Imperial Blonde Recipe Fromulation/ Tips

Ok so I'm trying to formulate my own recipe for my second batch of beer for the spring time and I want to make an Imperial Blonde Ale. Here is what I am thinking, keep in mind this is an extract + specialty grain brew not all-grain.

5 Gallon Batch Mad Russian Imperial Blonde

6.6lbs Briess Pilsen LME
1lb Muntons Wheat DME
1lb Carapils (dextrin) Malt
1lb Dextrose

1.5oz Centennial hops @ 60 mins (bittering)
1oz Cascade hops @ 15 mins (flavor)
.5oz Cascade hops @ 5 mins (aroma)

Nottingham (Danstar) Yeast 11g dry packet

Target OG 1.070 plus/minus .002

Procedure:
1. Steep Carapils @ 155F for 30 mins
2. Bring to boil and add LME, dextrose, and bittering @ 60 mins
3. Add DME @ 20 mins
3. Flavoring addition @ 15 mins
4. Aroma addition @ 5 mins
5. Cool and pitch yeast

Here is what I'm looking for...

• Does this recipe in general seem reasonable?
• Is the yeast a good strain and will I need a starter or second packet because of the high OG?
• Do these hops fit well with the style (I like the citrusy aspect to them)?
• Should I split the hop additions up differently, I haven't set a target IBU but I'm thinking around 30?
• Is there anything in particular about a blonde I should know before I try her out (this question might lead you to digress but focus on the beer!)?
• Any other tips or help is greatly appreciated.

Let me know if you need any other details. I will be sure to post any success or failure of this recipe, and if it is successful I will add it to the recipes section. Thanks Again!

1 packet of Nottingham will do 70 gravity points with no problem. You may wish to rehydrate, but no starter needed. I am not sure if it will remain as light as a blonde. Im thinking more pale ale than blonde. Hops look good, but I wonder about your 30 IBU calculation. For IPAs I prefer about 1.1:1 IBU:Gravity-Point ratio. I made a pale ale once and that was .8. I think .4:1 might be pretty sweet.

s3n8 said:

I wonder about your 30 IBU calculation. For IPAs I prefer about 1.1:1 IBU:Gravity-Point ratio. I made a pale ale once and that was .8. I think .4:1 might be pretty sweet.

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Thanks for the comments! To be honest I didnt actually calculate the hops bill, I just made a general estimate. I see your point about the IBU:GU but I don't think blondes are too hoppy to begin with. I actually thought 30 was a good starting point but now you have me thinking that the higher gravity might mitigate some of the apparent bitterness. This is supposed to be an imperial so I am looking for a little more character than is traditional. Maybe I better do some math...

Poke the numbers into one of the online calculators like beercalculus. I use beersmith, not one of the online calcs. Different ones will result with different numbers, dont get too wrapped up with that though, its a prettygoodenough estimate for our purposes.

I poked the hops into beersmith and came up with 57 IBUs based on Cent - 10.0AA and Cascade 5.5 AA. .821 on the BU:GU ratio. I would put that in pale-ale category.

FWIW - 1 oz Cent at 60 and same 15/5 additions comes up with 41.5 IBU and about .6 BU:GU. Thats probably blonde-ish ratio.

Doesn't sound that imperial. 7 lbs DME might be getting there.

Double blond has a ring to it.

cheezydemon3 said:

Doesn't sound that imperial. 7 lbs DME might be getting there.

Double blond has a ring to it.

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8.6 lbs of malt, 1 lb of dextrose and 1.070 OG is a fair amount more than a traditional blonde.

Double Blonde?...I really like the sound of that.

s3n8 said:

I poked the hops into beersmith and came up with 57 IBUs based on Cent - 10.0AA and Cascade 5.5 AA. .821 on the BU:GU ratio. I would put that in pale-ale category.

FWIW - 1 oz Cent at 60 and same 15/5 additions comes up with 41.5 IBU and about .6 BU:GU. Thats probably blonde-ish ratio.

Click to expand...

Thanks s3n8 for running the numbers...I also have to take into account the under utilization of the hops because my boil will only be about 3 gallons unless i get a bigger kettle by the time I do it. And the gravity in the pot will be around 1.117 which is pretty high and also lessens the utilization.

Would this recipe be better or worse if I kept everything the same but added 1lb extra of pilsen grain to steep with the carapils?

If you are talking about doing a mini-mash instead of steeping grains, you may get a little bit fresher grain flavor, but I doubt it would alter the end result substantially.