Chamomile Blonde Belgian Ale

My next brew will be Chamomile Blonde, from Brooklyn Brew Shop:



Brooklyn Brew Shop describes this beer as "a carefree sunshine sipper" with a "unique Belgian base," which sounds just right to me, considering that spring is finally arriving here in northern Montana. It is part of a trio of "floral" Belgian Blonde ales offered by Brooklyn Brew Shop as a limited run, including "Rose-Cheeked and Blonde" (which I have brewed) and "Lavender Blonde" (which I will brew later this spring or summer).

Brooklyn Brew Shop advertises this beer as light both in colour and in IBUs; the grain bill is largely based on Belgian Pilsner and - thanks to the addition of some Belgian Candi Sugar - it weighs in at 6.5% ABV.

The recipe for Chamomile Blonde (as well as the other two floral Belgian Blondes) is also found in Brooklyn Brew Shop's book, Make Some Beer, which I highly recommend. There are one or two minor differences between the recipe in the book and the pre-packaged mix that is sold online; however, since my closest LHBS is over 200 miles away, I went with the pre-packaged mix. Here is a link to some more information about the mix:

https://brooklynbrewshop.com/collections/beer-making-mixes/products/beer-making-mix-chamomile-blonde

The recipe in the book uses Saaz hops, but the pre-packaged mix uses US Golding hops, a descendant of East Kent Goldings; you can read more about US Golding hops here:

http://www.hopslist.com/hops/aroma-hops/golding-us/

http://beerlegends.com/goldings-us-hops

The recipe in the book uses SafAle S-33 yeast, while the pre-packaged mix includes the usual fast-acting, clean-fermenting yeast that comes with its mixes. When I wrote to Brooklyn Brew Shop inquiring as to which yeast would be preferred, the reply was that both yeasts would work very well, with a slight edge given to the S-33 as it would provide a slightly more Belgian character. Unfortunately, I have no S-33 on hand, so I will most likely use the included yeast; this is not too big of a deal, in my opinion, as I have found this yeast to be a very good performer in the past, especially with Belgian ales.

The star of this beer, of course, will be the infusion of chamomile flowers, which are included with the mix or - if you are brewing the recipe from the book - available widely online; you can even use your own chamomile flowers, if you have access to them. Brooklyn Brew Shop advises to strain the wort through the dried flowers once it has cooled down after the boil and you are transferring it to your fermenter; following this procedure, rather than adding them to the boil, will preclude any astringency or tannic bitterness that could result from adding them to the boil.

I plan to brew this beer as soon as possible - hopefully before the weekend - and will follow the instructions as outlined here:

https://brooklynbrewshop.com/pages/instructions-chamomile-blonde

In the meantime, I'll also design a label for this beer, and will post it when I am able.

More as it happens, etc. &c....

Ron

I decided today to go ahead and delay BrewDay while I went ahead and ordered the S-33 yeast for this project. I have full confidence in the "stock" yeast that Brooklyn Brew Shop uses, especially for this general style of beer, as it has worked well in the past; however, since BBS told me that I'll get just a little more "Belgian Character" from the S-33, I'll use that.

With that in mind, it looks like BrewDay will either be Easter Weekend, or very soon after.

Ron

I brewed this beer yesterday, and it looks like things are off to a great start!

As with all of my brews, I followed the basic procedure that is outlined here, with a few slight variations that I have developed to suit my needs and situation:

https://youtu.be/md_2Y8UvkbU



While the basic procedure is the same, most beers have a unique characteristic or two that is worth reviewing on its own; for instance, each beer will probably have its own hop schedule, or some special ingredients that are added. Because of this, I paid close attention to the instructions for this specific beer:

https://brooklynbrewshop.com/pages/instructions-chamomile-blonde

In this case, Belgian Candi Sugar is added at the very end of the boil, and the wort is poured through the dried chamomile flowers on its way into the fermenter.

This brew went off without any real hitch; during the mash, my temperatures were both a little high and a little low for a few minutes; but for the most part I stayed within my desired range. The sparge and boil were without incident, and the hop additions were all right on schedule. The worth chilled down quickly in the ice bath in my sink - about 25 minutes, maybe a little less. My final volume after boiling was exactly where I wanted it to be, without needing any topping off; this doesn't happen often, but it did this time.

My fermentation temperatures are staying right in the mid-60s, where I want them, and when I checked on my beer this morning, I could see that the S33 was doing its job, churning up and making bubbles. In three days, I'll replace the blow-off tube with an airlock, and sometime in the next two or three weeks, I'll decide whether I want to bottle this beer or keg it in my uKeg - I'm leaning towards kegging, since it worked so well with my Early Grey Pale Ale:

https://brooklynbrewshop.com/collections/accessories/products/growlerwerks-ukeg

In all, the brew went well; so well that I might do it again this week. What's next on the list? I'm not sure, but I'm positive that it will be a good one ~

More as it happens, etc. &c....

Ron

A week into fermentation and as far as I can tell, everything is going just fine.

I'll leave this alone for at least another week - maybe two - then decide whether to keg it or bottle it.