[Hooper]

Great OP...I was married to a blond for some time...luckily, she moved on and the hoppy brunette moved in...things change...I could brew a blonde ale if I wanted though...but...nah

[narvin]

Clean, refreshing, and drinkable, with notes of toasty, bready, biscuit malt, English ale yeast flavor and a slight fruit aroma. Light Cascade, Willamette, or Saaz hops make this beer an everyday drinker for me.  It should be as sweet as American clove honey on a fresh biscuit in the south with southern lemonade on a hot Georgia day.  Give me a cool keg, an unmowed lawn, untrimmed hedges, and a corvette to swap to iridium-tipped spark plugs and change the oil.

I'm gonna say, it sounds like you're describing a British Bitter to me.  Other than the cascade, an American Blonde generally has none of those things.

[ynotbrusum]

I like a good blonde ale.  Well made it is light and refreshing, with enough maltiness to give it a very enjoyable flavor profile.  Firestone Walker's 805 comes to mind.

[klickitat jim]

Seems like blonde used to be something for the BMC crowd at the local micro tap room. Lately they seem to be 5% light colored pale ales. Occasionally with something like honey to set them apart from the guy down the street.

[ynotbrusum]

Seems like blonde used to be something for the BMC crowd at the local micro tap room. Lately they seem to be 5% light colored pale ales. Occasionally with something like honey to set them apart from the guy down the street.

Yes, 805 uses Honey malt for a little distinction.

[JJeffers09]

Clean, refreshing, and drinkable, with notes of toasty, bready, biscuit malt, English ale yeast flavor and a slight fruit aroma. Light Cascade, Willamette, or Saaz hops make this beer an everyday drinker for me.  It should be as sweet as American clove honey on a fresh biscuit in the south with southern lemonade on a hot Georgia day.  Give me a cool keg, an unmowed lawn, untrimmed hedges, and a corvette to swap to iridium-tipped spark plugs and change the oil.

I'm gonna say, it sounds like you're describing a British Bitter to me.  Other than the cascade, an American Blonde generally has none of those things.

I am gunna say I do not think I came close to a English style Bitter.
http://www.craftbeer.com/styles/blonde-ale
http://www.craftbeer.com/styles/bitter

Blonde ales are golden ales and sometime English bitters are described as golden ales.  But that is pretty much the only place they are the same.  Other than that they cross paths in #'s but the balance factor of a good example of both should be much different.

Per BJCP style guidelines
Blonde ale
http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style06.php#1b
Overall Impression: Easy-drinking, approachable, malt-oriented American craft beer.
Vital Statistics:  OG: 1.038 – 1.054 
IBUs: 15 – 28  FG: 1.008 – 1.013 
SRM: 3 – 6  ABV: 3.8 – 5.5% 

Standard Bitter
Overall Impression: Low gravity, low alcohol levels and low carbonation make this an easy-drinking beer. Some examples can be more malt balanced, but this should not override the overall bitter impression. Drinkability is a critical component of the style; emphasis is still on the bittering hop addition as opposed to the aggressive middle and late hopping seen in American ales.
Vital Statistics:  OG: 1.032 – 1.040 
IBUs: 25 – 35  FG: 1.007 – 1.011 
SRM: 4 – 14  ABV: 3.2 – 3.8% 


Taking the balance factor IBU/OG  0.78-0.87 for a Bitter  and 0.38-0.51 Blonde.  So overall sweetness to bitterness is obviously out of balance with a Standard/Ordinary bitter.  Which I believe points out the name... Bitter.  In comparison Balance factor of an IPA's.  A 0.80BF for an English IPA and 0.71-0.93BF for an American IPA.  While we know and think of an American IPA as more bitter than an English IPA I believe from a perceptive reason because plato/OG point for point the American styles have a higher balance ratio of bitterness to gravity points.

[narvin]

I am gunna say I do not think I came close to a English style Bitter.
http://www.craftbeer.com/styles/blonde-ale
http://www.craftbeer.com/styles/bitter

Blonde ales are golden ales and sometime English bitters are described as golden ales.  But that is pretty much the only place they are the same.  Other than that they cross paths in #'s but the balance factor of a good example of both should be much different.

Sure, that sounds reasonable.  You just made it sound more British and hoppy, or at least I interpreted it that way. 

[JJeffers09]

I am thinking about diving in on my own xBmt recipe.  I will 4 way blind taste with 4 people to see what is the fav.  Overall I think I will need a better idea of what water profile to go after.  Yellow Malty was my first thought but then I am 2nd guessing myself.  Balanced is probably the best route.  Then I thought about maybe a chimay or orval... Yeah I am unsure.

As far as recipe goes I am thinking this
1.055 OG
5.5% ABV

91% 2-row
5% White Wheat
2% Carabrown
2% Honey malt

the batch will be split 4 ways prior to boil with hops different in each then do a 4 way blind to see what plays the best in aroma and bitterness with a single hop add at 35 min boil.

going for a 0.40 BU:GU

Amarillo, Cascade, Willamette, and Citra hops will be used to get 22.1IBU's

[tommymorris]

I am thinking about diving in on my own xBmt recipe.  I will 4 way blind taste with 4 people to see what is the fav.  Overall I think I will need a better idea of what water profile to go after.  Yellow Malty was my first thought but then I am 2nd guessing myself.  Balanced is probably the best route.  Then I thought about maybe a chimay or orval... Yeah I am unsure.

As far as recipe goes I am thinking this
1.055 OG
5.5% ABV

91% 2-row
5% White Wheat
2% Carabrown
2% Honey malt

the batch will be split 4 ways prior to boil with hops different in each then do a 4 way blind to see what plays the best in aroma and bitterness with a single hop add at 35 min boil.

going for a 0.40 BU:GU

Amarillo, Cascade, Willamette, and Citra hops will be used to get 22.1IBU's

Sounds fun. Wish I could be a taster.

[udubdawg]

I prefer kolsch but nothing wrong with a Kona Big Wave; delicious beer.

...it happens. Not a lot of good brown ales out in those brewpubs either, unless it's got Brown IPA in the name...

[dilluh98]

...it happens. Not a lot of good brown ales out in those brewpubs either, unless it's got Brown IPA in the name...

If you want something on the more malty side of the interpretation of brown ale, try Upslope's (Boulder, CO) offering if available (cans). I prefer the hoppy or balanced brown ales and thus just make my own as I don't have many local offerings that fit that bill. My wife loved the Noti Brown Ale I did a few months ago.

[JJeffers09]

Decided on 3, not 4.  Citra did not make the cut.

Amarillo
Cascade
Willamette

all to IBU 22.1 according to calc. 0.40 BU:GU OG 1.055  Single Infusion. 100% RO yellow balanced. 5.4% ABV.  Each and every one of these beers are quaffable.  I got my wife to bottle up for me, different colored caps, which allowed me to decide what I liked best, blind.  It was an awfully close battle.  But I want to wait to reveal the reviews until I have some friends try it out.  I was not terribly pleased with the foam on this brew, but it could be that they are still young.  idk, foam continues to vex me. My wife says she won't tell me for sure which is which.  Although I am pretty sure I nailed it.  Here is how they look today.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B4A6BxAxuOjDV0tVWFl0WGdRN28
side by side all three
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B4A6BxAxuOjDOXdkMzNGenZRcHM
a little haze on this brew
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B4A6BxAxuOjDd0tGWUdRUHd6OG8
I liked how this looked in a mason jar

[tommymorris]

Looking good. Was all the hops at 60min?

[coolman26]

I'd far prefer a kolsch or Helles to an American blonde almost any day.

I hear ya Keith. I'll take that motion to "it" any day. I like most styles, but Kolsch is at the top of my list. Blondes are fine too. Hard to find them done well, so to speak.

[santoch]

These breweries have adopted facets from two styles, and combined them to fill sales gap.  BMC folks like dry, light colored, low-bittered beers.  Craft beer folks like C-hop profiles.   Mix them together and voila - dry, a bit hoppy (but not bitter) blonde ale.  Fills a void in one swoop. Brewery can brew a single batch and have something to sell to both crowds.

I personally kinda like those blondes that keep it easy on the bitterness (ie, 20-low 30 something ibus), but still display a nice noticeable citrusy hop flavor and aroma profile.  They go down really easy on a hot day.  Are they pale ales?  I don't think so.  I think they are distinct enough from pale ales to stand apart, the way Vienna and Marzen do, or Helles vs G Pils, vs Helles Export (aka Dortmunder).
When I want an APA or an IPA, that's what I'll order.  God knows, there are a zillion of them.  When I want something a bit lighter but still has some hops to it, this citrusy blonde profile is a delicious addition to the menu, IMHO.