Belgian-style Blonde Ale - Homebrew Recipe and Results
Like many beer varieties taken over by American craft brewing, the Belgian blonde is a beer that is up for debate. We like ours light and balanced with a sharp bite on the tongue, while others like theirs spicy, sweet, and with a lot of alcohol. Either way, it is a style we love, and we’re excited to brew our first batch of this old-world elixir.
As I always say, the beauty of brewing your own beer is getting to do whatever you want. What I like about a recipe like this is that it is easily adaptable to the preference of the brewer. But here are the basics for our Belgian-style Blonde 1-gallon recipe.
Recipe
Malt
Belgian Pilsner - 24 oz (75% of mash)
Munich - 4 oz (12.5%)
Caramel 15L - 4 oz (12.5%)
As easy as it gets. We mashed our malt at 150℉ for one hour and then sparged with one gallon of 170℉ water. We collected that sweet, sweet wort and moved onto the one-hour boil. Time for some hops!
For the boil we used Golding hops with 5.6% alpha acid. We used Golding for its mild bitterness and its spicy floral and citrus characteristics, and, to be honest, because it was already in the house. You can use pretty much any variety of this you would like. Most Belgian Blonde recipes would use a noble hop variety (Hallertauer Mittelfrüh, Tettnang, Spalt, Saaz), but it’s your brew—use what you want. Onto the boil!
Boil
Golding - 0.15 oz at the start (60 minutes)
Golding - 0.15 oz with 15 minutes remaining
Irish moss (optional) - ⅕ tsp with 15 minutes remaining
Golding - 0.15 oz at flameout (0 minutes)
We then cooled the beer and added 4 grams of preactivated (4 grams yeast in 40 ml of 95-105℉ water for 20-30 minutes) Monk yeast from CellarScience and let it ferment for two weeks to let all those delicious yeast and hop oils dance together. Then we added 1.08 oz of corn sugar (you can use Belgian candi for more Belgian characteristic), bottled it, and waited another grueling two weeks.
Now for the fun. Here’s our first impressions of our Belgian-style Blonde!
Results
On the Eyes--Golden-amber in color, slightly darker than is typical of a Blonde ale, but it is crystal clear, almost like a Tripel. It poured a thick cream-colored head that maintained quite well in a tulip glass.
On the Nose--Light malt sweetness with the Pilsner and Munich malt right on the nose. Floral and citrus notes are gentle and leaning more toward floral than citrus and with just a touch of spice and bready character—right where I like my Belgian-style blondes, or any Blonde ale, really. Onto the taste!
On the Palate--Bready with light citrus touch. It’s got good bite on the tongue, which is a necessity for us in Belgian ale, and we achieved this by adding a bit more priming sugar than usual. The floral and spice from the aroma are light and balanced, though the spice characteristic could be increased with increased fermentation temperature, if that’s your thing. The malt is smooth from the Pilsner and Munich and not overly sweet, and it is balanced with the gentlest bitterness.
Verdict
This Belgian-style blonde is easy to drink with a mild citrus, floral, and spice to balance out the sweetness of the malt. It is clear and as pleasant to look at as it is to drink. It could be made a little lighter in color by either reducing the caramel malt or the Munich malt, but I’m quite fond of the color of this one. If a brewer wanted to add more Belgian character, they could try increasing the fermentation temp to around 72-74℉, or whatever temperature your yeast is recommended for. This will increase the esters and phenols, making it fruitier and spicier. Belgian candi priming sugar could also be used to bring more Belgian power and sweetness to the ale.
Overall, I thought this recipe was easy to brew (a good one for beginners), and it really was a great recipe to test and taste the character of the Pilsner and Munich malt without a whole lot of noise from hops or a complex malt bill. It is also easily adjustable. A brewer can change the hops to something more noble, experiment with fermentation temps to increase or decrease yeast character, and also try some different priming sugars to test the final result on flavor or carbonation. We enjoy the simpler recipes because it is the best way to learn about our ingredients and process. Give this one a try and learn for yourself!
Cheers!
Mr. Brew