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Wyeast 1214 - Belgian Abbey
Wyeast 1214 - Belgian Abbey

National Homebrew Competition 2017: Belgian Blond Ale entry

For my second entry in the National Homebrew Competition for 2017 I brewed a Belgian Blond Ale (BJCP category 25A).

Recipe

Grain bill: German Pilsner malt, White Wheat malt & White table sugar
Grain bill:
– German Pilsner malt
– White Wheat malt
– White table sugar

For this time of brewing a Belgian Blond Ale I chose a tweaked version of a previous recipe that I have tried a couple of times called Ron Jeffries’ Blond Ale out of Brew Like a Monk: Trappist, Abbey, and Strong Belgian Ales and How to Brew Them (see page 229) by Stan Hieronymus.

Here is the recipe I used together with a yeast starter:

  • German Pilsner malt – 8 lbs 8 oz
  • White Wheat malt – 4 lbs 12 oz
  • White table sugar – 2 lbs @ 90 mins
  • Styrian Goldings hops – 0.5 oz @ 90 mins for bittering*
  • Hallertauer Mittelfrueh – 0.5 oz @ 90 mins for bittering*
  • Hallertauer Mittelfrueh – 0.75 oz @ 60 mins for bittering
  • Irish Moss @ 15 mins
  • Bitter orange peel – 0.25 oz @ 5 mins
  • Belgian Ale yeast (Wyeast 1214)

* This should have been 1 oz of Styrian Goldings only but unfortunately I did not have sufficient hops available at the time of brewing.

Brewing

Hops & flavorings: Styrian Goldings, Hallertauer Mittelfrueh & Bitter orange peel
Hops & flavorings:
– Styrian Goldings
– Hallertauer Mittelfrueh
– Bitter orange peel

The brewing schedule included the following steps:

  • Mashing @ 147 deg F for 75 mins
  • Mash out @ 168 deg F for 10 mins
  • Bring to the boil then add bittering hops #1 & corn sugar
  • Boil for 30 mins then add bittering hops #2
  • Boil for 45 mins then add Irish Moss for clarifying
  • Boil for 10 mins then add bitter orange peel
  • Boil for 5 mins then chill wort
  • Cool wort to 64 deg F then pitch the yeast starter
  • Ferment @ 68 deg F until complete, allow to settle then keg, carbonate and bottle

The finished beer had the following characteristics (with BJCP standards):

  • Starting Gravity: 1.066 (1.062 – 1.075)
  • Finishing Gravity: 1.006 (1.008 – 1.018)
  • ABV: 7.88% (6.0 – 7.5%)
  • SRM: 4.1 (4 – 7)
  • IBUs: 27.0 (15 – 30)

Everything apart from the alcohol content were within the relevant ranges.

Results

Each beer is assessed by two judges with marks and attributes assigned under 5 sections.

Wyeast 1214 - Belgian Abbey
Wyeast 1214 – Belgian Abbey

Judge #1:

  • Aroma = 7/12
    • Malt: low & grainy
    • Esters: medium & banana
    • Phenols: high
    • Alcohol: none
    • Sweetness: none
    • Acidity: none
  • Appearance = 3/3
    • Clarity: medium-high
    • Head Size: low-medium
    • Head Retention: low-medium
    • Head Texture: rocky
    • Beer Color: gold
    • Head Color: ivory
    • Other: legs
  • Flavor = 12/20
    • Malt: low-medium & bready
    • Esters: fruity & banana
    • Phenols: high
    • Bitterness: medium
    • Balance: malty
  • Mouthfeel = 2/5
    • Body: medium
    • Carbonation: low-medium
    • Warmth: medium
    • Atsringency: medium
    • Flaws: slick
  • Overall Impression = 5/10
    • Stylistic Accuracy: low-medium
    • Technical Merit: low-medium
    • Intangibles: low-medium
  • TOTAL = 29/50
Cooled wort with pitched yeast
Cooled wort with pitched yeast

Judge #2:

  • Aroma = 8/12
    • Malt: low-medium
    • Hops: low
    • Esters: medium
    • Phenols: medium-high
    • Alcohol: medium
    • Sweetness: medium
    • Acidity: none
    • Comments: sweet maltiness
  • Appearance = 3/3
    • Clarity: medium-high
    • Head Size: low
    • Head Retention: low
    • Beer Color: gold
    • Head Color: white
  • Flavor = 9/20
    • Malt: low-medium & bready
    • Hops: low
    • Esters: low & banana
    • Phenols: high
    • Sweetness: medium
    • Bitterness: low
    • Alcohol: low
    • Other: vinous
    • Balance: malty
  • Mouthfeel = 3/5
    • Body: medium
    • Carbonation: low-medium
    • Warmth: low
    • Creaminess: low
  • Overall Impression = 6/10
    • Stylistic Accuracy: medium
    • Technical Merit: medium
    • Intangibles: medium
    • Drinkability: I would drink a pint of this beer
  • TOTAL = 29/50

Assigned consensus score was 29/50.

Sample of the Belgian Blond Ale
Sample of the Belgian Blond Ale

I am not sure how to express my feelings on the result of this beer – fair? Whilst I knew it was a bit high on ABV compared to the BJCP standards and took a while to clear, the only real flaw I tasted was the slightly slick mouth-feel but perhaps it was a bit too two-dimensional with the domination of the banana in both the aroma and flavor.

Unfortunately the judges feedback was largely restricted to tick boxes and no suggestions for improvements so I would have to conclude recipe tweaks myself e.g. less wheat to produce a thinner body and ferment a bit higher (e.g. low 70’s deg F) to produce some spiciness?

Tasting notes:

A hazy body that is straw in color with a white head. A banana aroma with flavor that is banana dominated. The body is medium and is highly carbonated, a slightly slick mouth-feel and a slow lasting finish which is slightly spicy.

Bronze Certificate
Bronze Certificate

If you have any comments, questions or suggestions then please feel free to add them below.

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