Belgian Blonde Ale is a belgian pale that homebrewers reach for when they want a project worth the extra attention. This version keeps the grain bill built around Pilsner Malt, and leans on East Kent Golding 5.5% to shape the finish.
Recipe at a Glance
Recipe at a Glance
| Style | Belgian Blonde Ale |
| Batch Size | 5 gallons (19L) |
| Boil Time | 60-90 minutes |
| Original Gravity | 1.048-1.058 |
| Final Gravity | 1.008-1.014 |
| ABV | 5.0-6.5% |
| IBU | 20-30 |
| SRM | 4-10 (pale gold) |
| Difficulty | Intermediate |
Brew Day, Step by Step
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1
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Mash · ~60 min Mash the grain bill, led by Pilsner Malt, at a steady temperature to build the fermentable sugars this style needs. Sparge slowly so you do not lose efficiency. |
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2
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Boil · ~60-90 min Bring the wort to a boil and work through the hop schedule, starting with East Kent Golding 5.5%. This is also where you will add any fining agent for a clearer finished beer. |
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3
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Ferment · 22C (72F) Pitch Wyeast 1388 Belgian Strong Ale once the wort has cooled to fermentation temperature and hold it steady. Primary fermentation is the most active week, do not rush it. |
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4
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Condition · 6 weeks at 12C (54F) Rack to secondary (or leave in primary if your recipe calls for it) and let the beer round out at a cool, steady temperature. This step does more for the final flavor than people expect. |
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5
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Package · 1 day, then wait Bottle or keg once gravity has held steady for a few days in a row. Give it time to carbonate and, for bigger styles, additional time to mellow before your first taste. |
That’s the shape of brew day and the weeks after it. For the exact grain bill, hop schedule, and full step-by-step instructions with amounts, use the recipe card below.
What You Will Need
Sourcing your own ingredients locally is always fine, but if you want to skip a homebrew store trip, here is what’s in stock in our shop right now:
- Base and specialty grain: Grains & Adjuncts (e.g. Weyermann Chocolate Rye Malt 1 Lb)
- Bittering and aroma hops: Brewing Hops (e.g. Chinook Hop Pellets 8 oz)
- Yeast: Brewing Yeast (e.g. LalBrew Nottingham Brewing Yeast (2 Pack) – Make Beer at Home)
- Secondary fermenter for conditioning: Fermenters & Carboys (e.g. 3 Gallon Clear Glass Italian Carboy)
- Priming sugar for bottling: Priming Sugar (e.g. Corn Sugar Dextrose Bottling Priming Sugar 1 lb Highly Fermentable N)
- General kit and tools: Homebrew Equipment (e.g. Deluxe Bottling Kit Craft a Brew Homebrew Bottler Equipment Home Bre)
- Pour it right when it’s ready: a tulip glass shows off the color and holds the aroma better than a straight pint glass
Serve It Right
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A Belgian Blonde Ale is best served in a tulip, it fits the body and carbonation of this style better than a straight pint glass. Here is one from our shop: |
Ingredients & Gear for This Batch
Grain / Adjuncts |
Hops |
Yeast |
Fermenter |
Priming Sugar |
Equipment GasOne 10 Gallon Stainless Steel Home Brew Kettle Pot Pre Drilled 4 |
Full Recipe: Grain Bill, Hops, and Instructions
Belgian Blonde Ale
Equipment
- 1 Mash tun
- 1 Large boiling pot
- 1 Fermenter
- 1 Airlock
- 1 Hydrometer
- 1 Thermometer
- 1 Auto-siphon
- 1 Bottling bucket
- 1 Bottles or keg
- 1 Bottle or keg filler
- 1 Bottle or keg cleaning and sanitizing solution
- 1 Bottle or keg caps or tap
Ingredients
For the Mash – Liquor 16.25 Litres (28½ Pints) – Mash Time 1 hr – Temperature 65°c/149 °F
- 13.4 lb Pilsner Malt Quantity 6kg
- 9 oz Caravienne Malt Quantity 250g
- 9 oz Caramunich I Malt Quantity 250g
For the Boil – 27 Litres (47½ Pints) – Boil Time 1 hr – 10 mins
- 1 oz (Hops) East Kent Golding 5.5% When to add – At start of boil (IBU 16.1)
- ⅓ oz (Hops) Styrian Golding 5.5% When to add – For last 10 mins of boil (IBU 1.9)
- ⅔ oz (Hops) Styrian Golding 5.5% When to add – At turn off (IBU 0.0)
- 1 tsp Protofloc Other – When to add – For last 15 mins of boil
- 10½ oz Belgian candi sugar light Other – When to add – For last 5 mins of boil
To Ferment – 22°C (72°F) – Conditioning 6 weeks at 12°C (54°F)
- 1 Wyeast 1388 Belgian Strong Ale
Instructions
Mash:
- Heat 16.25 litres (28.5 pints) of water to 65°C (149°F) in a mash tun.
- Add the crushed malts (Pilsner, Caravienne, and Caramunich I) to the mash tun and mix thoroughly.
- Mash for 1 hour at 65°C (149°F).
- After the mash, sparge the grains with hot water to collect the wort.
Boil:
- Add the collected wort and 27 litres (47.5 pints) of water to a large boiling pot.
- Bring the mixture to a boil and add 1 oz (28g) of East Kent Golding hops at the start of the boil.
- Boil for 50 minutes.
- Add 1/3 oz (9g) of Styrian Golding hops and 1 tsp of Protofloc to the boiling mixture.
- Boil for another 5 minutes.
- Add 10.5 oz (300g) of Belgian candi sugar light and 2/3 oz (19g) of Styrian Golding hops to the boiling mixture.
- Boil for the final 5 minutes.
Fermentation and Conditioning:
- Chill the boiled wort to 22°C (72°F).
- Transfer the wort to a sanitized fermenter and add the Wyeast 1388 Belgian Strong Ale.
- Ferment the beer for 8 weeks at 22°C (72°F).
- After fermentation, condition the beer for 6 weeks at 12°C (54°F).
- Carbonate and bottle or keg the beer and let it age for a few more weeks for optimal flavor.
Get the fermentation temperature right on Belgian Blonde Ale and most of the rest of the process takes care of itself.
What Makes Belgian Blonde Ale the Style It Is
Like most classic beer styles, Belgian Blonde Ale has a long, slightly tangled history behind it, shaped as much by regional brewing traditions as by any single inventor.
The character of this beer comes down to a beer that leans on pilsner malt and east kent golding 5.5%, and Wyeast 1388 Belgian Strong Ale is doing more of that work than the grain bill gets credit for.
Style Characteristics at a Glance
- ABV: 5.0-6.5%
- Bitterness: 20-30 IBU
- Color: 4-10 (pale gold)
- Serving temp: 45-50F (7-10C)
- Glassware: a tulip
- Food pairings: mussels, salads, soft cheeses
Common Questions
Can I scale this recipe up or down?
Yes, the grain bill and hop schedule scale linearly with batch size. Just make sure your equipment, mash tun and boil kettle both, can actually handle the volume you are scaling to.
What is the biggest mistake homebrewers make with this style?
Rushing the schedule. Pulling a beer off yeast too early or skipping conditioning time is the most common way to shortchange a recipe like this one.
Can I substitute a different yeast strain?
You can, but expect the flavor profile to shift. Stick close to the same yeast family (English ale, American ale, Belgian, lager, etc.) if you want a result close to what this recipe is aiming for.
Keep Exploring
Once you have this one down, here are a few more homebrew recipes worth trying next:
Browse the full homebrew recipe collection for more styles, or if you are just getting into the hobby, start with one of our homebrewing starter kits for new brewers.
This recipe is for adults of legal drinking age. Please brew and drink responsibly, and always sanitize your equipment thoroughly to avoid infection.
