it may be winter, but the taste of springtime has arrived early with the delicious "izzy"
“Izzy” – our all-new Strawberry Belgian Blonde Ale – brings the invigorating flavors of spring to life! It is truly a beauty to behold, it pours a pink golden hue with a frothy pink head, tickling your senses with aromas of fruit and spice, including strawberry, citrus, banana, clove, bubble gum, and honey.
This ale has a lighter mouthfeel with a touch of bitterness upfront and finishes with a hint of tantalizing slight sweetness — each sip bursting with notes of malty fruitiness that zip across your palette.
This is, hands down, the perfect beer for springing into the year. It may be the tail end of winter, but springtime is right around the corner. It’s light, it’s crisp, it’s easy drinking, it’s jam-packed with strawberry delight, and it’ll leave you craving two more! ABV 6.2%.
Blondes Have More Fun! (Especially Strawberry Blondes)
Belgian-style blondes are pretty much easy-to-drink beers with fluffy heads and low bitterness — superb and spunky beers to wind any day down (or start any day — hello strawberry breakfast beer?).
They tend to have light to medium bodies, contain higher carbonation, vary in different shades of clear gold, and are usually a crisp balance of sweet, earthy, spicey, and oftentimes orangey and lemony fruitiness — without being overly sweet.
On top of that, these ales contain a slight maltiness that pairs divinely with their slight hoppiness. Add in their distinctive spicy, fruity, and honey-like aromas, and you have the ultimate taste bud temptress.
This downable delight is one of the most versatile (goes with almost all the foods) styles of beer to indulge in, whether you need a pick-me-up or just the right beer to drink your Valentine’s Day woes away (or at your Valentine’s Day party — whatever your thing is)
What to Pair With This Scrumptious Beer
You’re all thinking it — what do you pair with a Belgian-style strawberry blonde ale that’s immaculate on its own?
Well, although we want to say nearly anything, we can get a bit more specific than that.
Because the carbonation of this beer is on the higher side, it scrubs your palette in between bites, making it the ultimate beer for spicy food lovers!
On top of that, caramelized meat + malty Belgian blonde ale = mouthwateringly wonderful.
Last, but far from least, if you’re a fish lover, this is your beer because the higher carbonation pairs wonderfully with rich fish dishes (or almost any type of seafood).
Overwhelmed?
Here’s a few tasty food pairing ideas of Big Dog’s bites:
- Our Twice Baked Cajun Wings
- Our Potstickers with Spicy Cilantro-Thai Sauce
- Our Old Fashioned Fish & Chips
- Our Southwestern Style Philly Cheesesteak With A Chihuahua Jalapeno Sauce
Check out our full menu here for more divine dining and drink options.
A Short and Sweet Origin Story
You’ve probably guessed it from the name, but (yes) Belgian-style ales originated in Belgian.
Although the styles we have nowadays are less than 100 years old, Belgian home brewing started in the Middle Ages because beer was a huge source of sustenance (safer than water) in households back in the day, long before Belgian brewers sold Belgian beers outside of the home.
Fast forward a few centuries to Belgians brewers selling their delicious wares, and lagers began to skyrocket in Europe in the 18th century.
Belgian brewers decided to shake things up so that they could still create something highly sought after and continue to make that money. Therefore, they used Belgian ale yeasts and pale pilsner malt to create a new beer — the golden ale.
From this they changed the world of beer forever (what a sad state we would be in today without them).
Since then, their creations evolved (like all beers), and we’ve derived the marvelous variations of that style that we know today as the golden strong, the blonde, and the tripel — all equally life-changing, but also sometimes difficult to distinguish from one another.
When in doubt which is your favorite style, we recommend trying them all.
The cool art comes to us from long-time art contributor Trey Shaw. Trey has done the art on some our coolest, most iconic cans, including our upcoming line up of brand new 16 oz. signature beer can designs. “Izzy” is named after a certain real life human and future dancer/actress/princess/world leader who is very precious to the team here at Big Dog’s.
