That gorgeous hop aroma . . . 

Could it be any more fresh? Spicy, piquant, right in our face. If we’re not mistaken, there’s more than a hint of the Saison about this blonde beer. Something earthy and spicy, a complexity that almost frightens, but at the same time beckons, and tantalizes. We love it when a beer is so forward, so fearless – so sophisticated, but so excitingly rough. Yes, talk dirty to us.

Daniel Thiriez’s rustic little brick-and-beam brewery graces the village of Esquelbecq, plunk in the middle of the rolling farm country of French Flanders. With a brewing degree from a Belgian university, and decidedly ‘Belgian-oriented,’ Monsieur Thiriez makes ales with an earthy, slightly wild character that recalls the early days of farmhouse brewing, before there was a border between France and Belgium. The delicate spicy champagne aromas of this thirst-quenching blonde beauty are quickly followed by a bracing rush of whole fresh hops.

• At the beginning of 2005 there was a new addition to the Jenlain family, in the form of a special 7.5% blonde bière de garde. Sister of the majestic Jenlain Ambrée, this queen of beers, Jenlain Blonde is light in color, but full-flavored, like any self-respecting blond beer. Its arrival marks a happy event for all traditional blond beer enthusiasts!

• Aged for 40 days before bottling, it matures slowly to release its full aroma and develop a fine, long-lasting head. After filtration, it takes on a splendid golden hue and is best enjoyed when served chilled at between 6 and 8°C.

• Packaged in the same way as its illustrious forerunner, declared Taste of the Year 2006 and winner of a Silver Medal at the 2006 Paris Agricultural Show, Jenlain Blonde is yet another example of how the brewery remains faithful to its values of authenticity and modernity.