The Dedly Blog

Beer In Review: Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

Well, it's Friday so I should keep things upbeat by writing about beer. After all of the fruity beers I've reviewed this summer, you're probably looking for something more traditional. Well, today's entry is Red Hook's Blonde Ale. It's a golden straw-colored, light-bodied ale with just enough hoppiness in it to let you know that you're drinking a beer. Wheat malt is used along with the Czech hops (No, I didn't know that just by drinking it) so you're dealing with a middle of the road kinda beer on the hoppiness and maltiness spectrums. It's a good introductory beer for people used to only drinking the swill from the top 3 brewers.

I've enjoyed the blonde with burgers and hot dogs and just about anything else I've cooked on the grill. It's also good with fajitas. 5.4% ABV. Although I think the Blonde is best enjoyed in the summer, it's available year round. And thanks to a distribution deal with Anheuser-Busch (Bud), Red Hook beer can be found in 48 states.

Which reminds me of a pet peeve. Prohibition may be dead, but Regulation in the spirits industry is thriving. I don't know how bad other states are, but in Connecticut, the state determines what can or can't be sold and the minimum price at which said beer can be sold. It's bad enough that there's a "sin tax" on liquor. I'm having a hard time swallowing the increases in beer prices. I'm looking at $8 to $9 a six pack for craft beer. One can usually get a break if one buys a 12-pack, but not all craft breweries offer them.

If I had the time and the space, it would make more sense for me to just brew my own beer. My past recipes have always come out to be less expensive that store bought craft brew. Sure, I'm cutting out alot of the extraneous costs (labor, shipping, bribing distributors, etc.) but I'm paying retail for my ingredients. Economies of scale should favor the craft brewers. It certainly favors the swill producers.

What happened to letting the market decide what's a fair price? It's time to deregulate the spirits market. I'd start lobbying my state representative but he's retiring after this term and the legislative session has ended for this year. Whoever wins (I don't even know who's running) will be hearing from me. Even if they ignore me, I'm going to pester them. Beer drinkers of the nation, unite!

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DED

posted by DED at 10:45 AM