Hey Guys. I am looking for some basic direction on a simple blonde recipe. I am going for something crisp but with some sweetness. I am not sure yet but I will probably be adding zest, lemongrass, or something at the end of the boil to make it a bit more interesting. Any feedback?
Good point. I always forget that honey malt is more or less crystal. I might leave the honey where it is and decrease the carapils…say 5% honey, 5% carapils? I know that isn’t half…
I’m using 2% - 3% carapil. I get the effect I’m wanting and don’t see a need to use more, unless wanting a crazy silky IPA. I target roughly a half pound per 5 gallon recipe and scale/adjust as needed.
What are you looking for regarding the Honey malt?
I’ve not used that, anyone else? A data-point is that I’ve had good results when pouring honey into the wort when the boil is done. Chill to 180, mix it in, continue chilling.
In my experience, honey malt works better than honey for imparting actual flavor and sweetness. 5% seems to be the perfect amount for me to get a nice influence that is not overpowering whatsoever.
So I have not brewed this yet and am kind of torn. I am thinking about going with this grain bill instead of the original one. Any feedback? When I don’t brew soon enough, I tinker around way too much…
80% two row
10% white wheat
5% munich I
5% honey malt
It looks good, but personally I think the original one was better. I’m sure they’d both be good, but my money is on the original one being closer to what would be expected of a blonde ale (by me, anyway). I like the simpler grain bill as well.
You should really brew them both and compare. Or at least brew the original to assess the result, and make changes for the next batch from there if needed.
Thanks all. I will probably go back more to the original idea. My biggest challenge is to determine how much crystal I want to use. If honey malt is more or less crystal than I guess I should keep the total amount of honey malt + crystal at or below 10%. I do like hoser’s idea too…
Seriously, you are over thinking this :D. Blonde ales are very simple. Basically an all malt premium lager with ale yeast and maybe a little more hop character. Mostly 90+% 2-row, occasionally an adjunct(i.e. wheat), and maybe a light crystal malt, with low hop profile.
I also added 9 g lime zest, 19 g grated lemongrass with 5 min remaining in boil as I was partially influenced by Burnside’s Lime Kolsch. I am afraid it will end up tasting like a glorified mexican beer with a lime…