What makes a "blonde"?

Grains, malts, hops, yeast, water and other ingredients used to brew. Recipe reviews and suggestions.

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wouldy
Light Lager
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What makes a "blonde"?

Post by wouldy »

I have begun to enjoy beers that are labled blonde, but don't know what it really means. Can anyone tell me what the criteria is in english rather than numbers?

Thanks,
Rusti
fitz
Strong Ale
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I'll give it a shot.

Post by fitz »

In english, it would be a very light clean finishing beer. Very close to a Pilsner, but most of the time with less hop bite. Some would refer to this as a slightly heavier than lawn mower beer.
Moravian Pilsner malt on an all grain recipe.
Extra light extract on and extract recipe.
Probably 1 ounce, half ounce, half ounce of a mixture of hallertau and saaz hops would get you pretty close. clean finish yeast.
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jeff
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BJCP has this to say

Post by jeff »

Style: 3A
Category: Light Ale
Subcategory: Blond Ale

Aroma:
Some fruitiness; may have low to medium hop bouquet, principally from American hop varieties. Light maltiness. Low diacetyl OK.

Appearance:
Pale straw to deep gold in color. Clear to brilliant. Good head retention.

Flavor:
Soft, lightly malty palate, some fruitiness and hop flavor present. Usually balanced with a light to medium bitterness, though the accent tilts towards malt. Hop bitterness low to medium, although some versions are very restrained with hops, making the beer sweet in character. Low levels of diacetyl acceptable.

Mouthfeel:
Medium body, though lighter mouthfeel from higher carbonation may be noticed.

Overall Impression:
This beer is generally balanced with light hops and malt as an introduction to alternate beer styles for the mass-market beer consumer.

History:
Currently produced by (American) microbreweries and brewpubs.

Comments:

Ingredients:
Generally all malt.

Examples:
Catamount Gold, Goose Island Blonde, Bridgeport Pintail Ale.
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