Just Goes Without Saying: Everybody Loves A Blonde by Hillsboro Beer

I've been seeing beer from the Hillsboro Brewing Company around Madison for a while now. And I've always meant to try it. But I kept saying to myself, "Oh, it's that newish brewery out by Waterloo. I want a lager this time. Next time I'll give them a try." And I'd buy some lager and return to the liquor store the next week, see Hillsboro beer and say to myself, "Oh, it's that newish brewery out by Waterloo. I want a lager this time. Next time I'll give them a try." The sheer predictability of my time at the liquor store was like Groundhogs Day.

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.

While I wasn't surprised to see that Everybody Loves A Blonde had a lovely straw color, I was not expecting it to be slightly hazy. It seems more beers are a tad cloudy these than in years past. Is this a trend I've just not picked up on? Is haze the new craze even when it's not an NEIPA? Or am I doing something wrong? Atop the yellow liquid was a creamy white head that last a minute or so.

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.