All-grain · 20 L (5.3 gal)
Belgian Blond Ale Recipe
BJCP 25A · Belgian Blond Ale
Golden and medium-bodied, with alcohol that barely shows, soft fruit and spice from the Belgian yeast and a dry finish. The easiest-drinking Belgian.
Belgian Blond Ale recipe by the numbers
- Batch size
- 20 L (5.3 gal)
- Original gravity
- 1.065
- Final gravity
- 1.010
- ABV
- 7.2%
- Bitterness
- 24 IBU
- Color
- 5 SRM (9 EBC)
- Mash
- 65 °C (149 °F) for 60 minutes
- Boil
- 60 minutes
- Fermentation
- 18 °C (64 °F) rising to 21 °C (70 °F), 2 weeks
- Bottling
- 6.8 g of sugar per liter (0.9 oz/gal)
About 195 kcal per 330 ml (11 oz) bottle, worked out from its original and final gravity.
Belgian Blond Ale recipe: ingredients and steps
Batch size
Recipe for 20 liters (5.3 US gallons) into the fermenter.
Malts
| Malt | Amount | % |
|---|---|---|
| Pilsner malt4 EBC (2 °L) | 4.90 kg (10.80 lb) | 84.5% |
| Munich malt15 EBC (6 °L) | 0.30 kg (0.66 lb) | 5.2% |
| Carapils malt4 EBC (2 °L) | 0.20 kg (0.44 lb) | 3.4% |
| White sugar0 EBC (1 °L) | 0.40 kg (0.88 lb) | 6.9% |
Hops
| Hop | Amount | When |
|---|---|---|
| Hallertau Mittelfrüh4% alpha acids | 50 g (1.76 oz) | 60 minBittering |
| Saaz3.5% alpha acids | 25 g (0.88 oz) | 15 minFlavor |
You will also need
Yeast: Dry Belgian abbey yeast, such as BE-256: one 11.5 g (0.4 oz) packet; two is safer.
Water: About 29.5 L (7.8 gal): 16 L (4.2 gal) for the mash and 13 L (3.4 gal) for the sparge.
Priming sugar: 6.8 g of white sugar per liter bottled (0.9 oz/gal): about 130 g (4.6 oz) for 19 L (5 gal). It's fairly highly carbonated, so use thick bottles: Belgian beer or champagne bottles.
Hops: pellets, kept in the freezer until brew day.
Step by step
- Heat 16 L (4.2 gal) of water to 71 °C (160 °F), add the crushed malt and stir until there are no lumps. It should settle at about 65 °C (149 °F): hold that temperature for 60 minutes, covered.
- Lift out the grain and sparge it with 13 L (3.4 gal) of water at 76 °C (169 °F). You should collect about 24 L (6.3 gal) of wort at 1.050; the sugar makes up the rest.
- Boil for 60 minutes, uncovered and vigorously. At the start, add the 50 g (1.8 oz) of Hallertau; with 15 minutes left, 25 g (0.9 oz) of Saaz and the 400 g (14.1 oz) of sugar, stirring so it doesn't stick.
- Chill as fast as you can to 18 °C (64 °F), transfer about 20 L (5.3 gal) to the sanitized fermenter and take a gravity reading: it should be around 1.065.
- Aerate, pitch the yeast and ferment at 18 °C (64 °F) for the first three days; then let it rise slowly to 21 °C (70 °F) so it finishes dry.
- When the gravity stays at 1.010 for three days in a row, bottle with the priming sugar dissolved in a little boiled water and let it carbonate for three weeks at room temperature.
Starting cool is what prevents harsh alcohols and too much banana: don't pitch it any warmer than 19 °C (66 °F).
If your Hallertau isn't 4% alpha acids, use 50 × 4 ÷ your percentage, in grams, to keep it at about 24 IBU.
The style: Belgian Blond Ale (BJCP 25A), with its history, its numbers and other ways to brew it.
Different setup? Recalculate with the water calculator, the IBU calculator and the priming sugar calculator.
Rating recipes and keeping a brew log need an account, which is only available in Spanish for now. English accounts are coming soon.
Frequently asked questions
How strong will this Belgian Blond Ale be?
About 7.2% ABV: it starts at 1.065 and finishes at 1.010, and (OG − FG) × 131.25 gives that percentage.
How long until it is ready?
One brew day, fermentation at 18 °C (64 °F) rising to 21 °C (70 °F), 2 weeks and about two weeks in the bottle: give it a little over a month.
Can I use a different bittering hop?
Yes. What matters is keeping the bitterness: if you use another hop instead of Hallertau Mittelfrüh at 4% alpha acids, work out the grams from its alpha acids (or with the IBU calculator) to stay at about 24 IBUs.
What if my system does not get 72% efficiency?
Your gravity will come out different. Scale the base malt up or down (or add a little dry malt extract to the boil if you fall short) and recalculate the water with the calculator.
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Reference style: Belgian Blond Ale in the BJCP guidelines, 2021 edition. Original recipe by Hacer Cerveza Casera, designed for a homebrew setup.