choice and their cans are always so very pretty — true to their name.