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%