Southern Star Brewing Company's Bombshell Blonde Ale

I hope this one fares better than Pine Belt Pale Ale did post-hops shortage. Pine Belt was too piney, but solid, until the hops shortage killed it. Some say it's back, but not the last time I tried it.

Anyway, their Blonde Bombshell has some great nose art on it, and I've been looking out for it because I've heard good things.

Pours pretty deep for a blonde, with a solid amber color and a huge light tan head that throws off a floral sweetness with a hint of slightly grassy hops and grainy malt. Most blondes ae closer to lagers, lighter in color and feel with a fizzy head that recedes fairly quickly. This one sticks. Pine Belt was strong for a pale, and I think his one is shaping up to be strong for a blonde. An Imperial Blonde? I've drank (drunk?) weirder things. Looks loosely filtered and I guess the head took pretty much all of the carbonation out of it, as there's just a few bubbles rising slowly.

Yeah, it's hoppier than a blonde should be. A hollow bitterness, with a hollow aftertaste that ends up tasting about like wet cardboard smells. Like a lot of blondes with big hoots, it looks promising but is kind of vacuous. And the more I think of it, the bitterness comes more from the cardboard taste than the hops, what with only 20 IBU's, but that's even worse than a beer that's overly hopped.

For Texas blondes I'll reach for a Shiner next time.