Bountiful Blonde Ale - Homebrew Recipe and Results

Dark beer winter has come and gone. And while it may have left a lot of empty bottles and a few pounds to shed, the Brew family is excited to progress forward into lighter and hoppier beers.

Just in time for spring and summer, we decided to brew a Blonde Ale. Light and effervescent, and as sessionable as anything, this easy recipe is designed for easy sipping on a boat, at camp, or watering the backyard in your underwear. Anywhere you want!

The complexity of winter beers is balanced by the simplicity of this one. You might even have the ingredients sitting around to make a batch right now. Here they are for our 1-gallon batch:

Mash

• 2-row - 95% - 1.9 lbs. for 1 gallon batch

• Caramel 15L - 5% - 0.1 lbs. for 1 gallon batch

Hops

• 0.2 oz. Willamette for 1 gal. (leftover from our Rum Barrel Porter) - added at start of boil.

• Could also use Fuggle, Tettnang, Golding, or any hops you damn well choose.

Yeast

• Safale S-05

Priming Sugar

• Corn sugar, or

• A local honey might add a touch of floral sweetness.

The procedure is pretty straightforward. Mash grains for 60 minutes. Sparge. Boil for 60 minutes. Add hops at the start of the boil. Cool to 70℉. Pitch yeast. Ferment. Add priming sugar. Bottle. Wait patiently for the warming sun.

It is really hard to beat an easy drinking, fresh tasting brew of your own making. This recipe is simple and fun, which translates into a crushable beer. Here are our first impressions.

First Impressions:

• On the eyes--Pale straw color. Little head formation, and pretty clear.

• On the nose--Light! Crisp! Some malt sweetness mixed with herbal and floral hop aroma.

• On the palate--Herbal and floral notes first with a hint of spice from the early addition of Willamette hops. Light in malt sweetness but the gentle caramel character is noticeable. It has a distinct bread-like quality. It is clear and refreshing and balanced quite well for being such a light beer. Ours lacked a little carbonation. Likely a miscalculation in priming sugar, but an easy fix.

Verdict:

Tastes like a blonde ale should, that’s our final verdict. If you wish from something a little hoppier or fruitier, add some hops near the end or dry-hop to add the aroma you’re looking for. This blonde would pair nicely with hamburgers, smoked meats, spicy food, and another blond ale. We will be making this recipe again, maybe even in a larger batch. But the true victory is that Mrs. Brew likes it. She’s so damned picky.

We paired it with cajun shrimp and the Blonde Ale was a perfect compliment to the lemon and spice. 

Brew your own blonde ale and tell us what you think. On toward summer!

Cheers!

Mr. Brew