Blonde summer ale type recipe

[cheapbrew]

I made beer many many moons ago, geordie, boots kits etc and my uncle got into using malt and hops before he had kids, but I haven't made any for ages as beer bloats me out these days so I prefer making wine, but I do like the odd couple a pints o beer and the blonde type summer ales particularly, although I'm partial to a Guinness too.

My mates son works at a local brewery and I'm waiting to have a chat with him and to pick his brains and his dad says he may be even able to get me some ingredients, but I thought I would also ask the good folks on here what malt and hops and method would best suit a blonde style brew?

 

[GlentoranMark]

Reading my Wort App a blonde ale shoul have an

OG of between 1.038- 1.054
Bittering 15-18
ABV 3.8-5.5%
Color 3-6
FG 1.008 -1.015

Generally all malt but other ingredients like sugar an honey can be added.

Without knowing what your beer tasted like a simple SMASH might work well, this means using something like Maris Otter and a hop like Cascade/ Northdown/ Citra. I' look into the hops to see what flavours the ale had, was it citrusy, woody ect.and pick a suitable hop. Keeping it simple will give you an idea of the flavours so you can tweak or change for your next brew.

 

[TheRedDarren]

Hi mate,
There are many many recipes available out there to make a blonde style beer.
If you can narrow it down a bit, it'll make it easier for someone to offer a suitable recipe.
English, Belgian or American styles would probably be a good starting point.

What I would say is to add 10% sugar to the grain bill. Belgian styles are well known for this as it increases 'digestibility' of the ale. In other words, less bloaty. It's the malt (gluten) that tends to cause digestion issues.

A nice summer ale would have a simple grain bill, have light refreshing hops and a clean fermentation character. I'll be making a Boon Doggle clone soon and will be happy to share if it's any good.

 

[cheapbrew]

wow you guys were quick...thank you,
yes I'm wanting to speak to my mates brewing lad to see if he can tell me what they use in their blonde ale as I really like it, I got given several 3L bottles through the summer, the brewing lad gets several litres a day allowance and he gives some to his dad who like me cannot drink loads so we share it. (had a few of his other beers which were nice but the blonde was my favourite)

I know what smash is (Well I think its single malt and single hop?) but you mention grain bill and I'm lost on that, is it the total of different grains used?

EDIT: I found clibit's hops guide well good!

 

[GlentoranMark]

Maris Otter is a base grain used in many brews, you need it crushed but shops sell it crushed. If your unsure of all grain, it's not that more difficult just more time consuming. Clibit has an excellent thread on doing your first one, give it a go you should have most of the equipment around your house.

Yes a Smash is what you say, use Maris Otter for your first one as it's easy to obtain an is used widely. Pick your hops to match your flavours, if you want batch sizes I'll knock up a recipe for you but that's also easy to do. 6 months ago I was in your shoes and didn't have a clue.

 

[clibit]

To make a really nice blonde ale you want to use grain, rather than malt extract, and a hop that you like. You may know what hops you like, if not, name some beers you like.

Making beer from grain is a simple process, which can be done on a small scale with very little equipment. See the Simple AG thread in the "how to guide" forum.

 

[cheapbrew]

Thanks GM,
what is the grain bill?

I had a look through the beer brewing side of the forum and have seen clibits simple AG thread and have read about BIAB and found info on hops etc just want to find out what my mates son uses if I can (and maybe get some from him), otherwise I'm ok with it all and if not I will just go for it with help on grain and hop choices from here.

I have quite a bit of kit I use for wine making that I can use and some massive catering ali saucepans is aluminium ok to use for heating grain though?

 

[clibit]

For a blonde ale you just need pale malt, Maris Otter for example. Plus a hop and a yeast. Good English hops for blonde ales are Goldings, First Gold, Challenger. Styrian Goldings are also great for a blonde. Popular American hops for blondes are things like Cascade and Willamette. Or you could use New Zealand hops like Motueka or Wakatu.

An aluminum pan is fine.

 

[GlentoranMark]

I don't know about aluminium, sorry, I'm sure someone will tell you it's OK.

For a 5L brew.

If you've a home brew shop close to you go there and buy your grains and hops. Just ask for 1kg Maris Otter crushed, should cost around £1.50 (P&P will probably cost more than the grains lol) and pick a hop mentioned above. PM me your address and I'll send you some hops, I've a load spare that are slowly going out of date so I don't mind. You'll also need a yeast, have you any brews on atm? You can re-use that yeast to save you some money otherwise pick something like Safale US-05 which is good for ales.

Follow Clibits guide is the best advice. He simplifies everything, you can worry about mash bins, boilers etc when you get hooked (and you will get hooked). All of the equipment shoul be around your home for a 5L batch, only when you want to upscale things do you need more equipment. A edicated boiler for instance sped me up by about an hour, wort chiller by another hour, mash bin to keep temperatures constant ect. but you don't need all this for a 5L brew. The only thing you need is a pot big enough.

 

[cheapbrew]

An Ali pan is ok to use then thank you clibit. (and for all your great guides too!)

GM, I'm hoping for some possibly free or cheap hops from the brewing lad but may take up your kind offer if he cannot help.

Also got a couple of burco boilers which I've seen mentioned on here a few times (I collected them as I used to use them for my biodiesel brewing, interestingly the hobbies are very similar)

 

[GlentoranMark]

Biodiesel interests me so that could be a swop of ideas. I've a diesel car and although prices are dropping I can get a supply of used chip pan oil

You won't need any special equipment for a 5L brew and as you already home brew you should have everything else like a hydrometer.

 

[cheapbrew]

I'm happy to help if I can, I'm admin/mod on a couple of good biodiesel forums

We have the biodiesel wiki and forum www.biopowered.co.uk/
and http://www.vegetableoildiesel.co.uk/mybbforum

Both full of great helpful people just like on here.

The first step is securing regular used veg oil supplies so you have a good start:thumb:

 

[terrym]

I'm happy to help if I can, I'm admin/mod on a couple of good biodiesel forums

We have the biodiesel wiki and forum www.biopowered.co.uk/
and http://www.vegetableoildiesel.co.uk/mybbforum

Both full of great helpful people just like on here.

The first step is securing regular used veg oil supplies so you have a good start:thumb:

My understanding is that although it's OK if you have an older diesel engine in your vehicle, you are well advised not to use biodiesel in modern car diesel engines especially from a homebrew chip fat converter however attractive it may seem.
My VW (yes I know!!) manual says biodiesel should not be used or it will result in damage to the engine and fuel system. Blended diesel to European Standard 590 is apparently OK however.
Anyone thinking of doing this should check their vehicle manual first.

 

[GlentoranMark]

Sorry for going a bit OT.

I've a 2005 Peugeot 205, 90k. From what I've already read on the subject it's OK when treated so long as you change your ?fuel filter?. It's just the space could be a problem for me, my missus is crying about my home brewed stuff. I'm also unsure if my supply would be enough. My mate owns a cafe so I'd have to ask him how much he goes through in a week, he owned a chippy before which would have been a better supply. I know there are also revenue issues. I'll have a look at that forum though, thanks.

The offer is still there for the hops, just find a home brew shop for your grains. I'm lucky that I have one 10 mins from my house.

 

[ManseMasher]

What you might find handy is Greg Hughes' book - 'Home Brew Beer'. I got mine from Amazon for 3 quid. It's probably gone up now, but easily worth 15. Step-by-step instructions, good explanations and some nice recipes. Well worth the money, in my opinion....

 

[cheapbrew]

Thanks MM, I do like books if I get them free as they are quick to scan through to find something, but I'm a scrounger/tightarse/cheapskate type so free online stuff is good for me, especially with all the great info folks on here offer.

and just one last bit on the biodiesel stuff then we'll leave it for another thread or PM, or come over to the biofuel forums.
I've been making and using it for over 10 yrs and there are a lot of stories about biodiesel, but if its made properly it is fine, just like wine, its the bad batches that get home brewing a bad reputation!

Anyway pump diesel has 5% biodiesel in it to replace the lubricity lost when lead was removed, and its set to rise to a higher percentage soon.

now lets get back on topic :nono:

 

[TartanSpecial]

if you are doing a smash type blonde ale you might want to consider pushing the definition a bit and adding 0.5kg Carapils to help add body, and help head retention.

edit: 0.5kg for a 23ltr/5 gallon batch

 

[cheapbrew]

So if I was doing do a 5L batch it would need 1kg maris otter crushed, would the 100g of carapils be in addition to this, or replace some of this?

Off to re read the thread to then to figure out which type and how much hops for 5L and when to add and for how long.

 

[TartanSpecial]

So if I was doing do a 5L batch it would need 1kg maris otter crushed, would the 100g of carapils be in addition to this, or replace some of this?
.

depends how strong you want the beer...I like 5%+ brews so if it were me I'd have carapils in addition to the maris otter. Also and extra bit of malt gives you more wiggle room in case your mash efficiency is less than planned.

 

[GlentoranMark]

So if I was doing do a 5L batch it would need 1kg maris otter crushed, would the 100g of carapils be in addition to this, or replace some of this?

Off to re read the thread to then to figure out which type and how much hops for 5L and when to add and for how long.

Either/ or. It doesn't matter. It will add more expense as you'll only be able to buy the carapils in 500g sizes.The more grains you add the stronger the beer will be. I use the Wort App for Android to create a recipe.

Simple Blonde
1kg Maris Otter

Bring 8.4L water up to 75°, add your grains and insulate well. This should bring your grains down to a target mash of 67°. Leave for an hour and then drain your wort. Boil for 1 hour with 7g Cascade hops. Chill in the sink until the wort drops below 25° and then pitch your yeast. It's that simple!

The above will give you a 4.4% brew and be a blonde colour.

If you decide to add 100g carapils it will add extra flavour (I've never used it before so I'll have to try it myself) and bring your beer up to 4.7%. Add it at the same stage as your Maris Otter.

You can also substitute the cascade for any other hop although I'd stick to one that adds both Bittering and Aroma. You can also add more or less depending on your hoppiness level.

If you've an Android phone I can really recommend the Wort App.