Is it just me, or is Deschutes's calendar somewhat off? I mean, Jubelale is typically released in September and available through February, when, apparently, spring starts with Red Chair. Come May, and summer hits with Twilight which, fair enough, does seem appropriate. Maybe Deschutes should introduce an autumn beer just to get back in line with the rest of us?

Anyway.

These seasonal ales tend to be very similar every year, with just minor flavor profile adjustments. I didn't particularly care for the '11 edition, and though the '12 edition fared better, it was still a bit dull and forgettable.

This year you won't see anything super exciting either. Granted, a summer blonde isn't supposed to be too exciting, I guess, and fair is far: the '13 is somewhat superior to the previous years. There really is nothing downright wrong with it, and it's a refreshing beer. 

A slightly hazy golden color greets you, while a crisp white head laces the glass well. The citric nose is backed by a subtle malty backbone, with a hint of hops thrown in for good measure.

Flavorwise? It's fine. Traces of orange dominates a noticeable yeastiness. The malts are there alongside the hops, and it's all good and dandy. I still don't really love the mouthfeel. It's a bit thin and almost overshadowed by a fairly extreme carbonation. And…

Look, I get it. It's a summer blonde. It's not designed to knock your socks off. It's probably my problem wanting the beer to be something it isn't. 

I can't help to wonder if blondes in general are a bit too far on the light side, even for summer ales. So far I'd much prefer sipping No-Li's Mosaic or Elysian's Superfuzz; both pales and both better than Twilight.

How many beers does Elysian release a year? Or month for that matter? Hell, one could probably start looking at their weekly schedule. I seem to find a new beer from them every time I go to the store.

That's not a bad thing, mind you, as the diversity of their beer is pretty impressive, and the quality is more often than not at least pretty good.

Superfuzz is just that: pretty good, or even quite good depending on your point of view. It's a blood orange pale running in at a session-y 5.4% ABV with 45 IBUs. A mild ale and one that, as the Blood Orange part of the name suggests, screams summer.

I quite liked it, but wish there was a bit more of a blood orange flavor to it. I certainly can understand why Elysian would want to keep it balanced, but just a liiiittle bit more of a kick would have sealed the deal for me.

It does have the traits one would expect from a blood orange ale, of course. The color is deep orange, bordering on red, topped by a good white head. Give it a whiff, and the orange hits well, flanked by malts and hops. The latter comes off as something one would expect from a standard pale.

Then, the flavor… I like it, but, as already mentioned, I wish the blood orange was just a liiiittle more pronounced. The standard pale backbone is not bad, but also not insanely exciting. Had the blood orange been just a liiiittle more flavor forward, I'd say this would have been a perfect summer ale.

All in all I might be too hard on the Superfuzz. I liked it. I think my opinion will be more positive when we approach the eighty degree mark, and the beer is sipped as a summer seasonal. Either way the Superfuzz is one worth trying. It is at least pretty good.