La Caracole Saxo (BEL)

Brasserie La Caracole is located in Walloon region of Belgium. The label shows a snail (the brewery's mascot) blowing a saxophone (Adolph Sax is from the same town as the brewery). This Belgian Blond Ale clocks in at 7.5% and costs $4.19 for 330ml.

While pouring, I thought I caught a whiff of lager -- lemony lager -- and it turns out this is made with Pilsener malt and Saaz hops. It's cloudy orange-yellow with a nice white head. The label recommends serving at 46 degrees; I drank it at about 5 degrees warmer. Still, this suggests to me that it's supposed to be a summery brew, and it's in fact supported by a somewhat light body and spritzy carbonation.

To me, this is one of those beers which, if you don't like it, it's because you think it doesn't all come together, not because you think it's dull. It's yeasty and lemony, a bit tart even. Among the esters I pick out cherries and banana. It's a whole bowl of fruit, but the end pulls back with some dryness. The alcohol isn't obtrusive while drinking but warms my gut afterwards. Saxo's particularly enjoyable if you drink a lot of different beers and start to feel they taste the same. I only wish I had a larger bottle to explore all the flavors.