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

– 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

– 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.

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

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.

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.

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