Pyramid Curve Ball Blonde Ale
Inspired by the traditional Kölsch style beers of Cologne, Germany, Curve Ball boasts a clean, crisp slightly herbal taste and a lighter body. Availability: April - July
Malts:
2-Row Pale Barley, Malted Wheat
Hops:
Vanguard, Perle
OG: 12.0
Malts:
2-Row Pale Barley, Malted Wheat
Hops:
Vanguard, Perle
OG: 12.0
2.7
459 reviews
Seattle, United States
Community reviews
Draft. Pours golden with thin white head. A lot of corn and some bread on the aroma and flavor. Overall a plain beer that I will call, .. okay.
Reviewed from notes.
This kolsch was poured into a pint glass more than enough times, but the night I had this for reviewing purposes, it was poured into a stange. However, the only difference I’ve ever noticed was the head lasted longer in the stange.
The appearance was a nice light golden colored yellow with a one finger white foamy head in both glasses. The lacing is about the same in both.
The smell had a light crackery graininess with some light spices in an herbal yet earthy sort of way.
The taste was a light sweet crackeriness and a nice light refreshing sort of spice indicating this would go well with the recent weather I’ve been having in Southeast Alaska. There was no aftertaste but left a decent dry finish.
On the palate, it sat fairly light and displayed a decent sessionable quality running about my mouth and tongue with a light carbonation about it.
Overall, I say this is a wonderful kolsch-styled beer by an American brewer well worthy of having again.
Bomber. Mostly clear golden yellow, lasting white fine foam. Aroma is muted, fruity biscuity malt. Bland bready light malt taste, kinda fruity, hint of citrus, faint spicy floral herbal notes. Average carbonation, light oily body, low hopped. Gets more lemony as it warms. Nice enough basic blonde. MLF (More Lagerboy Friendly)
Bottle. Pours a slightly hazy golden color with a smallish white head on there. Smell has some corn and grains in there, and reminds me of a lot of lagers I’ve had. Taste is a little sweet up front, and again has a bit of corn flavor to it. OK, but nothing special.
Chalky and dry, smells like a moldy old book. Hazy golden, most kolschs I’ve tried are crystal clear. taste is like stale saltine crackers. I wish American brewers would date their bottles on the labels like the Germans. At least then you know if it’s bad. Here I’m guessing they tried to make it taste like this....
12oz bottle pours with a deep dirty golden body with a slight haze and supporting a thin bright white head. The aroma offers up malt sweetened lime and lemon as well as a bit of earthy notes and grainy malts. The taste begins with slim sweetened lemon and lime notes and then running into sugar sweet malts. The hops get to a modest degree of bitterness toward midway but overall the flavor stays just too sweet for the style and it lacks freshness and crispness. Decent though. It would be cool to try this very fresh and from the tap and taste how it stacks up to the better to style brews.
Aroma is malty, sweet stone fruit, herbal aroma hops. Appearance is hazy dark straw with small off white head. Taste is sweet grain, light apricot peach, herbal from hops linger. Light smooth hop bitterness. Palate is medium. Carbonation is light but present. Light fruit and grainy sweetness linger with underlying herbal. Overall a very nice easy to drink refreshing beer.
Light caramel/butter, bread, floral aroma and flavor. Sweet, herbal, and subtle toasty flavors.
Tap. Very light floral fruity aroma. Pale yellow with little head. Taste also light and floral. Watery mouthfeel.
On tap at the Pyramid taphouse in Berkeley. Pours golden orange. Sweet citrus aromas. Ok beer
bottle. pours hazy yellow with solid white head. wheat and orange aroma. taste like a hefeweizen
Whole Foods, Bowery 35.5cl ($2): Pours gold. Smells like a blonde ale. Tastes like a beer that would be really commendable if it were the flagship beer of a third world country. Otherwise, this is just something that you can down in a couple of sips and be less unpleasant than a PBR.
12oz bottle. cloudy gold, thin head. light spicy aroma. light drinking, smooth finish
Bottle. Pours a clear gold with small white head. Settles quickly with no lacing. Aroma is fruity, sweet, mildly pale/bitter, malty, and bread. Flavor is fruity, peach, apple, mildly bitter, dough finish. Moderate carbonation, light body, and light, bubbly texture, mildly watery. A mediocre beer.
~Light sweet bready aroma with light spicy noble hop
~Pours clear golden color that has a slight haze, barely a white head.
~Sweet bready malt flavor with noble spicy hops.
~Medium light bodied with high CO2, bitter bready finish.
~Decent beer. Nothing really special. Good on a hot day.
Serving: 12 oz. bottle from Wegmans Leesburg. It pours a nice gold color with a small white head. The nose is a little light with slight grain notes. It’s a little sweet on the tongue with notes of light honey, grain and a slight bitterness on the back end. Fairly clean finish. Not terrible per se, but not the greatest Kolsch.
12 oz bottle from Wilbur’s. Gold and slightly hazy with a small white head. The aroma is light citrus, light herbs, pretty mild. Similar flavor with light spices and biscuits/bread, light sweetness. Light, thin body with a crisp, clean feel and average carbonation. Even on a hot day, it was pretty meh.
Labeled as a blonde ale, listed a kolsch, not good for the style either way.
Bottle. Pours golden with an amber hue, huge white head. Light fruity aroma with a touch of hop. Really refreshing. Light hops, citrus and sweet fruit malts. Light in body. Found on end of season loose bottle clearance. Not bad for $1.15.
From a bottle poured a copper color with a fair amount of head. Light malty flavor with a quick finish.
bottle. straw with small head. crisp kolsch, but lacking slightly in flavor. not that bad, but not that good either.
Thin hazy straw colored head. Bubbly and crisp but with a strange sort of sourness to it. Not a german or dutch kolsch by any means but I like it when a brewer actually makes an attempt on my favorite style. Very drinkable.
From notes: Poured clear straw color with a 1-finger white head. Mild lemony aroma mixed with a grainy note and a touch of yeast. Body is light-to-medium and slightly oily. Mild lemon flavor with biscuity yeast in the finish, with peppery and grassy notes as it warms.
Pyramid Curve Ball Blonde Ale is a very sparkling, golden ale with no head and a turbulent surface. It has a bright, lemony aroma with light grain, maybe wheat. It’s light bodied and crisp. It leaves my mouth feeling like I just ate an apple. It’s lightly flavored with a grassy bitterness at the finish. There seems to be a very light sweetness throughout. There are hints of lemon, apple and pear. This was a good choice after mowing the lawn.
Bottle, Sandy Lane, CA, 31/08/12....and my last beer in California. For the time being. Gold under a big bloom of shrinking head. Boiled vegetables, coriander aroma with a dollop of butter. Soap, almond and coriander-like leafiness on the palate with cooked veg and card off-notes. Not attractive.
Not bad but not great either. Just a simple beer. Pours a golden straw yellow with a white head. Faint smells of malt with some banana. Very drinkable and very refreshing on a hot day
Does what you expect after seeing the clear crisp pour. Clean and crisp. Wonderful lawnmower beer if you will. Nothing bad or special.
On tap at Dante’s. Blond decent head retention. Smells like it tastes, sweet slight banana belgiumy and malty. Drinkable, not that great.
Aroma is lemon, pale wheat, yeast and sweet, buttery malts. The aroma just screams Kolsch, and it’s one of my favorite lager styles, I’m down with it. It smells very inviting. Touch of cloves.
The straw yellow look won’t inspire too much salivation, although the carbonation is surprisingly strong, making it more than your typical pale lager.
The lemon zest beautifully compliments the buttery malts. There is a touch of citrus orange, very slight.
A surprising amount of body. Well-bodied but not fizzy; it’s smooth and buttery. As far as a summery lager goes, this one is on the mark.
Solid but not great. A classy blonde ale in the American style (tastes like adjuncts used). A lil bit light a Budweiser. 3, 3,6, 3, 12.
Rerate: Flavorful. nice fruity flavors.maybe slightly banana? Very nice malt profile. Excellent brew.
5, 2, 7, 4, 13