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Styles · Blonde Ale

Beer style · BJCP 2021 18A

Blonde Ale

Pale American Ale

Published ranges These are the ranges the BJCP 2021 guidelines publish for this style.

Original gravity
1.038–1.054
Final gravity
1.008–1.013
Bitterness
15–28 IBU
Color
3–6 SRM (6–12 EBC)
Alcohol
3.8–5.5 % ABV

What it is

The American craft brewery's approachable house pale ale: clean, lightly bready and gently hopped, with nothing sharp enough to put anyone off. Balance leans very slightly malty and the finish is crisp.

Flavor

What a Blonde Ale should taste like, on the three wheels the studio scores every recipe against. The shaded ring is the style’s range on each axis, from 0 at the center to 5 at the edge.

Hops

Room for citrus, floral, herbal, spice or earthy/woody.

Malt

Grainy, with room for sweet/honey, bready/biscuit or caramel.

Fermentation

Clean, with room for fruity esters.

Hops that suit it

Varieties whose loudest notes all sit on this style’s hop wheel, best fit first. How much to use is the recipe’s question; these are the ones that taste right.

And 32 more hops whose character fits. These are the 24 that fit best.

Yeasts that suit it

Strains the lab made for beers like this one, whose fermentation character sits inside the style’s wheel. A strain sold by several labs is listed once; its page names the others.

And 30 more yeasts whose character fits. These are the 24 that fit best.

Style numbers, names and vital statistics are from the BJCP 2021 Beer Style Guidelines, where you will find the official descriptions. The descriptions and flavor wheels here are Beerwright’s own. Beerwright is not affiliated with or endorsed by the BJCP.