Leffe Blonde: The Beer Matt Waited 20 Years to Hate Again

Matt tried Leffe Blonde for the first time in 20 years. It did not go well.This week on Beer, Together, we’re on the Canal du Midi for the second of our France specials, drinking Leffe Blonde from a 750ml bottle and asking whether one of Europe’s most recognisable Belgian beers still deserves its reputation.There’s abbey history, AB InBev, monks, marketing, banana notes, clove, honey, Belgian beer trauma, questionable pronunciation, and the return of Matt’s long-standing problem with beers that smell even slightly of banana.We talk about the story of the Abbey of Leffe, how the beer’s historic identity sits alongside modern global ownership, and whether Leffe Blonde can really be considered craft under our working Italian craft beer definition: independent, under 200,000 hectolitres, unpasteurised and unfiltered.We also get into the important stuff: what food Leffe actually belongs with, whether it works better with pork, chicken, bacon, chips and mayonnaise, or even a roast dinner, and whether a famous beer can still be worth sharing when one of us absolutely detests it.Expect Belgian beer, boat noise, French canal chaos, monks, marketing, a suspicious amount of banana, and two mates trying to work out whether Leffe is a classic, a gateway beer, or just a very well-made pint that Matt never wants to drink again.His name is Matt.He is Elton.And we are Beer, Together.Finding what’s worth sharing.Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Goodpods.Follow us on Instagram and TikTok: @BeerTogether123 and @Beertasting123#LeffeBlonde#Belgianbeer#Abbeybeer#Beerpodcast#Beerreview#Craftbeer#ABInBev#CanalduMidi#France#Foodpairing#Banana#Belgianblondeale#Beertasting#Podcast UK