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Well, isn’t this just special? Here it is only my second article as a Beer Examiner and already I have to make a retraction. It would appear that we no longer have American Beer Month. In fact we haven’t had it for the past 3 years! ABM has been moved to Craft Brew Week during the month of May. There were actually very good reasons for this, according to Andy Sparhawk, Craft Brew Program Coordinator at the Brewers Association (www.beertown.org ). Turns out that July is the height of the brewing season. So if you’re preparing bigger and stronger beers such as barleywine and Russian Imperial Stout (RIS) for fall and winter, while also trying to replenish the vanishing tanks of blond ale, hefeweizen and pilsner which are quenching our thirst during hot summer months, you’re busy! Also, it’s harder to keep media attention for an entire month as opposed to a week. I am entitled to some redemption, however. According to Andy, craftbrewers still celebrate July as Beer Month; it’s just left up to individual brewer’s discretion as to how they want to do it.
My favorite beers in the summer time, assuming its hot, are, in the following order, Belgian Wit (ala Hoegaarden, although I have a killer recipe from a killer brewer that I'll share soon!), German Pilsner (Wahrsteiner), Hefeweissen (Franziskaner), Blond Ale (my recipe), India Pale Ale (Union Jack from Firestone-Walker is my current love), and Saison (Dupont, of course! www.examiner.com/x-15785-Sacramento-Home-Brewing-Examiner~y2009m7d14-Toast-Bastille-Day-with-a-French-Saison). Yes, I drink lots of other styles, but one of the things that is great about several of these beers is that they can be brewed quickly (often in under a week) and they can tolerate slightly warmer temperatures, which means a closet in a house with air conditioning is suitable.
Blond ale can be a fun beer to make because it’s a style which allows the brewer a lot of discretion, which, according to Andy, we’re supposed to be all about this month. This is a “gateway” beer, the portal through which drinkers of yellow fizzy beer pass and often never return, having landed themselves in the paradise of craft beer. It’s also very popular with the ladies; I brewed it specially for the recent Hangtown Brewfest in Placerville and had the ladies coming back for more.
For this beer you can use American two-row malt, pilsner malt, or a nice English malt such as crisp Maris Otter. If you go the English route, you can also use English hops (Goldings or Fuggles). You also have the choice of using the English hops for flavor, to make a nice English summer beer – very refreshing. If you’re using American 2 row, I tend to stick with Magnum (aka “Maggies”) for a nice neutral bitterness, and I generally do not add any flavor hops. If you use pilsner malt, be sure to start with enough wort to allow for a 90 minute boil. You might consider some wheat malt for head retention and some carapils dextrine malt for body. For extract brewers, use the lightest dry malt extract (DME) you can find. I personally like Cooper’s, but there are many fine, dry malts available. Keep your boil in check to minimize excess carmelization. You also have discretion with the alcohol content which can range from a "sessiony" 3.5% to a Marilyn Monroe big bosom 8% Strong Blond.
For yeast, the California Ale (Wyeast 1056 or WLP001) is a good choice, but you can also have great success with US 05 dry. The main point is to stay away from yeasts that typically throw off fruity esters, such as typical English yeasts. This is supposed to be a clean, light bodied beer of medium carbonation. Ferment in the range of 65 to 70 degrees F. If needed, a wet towel placed over your glass carboy and/or a small fan blowing over it should be enough. Of course, if you’re brewing for competition, temperature control is very important. Shoot for a target original gravity of 1.040 – 1.050 (or higher!), a final gravity of around 1.008 (might be hard for the extract folks) and about 22-27 IBUs. Carbonate to 2 to 2.5 volumes.
This is fun beer to make and drink. Enjoy it with friends, especially those not use to quality craft beer.
Prost!
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