Well, I finally burst the chains of my beer buying rut and
went out and bought some beer by Hillsboro Brewing Company. When I got it home,
I inspected the label and realized that the Hillsboro Brewing Company is, in
fact, located in – quelle surprise! – Hillsboro, Wisconsin. For months I had
been confusing it with Hubbleton Brewing Company which lies 20 some odd miles
east-northeast of Madison. Hillsboro, on the other hand, is on the east side of
Vernon County about 80 miles northwest of Madison. D'oh! I seem to be having
tremendous difficulty with my brewery names. Just one little H and I was
totally confused.
Now that I am confident that I am writing about the right
brewery, I can say that Hubbleton Hillsboro opened in 2014 and then
moved down the street to larger and fancier digs and reopened in 2018. And now
just to put a Phildickian spin on things, I look at the can and see that it has
"Hillsboro Beer" on it, not "Hillsboro Brewing Company".
Plus it has "Established 2020" in friendly letters there on the front.
Brewed by Potosi. So does Potosi own the Hillsboro brand? What happened to the
brewpub? I'm beginning to feel like Time Out of Joint's Ragle Gumm as everything
I thought I knew about a brewery in Hillsboro is turning out to be an illusion.
Everybody Loves A Blonde is, not surprisingly, a blonde ale.
The style is the bastard child of the craft brewing scene. It is often referred
to as being "light" and "approachable" – beers for macro
lager drinkers or those who aren't out to have their palates wrecked. This reputation
is a real shame because the restraint of the blonde ale is virtuous and tasty
in its own way.
The beer had a very nice crackery aroma with a little berry
mixed in.
Taking a sip, I noticed the carbonation right away. Not of
champagne magnitude, but a good, firm fizz. There was some fruitiness that
tasted like grapefruit and pineapple to me. Restrained and not juicy. There
was also cracker to be had as well. It was light-bodied and a little on the
watery side. I thought I caught a hint of corn too. The finish was moderately
dry with a little hoppy bitterness.
Either it needed a bit more of grain taste or it needs to be
warmer outside. On the other hand, I really enjoyed the fruitiness which was
tasty yet not ostentatious. By and large, everything came in moderation and was in its
proper place as I'd expect from the style.
Junk food pairing: Get yourself a bag of ghost pepper tortilla
chips. Everybody Loves A Blonde will go down easy as you try to extinguish the
flames.
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