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Author Topic: Cream Ale vs. Blonde Ale  (Read 22050 times)

Offline skyler

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Re: Cream Ale vs. Blonde Ale
« Reply #15 on: September 14, 2011, 10:59:42 pm »
IMO, cream ale should be folded into blond ale in the BJCP guidelines. Here on the west coast nothing is ever called a cream ale and people think a cream ale is a bitter with lactose in it.

Offline johnf

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Re: Cream Ale vs. Blonde Ale
« Reply #16 on: September 15, 2011, 08:39:31 am »
IMO, cream ale should be folded into blond ale in the BJCP guidelines. Here on the west coast nothing is ever called a cream ale and people think a cream ale is a bitter with lactose in it.

Hales Cream Ale and Pelican Kiwanda Cream Ale are relatively well known West Coast beers carrying that name. I would argue they are both what the BJCP is calling blonde ale (no adjunct), though I have not had the Hales in about 5 years.

Offline hopfenundmalz

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Re: Cream Ale vs. Blonde Ale
« Reply #17 on: September 15, 2011, 08:19:13 pm »
IMO, cream ale should be folded into blond ale in the BJCP guidelines. Here on the west coast nothing is ever called a cream ale and people think a cream ale is a bitter with lactose in it.

Hales Cream Ale and Pelican Kiwanda Cream Ale are relatively well known West Coast beers carrying that name. I would argue they are both what the BJCP is calling blonde ale (no adjunct), though I have not had the Hales in about 5 years.

The adjunct in Pelican Cream Ale is flaked barley, not the expected flaked maize (or grits).  It is listed as an example of the style under Blond Ales, probably due to lack of corn aroma/DMS. 

With some research, you can find the brewer's recommendations for making a homebrewed version.  I think it is a good drinking beer.     
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Offline johnf

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Re: Cream Ale vs. Blonde Ale
« Reply #18 on: September 15, 2011, 09:21:22 pm »
IMO, cream ale should be folded into blond ale in the BJCP guidelines. Here on the west coast nothing is ever called a cream ale and people think a cream ale is a bitter with lactose in it.

Hales Cream Ale and Pelican Kiwanda Cream Ale are relatively well known West Coast beers carrying that name. I would argue they are both what the BJCP is calling blonde ale (no adjunct), though I have not had the Hales in about 5 years.

The adjunct in Pelican Cream Ale is flaked barley, not the expected flaked maize (or grits).  It is listed as an example of the style under Blond Ales, probably due to lack of corn aroma/DMS. 

With some research, you can find the brewer's recommendations for making a homebrewed version.  I think it is a good drinking beer.     

Yeah, I've seen that, guess I forgot. In either case, the defining difference in these two beers, as the BJCP describes them, is that cream ale has the adjunct character that an american lager has. The 5% or whatever of flaked barley in KCA is more like the  handful of flaked whatever people through in for head retention than it is then use of corn or rice in american beers. The purpose of the adjunct is not to effect the impression of the grain bill. I imagine you will find that Pelican uses that same small amount of flaked barley in many of its beers.

Offline gmac

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Re: Cream Ale vs. Blonde Ale
« Reply #19 on: September 15, 2011, 09:38:42 pm »
Here on the west coast nothing is ever called a cream ale

I've always been under the impression that a cream ale was brewed at cooler temps (almost lager temps) instead of wamer.  I think I'll stick with that.

Regarding regional names, I can buy a half dozen cream ales, I can't think of any beer that I can get that is intentionally labelled "blond ale".  Yes, there are lighter coloured ales but they aren't labelled blond. 

Regarding the Black IPA thing that Dave brought up, I like the term that the lady on the Brewing Network used during the beer vocabulary episode "Bulls*** Hoppy Porters"

Offline The Professor

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Re: Cream Ale vs. Blonde Ale
« Reply #20 on: September 15, 2011, 10:03:13 pm »
IMO, cream ale should be folded into blond ale in the BJCP guidelines. Here on the west coast nothing is ever called a cream ale and people think a cream ale is a bitter with lactose in it.

I agree.
Actually, quite a few of the "styles" can be folded in together since historically, distinctions between them are so slim  especially given the degree of variation that just occurs naturally from brewer to brewer (and always has).  I guess the guidelines work  for competition purposes even if they sometimes make things a bit more confusing.    :-\

Thankfully, outside of the competition arena,  all bets are off. 
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Offline davidw

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Re: Cream Ale vs. Blonde Ale
« Reply #21 on: September 15, 2011, 10:22:26 pm »

As above, but for me its roasted barley, not black patent, that defines stout / porter boundaries

Indeed, you are correct, roast barley does produce a flavour any would recognize as being a stout. In fact, I would abstain from using either of these two in my porters.

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Offline skyler

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Re: Cream Ale vs. Blonde Ale
« Reply #22 on: September 16, 2011, 12:44:15 am »
I was being hyperbolic. Some beers here are called "cream ale," but it is so rare that the term has no meaning to the average west coast consumer - and many beer geeks think it is fortified with lactose like in a "cream stout." From my perspective, a cream ale is just a blond ale and blond ales sometimes have adjuncts.

Offline morticaixavier

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Re: Cream Ale vs. Blonde Ale
« Reply #23 on: September 16, 2011, 08:36:04 am »
I was being hyperbolic. Some beers here are called "cream ale," but it is so rare that the term has no meaning to the average west coast consumer - and many beer geeks think it is fortified with lactose like in a "cream stout." From my perspective, a cream ale is just a blond ale and blond ales sometimes have adjuncts.

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Offline The Professor

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Re: Cream Ale vs. Blonde Ale
« Reply #24 on: September 16, 2011, 09:17:31 am »
...I was being hyperbolic...

Are they still prescribing Ritalin for that?  :o
AL
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