Amelian Ale – Belgian Blond Ale


A friend of mine named Amelia asked me to brew a beer based on her. I asked her what she would taste like in beer form and she responded with, “Strong, but approachable with an awkward finish.” If you know her, then you know this is dead-on.

I happened to be at The Bruery shortly after she told me this, and I tasted the Trade Winds beer. It was strong in alcohol, light in color so that it appeared approachable, yet it had that awkward Belgian ale finish. I settled on this as my base beer to create one that was just like Amelia.

During mash in, I accidentally doubled the amount of Aromatic Malt that the recipe called for, which was half of a pound. It isn’t a ton of grain, so I don’t think it made a huge difference, but it’ll be interesting to brew it again and see the difference.

I actually really enjoyed this beer. It was also a great crowd pleaser. It was strong and sweet like a good Abbey Blonde should be. The next time I brew this, I’d try to time it to be ready during the winter months as is, or add some fruit to it for the summer months.

Brew Date: June 10, 2012
Kegged On: June 29, 2012
O.G.: 1.062
F.G.: 1.004
ABV: 7.7%

Recipe Details

Batch SizeBoil TimeIBUSRMEst. OGEst. FGABV
5 gal60 min26.1207956.4523541.0701.0088.256503

Fermentables

NameAmount%
Belgian Pale Malt10 lbs80
Belgian Aromatic Malt8 oz4
Sugar – White Sugar/Sucrose2 lbs16

Hops

NameAmountTimeUseFormAlpha %
German Perle1 oz60 minBoilPellet6.5
German Spalt Select1 oz30 minBoilPellet2.6
German Spalt Select1 oz5 minBoilPellet2.6

Miscs

NameAmountTimeUseType
Irish Moss0.07 oz15 minBoilOther

Yeast

NameLabAttenuationTemperature
White Labs WLP575-Belgian Style Ale Blend77%32°F – 32°F

Mash

StepTemperatureTime
Rest at150.8°F60 min
Raise to and Mash out at170.6°F10 min

Fermentation

StepTimeTemperature
Aging0 days32°F

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