How do I Brew Belgian Blonde Beer?
Belgian ale styles are attractive to many home brewers. The complexity and interest in many of the more commonly known Belgian ales is dwarfed by that of the obscurer styles, and they are often challenging to brew well. The Belgian Blond Ale is a relatively simple Belgian style that is gaining in popularity and, while not the simplest beer style to brew, is also not as difficult as some other Belgian styles. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Home brewing kit
- Home brewing cleaner
- Home brewing sanitizer
- Stock pot
- Pils malt extract
- Noble hops
- Honey or candi sugar
- Irish moss tablets
- Belgian ale yeast
- Sauce pan
- Priming sugar
- Empty beer bottles and caps
Instructions
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1
Wash and sanitize all your brewing equipment per the instructions on your home brewing cleaner and sanitizer containers.
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2
Boil five gallons of water. While the water is heating, add about six and a half pounds of Pils liquid malt extract.
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3
Boil the water and malt ("wort") for an hour. While it is boiling, add two ounces of Styrian Goldings, East Kent Goldings, or Hersbrucker hops. Add a small amount of the hops when the water first boils, then add the rest during the second half of the hour. Add a pound or two of honey or candi sugar during the last fifteen minutes of the boil to raise the alcohol content of the finished beer, as well as an Irish moss tablet to help make the beer clearer.
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4
Top off the wort to five gallons with cold water, cool it to about 70 degrees as quickly as possible, and pour it into your sanitized fermenter.
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5
Add a package of dry or liquid Belgian ale yeast, close the fermenter, fill the airlock with sanitizer solution and insert it in the fermenter.
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6
Place the fermenter in a temperature-controlled area for about two weeks.
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7
Siphon the beer out of the fermenter into another sanitized fermenter, leaving as much sediment behind as possible. Close it and place it in the same area as the first for another two weeks.
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8
Boil two cups of water and add slightly more than two-thirds of a cup of priming sugar. DIssolve it completely, then add it to the beer (try to avoid splashing).
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9
Siphon the beer into clean and sanitized beer bottles (you will need 45-50), and seal them with sanitized caps.
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10
Store the beer in a dark, cool place for a few weeks to carbonate and condition before drinking.
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Tips & Warnings
Always drink responsibly.
References
- Photo Credit belgium flag icon. (with clipping path) image by Andrey Zyk from Fotolia.com
