Rickard’s Blonde

So in a little package from my friends at Molson, I received this alongside Sublime 67, for me to see if I wanted to review.  Rickard’s has obviously been on my radar for some time.  Red was one of the early “craft” beers I drank, though I now have red ales that I prefer.  Their white is okay, and not a bad option in bars where the other choices are things you see bikini-clad women hawking during sporting events on TV.  So I was interested when I received this brand to review.  It’s listed as  German-style Pils on the label.  I’ll be honest, it’s a gold lager made by a macro brewery.  My history with Rickard’s makes me think it will only be okay, but I’ll try to remain objective.  Who knows?  It could be killer.

Rickard's Blonde

Rickard's Blonde

From a 341ml ISB with some sort of indecipherable date/batch stamp on the label, the beer pours a clear golden yellow with about 3/4″ of head that dropped to a film fairly quickly.  Aroma is nicely sweet malts with some lightly leafy and fruity hops.  Immediately, I’m surprised just how aromatic this offering is; it’s not making me quake with excitement, but it certainly has more complexity than the corn-syrup influence I was expecting.  Taste is more of the same: a decent sweet malt with some leafy flowery noble-esque hops.  Finish is quick and nicely dry, though a hint of the sweet grains remains.  The beer is actually a little creamy on the tongue, with a nice carbonation to keep it light weight.  This is a nice sessionable pilsner, totally at home in a hammock or around a BBQ.  I will agree with Stephen Beaumont, though, that this drinks much more like a Czech pilsner, rather than the German-style pils they claim on the neck label.  Which isn’t a bad thing.  It’s no Czechvar, but it’s a respectable brew.  Definitely one I’ll keep my eyes peeled for when I’m in bars with skint micro choices.

Cheers to Rickard’s/Molson-Coors.

About the Brewery

In 1983, a beer enthusiast named Gord Rickard’s couldn’t find a pint with real character or taste worthy of his passion for beer. So, he set out to make his own perfect pint. That beer turned out to be Rickard’s Red, and he put his name on it.

Since then, other beers with character and full flavour – Rickard’s White, and Rickard’s Dark – have been brewed to meet Gord’s standards.

Rickard’s beers are brewed naturally using the finest ingredients – they do not contain additives or preservatives. And our Brewmasters use the finest hops and barley. They combine them with other flavourful ingredients to achieve what Gord wanted to create – well-crafted beers with character worthy of the Rickard’s name.

I can’t find any info on Rickard’s having been an independant company, nor anything on a sale to Molson’s; I can only assume it has always been a Molson brand.  Anybody able to shed some light on this?

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