The beer pours a crystal clear gold, with some loose bubbles bouncing in the white head. It’s a very pretty and approachable beer. In the aroma I get a little honey-like malt, very low citrusy hops and not much else. I have to swirl the glass hard to get that hop aroma loose. As it warms, there are some light, fruity (pear-like) esters that come forward. The flavor is very drinkable and inoffensive; again, I get some light, honey-like malt with a touch of sweetness up front. The bitterness is moderate in comparison to the malt presence, which creates a lightly hopped and slightly fruity that is smooth and quaffable. Where the beer is lacking for me is in the mouthfeel. The beer feels extremely watery, and this style should have a medium-light body at minimum – something this beer lacks – though the moderate carbonation tries to make up for it. This is essentially an ale version of an American Lager, with just a little more malt character and a touch more hops. While I feel it’s lacking in mouthfeel and hops, this beer does represent the style well and is worth picking up.
In retrospect, after I wrote this review I discovered this beer is also Gluten-Free, which could explain the void mouthfeel. This is the second Gluten-Free New Belgium beer I have sampled blindly and, I have to say, for Gluten-Free beers, these are definitely "real" beers. So that’s a huge plus. Still, I’m grading this beer against the Blonde Ale category so my score may not really reflect how good this beer is for those with gluten intolerance.