Some beer snobs liken Interbrew to the mega-breweries of America
like Anheuser-Busch and Miller, but even though Interbrew is one
of the largest brewing concerns in the world, it has taken a different
path from the American mega-breweries.
In the United States, Anheuser-Busch operates a number of breweries around the country, and each of the breweries are designed so they can produce any of the Anheuser-Busch family of beers. The location in Tampa could produce Budweiser on any given day and then switch over to making Michelob or Busch Light. The design is that in any part of the world, Anheuser-Busch could plop down a brewery and begin producing their entire line of beers without variation from what you would get from the original brewery in St. Louis.
Interbrew took a different approach. Recognizing that each
region of Belgium (and then the world) produced distinct beers
that required distinct equipment, instead of creating large corporate
breweries, Interbrew bought out local breweries which continue
to produce their beers to this day. Some of the most commonly
recognized Interbrew properties are:
Belle-Vue Lambics
Hoegaarden
Jupiler
Labatt
Leffe
Rolling Rock
Stella Artois
Dos Equis
Tecate
Interbrew's strategy is that beers should be be produced where they are consumed. Yes, Rolling Rock in Europe is made in various Interbrew facilities in Belgium, but the majority of the 80 brands owned by Interbrew are still produced at the same breweries that they have historically been produced in.
Leffe Blonde, Brewery St.Guibert, Mont-St-Guibert, Belgium
(also produced at De Kluis in Hoegaarden, Belgium).
Though the Abbey at Leffe does not produce beer anymore, they
have licensed the name and the recipe for their beers to Interbrew,
a large Belgian brewing concern. The Blonde, a fantastic beer
when served on tap, unfortunately does not seem to bottle well.
The Leffe Blonde that I consumed on tap was a wonderfully yeasty beer that challenged the palate. However, the bottle that I sampled recently was more akin to Stella Artois, Interbrew's pilsner offering. The Blonde is just that in appearance: golden yellow with no hint of cloudiness that was apparent on the draught sample that I was fortunate enough to have. The bottled version seemed to be lacking in overall character... no strong malt or yeast taste and no real aromatic sense at all. I even allowed the beer to warm above cellar temperature to see if that would help, but alas, it did not.
Before you avoid the Leffe Blonde that you find in your local
package store, please read on. As you probably know from my other
reviews, I am extremely critical of beers, especially Belgian
brews. Even though this review seems scathing, there are some
factors that need to be considered. First off, the facility where
I purchased the Leffe is an unknown. It was my first visit, and
I have no idea how well they store their beers (by the way, in
Connecticut, I recommend the following reputable beer shops: Conti's
Liquors, Southington; Crazy Bruces, West Hartford and Bristol;
Spiritus, Hartford and West Hartford; Maguire's Wines, Simsbury).
Also, since I have had Leffe Blonde before and been thoroughly
impressed, this might have just been a poor sample. The Leffe
that I know and love is a hazy-blonde with a strong malty sweetness
that changes in your mouth to a sour yeasty taste... sort of like
a good Sourdough bread... and is worth searching out. Even this
sample of Leffe Blonde was enjoyable and worth the $5.00 that
I spent on the 750ml bottle... it just wasn't nearly good as the
other Belgian beers that I have recently enjoyed. I hope to re-sample
this beer from another distributor shortly and will update this
review accordingly.
(Avery Glasser)