Hey there, brewery Huyghe of Belgium. I got a question for ya. Why the heck is your La Guillotine Ale so darned expensive? I had it at my local Taco Mac and it was a decent beer, if not an exceptional one. I get that specialty beers are more expensive these days than ever before, and imported Belgian brews almost always carry a premium. Still and all, La Guillotine is one of the most expensive beers I’ve come across in a while.
The label calls this beer a “Golden Blond” and it fits in stylistically in the Belgian Blonde category. Click the button above with the same name to see more examples. It was tasty enough but, to be quite frank, did not impress me as anything earth-shattering. It definitely did not justify the price in my opinion.
So, you’re asking, how about that price? How expensive was it? At Taco Mac, an 11-ounce glass of La Guillotine would set you back $13.50. That’s an amazing $1.23 an ounce. Curiously, you could get a 5-ounce nooner glass for $5.00, $1.00 an ounce, so that’s what I did, out of curiosity if nothing else.
In bottles, La Guillotine runs $13.99 for a 750 ML bottle or 55 cents an ounce. The most affordable form to buy this beer in is a 4-pack of 11.2 ounce bottles for $22.99 at 51 cents per ounce, though I hesitate to refer to a beer that runs $22.99 a 4-pack as affordable. The beer is not even all that strong at 8.5% by volume.
So, you’re asking, how was La Guillotine? Mine arrived a hazy blonde color with a light white head formation and a rather non-descript aroma. Taking a sip, there’s a little musty yeastiness, a smooth and light maltiness, a balanced hop bitterness and a little warming alcohol in the finish. On the website, Huyghe says they use Saaz, Brewers Gold and Amarillo hops.
There’s nothing exceptional about La Guillotine, and it is to me far and away overpriced. 3 ½ stars on its own merits, I’ll take it down to two considering the price. The only way I’d buy it again is if Huyghe decides to take that Guillotine on the label and chop the price down to size. Only time will tell if that will happen, but apparently I was not the only one deterred by the price. I tried a glass of La Guillotine on March 23rd and as I type it's May 26th, and that same keg is still on tap at Taco Mac.
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.
(B)=Bottled
(D)=Draft
(G)=Growler