A simple but effective Blond ale recipe. Not all my beer names have a story behind them but this one does.
Pete’s a friend of mine that has spent many-an-hour with a chainsaw in hand. He used to build log homes in the mountains of Colorado. Out in the log yard, he had a reputation for getting things done fast-and-right with his saw. This earned him the another nickname “2-stroke Pete”. It’s a reference, among other things, to his chainsaw’s engine type and his skill.
Pete still builds. These days he makes custom furniture and cabinets.
Whether its been a long day at the log yard or installing cabinets, a nice cold Blond ale seems to go down smooth and gets the job done. Cheers to building something with your hands!
Overview
- Packaging volume: 19 L (5 gal)
- OG 1.056
- SRM 4.7
- IBU 21
- Mash at 65° C for 60 minutes
- Boil for 30 minutes
Fermentables
- Pale 2-row (4kg)
- Crystal 10L (500g)
- Table Sugar (500g) *add in the last 5-10 minutes of boil
Hops
- Saaz (USA) 80g at 30 minutes *goal is 19 IBUs.
- Saaz (USA) 15g at 10 minutes
- Saaz (USA) 15g at flameout (steep for 15 min if you like)
*I used a ton of Saaz because a buddy of mine gave me a bunch. I recommend subbing a higher alpha hop to get the initial 19-ish IBUs. Feel free to extend the boil too.
Yeast
- US-05 (I used a slurry but pitching a packet of dry yeast straight into the chilled wort will work nicely too)
*If you don’t like US-05 (you’re weird) but use any Chico strain or something like Nottingham from Danstar. My only beef with US-05 is that is seems to be a poor flocculator. But that’s nothing a little gelatin and time won’t take care of.
Fermentation
- Chill wort to 17° C
- Let it rise to 18° C
- Hold at 18° C for 3-4 days
- Raise temp to 22° C until final gravity is reached
- Package (how you do)
Water Profile
- Balanced (Chloride to Sulfate)
Tasting
As you probably know, Blond ale is a style well know for being a “gateway” beer to the craft beer world. This beer holds true to that.
It has a restrained bitterness that I only picked up on when really looking for it.
Well rounded (another way of saying balanced!)
Crisp and smooth and I don’t like that I’m saying it but…crushable, supremely crushable.
I’m looking forward to keeping the grist the same and changing up the hops and yeast to play a little with this one.
Comments are welcome!