So many people seem to like and brew Centennial Blonde Ale. I've never tried it or brewed it. Is it really that good, or just an easy to brew beer that makes it popular?
Why is Centennial Blonde so popular?
- Thread starter okiedog
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dickproenneke
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okiedog said:
It's really that good AND easy to brew AND economical. I did a 5.5gal PM version for under 20 bucks. Give it a shot, even if you're on the fence.
Cheers! DP
DirtyOldDuck
Well-Known Member
I brewed 25 gallons of it last year and have already brewed and gone through 10 gallons this year. It's a great summertime beer - tasty and goes down easy.
DirtyOldDuck
Well-Known Member
It's one of Biermuncher's recipes. Check the recipe section, I think there is an extract version.
Yep, its very good, very easy.
nasty_rabbit
Well-Known Member
It's the tri-fecta. Easy to brew, inexpensive and a good go to brew. Just kicked a keg but fortunately had a back up carbed and ready to go. This will always be in the line up.
OP
OP
It sounds like it's hard to go wrong with this brew.. I'll have to put it on my list and give it a try. Anyone have a good AG recipe for a Centennial Blonde for 5.5 gal batch?
gcdowd
Well-Known Member
Go to the recipe database, American Ale category. It's usually near the top
BierMuncher's Centennial Blonde
It will be my first brew in my new 5gal setup (upgrading from MrBeer).
It will be my first brew in my new 5gal setup (upgrading from MrBeer).
tdhickey
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OP
OP
When is Centennial Blonde usually ready to keg or bottle? Does it benefit from cold conditioning / aging?
TOWEYWACKER
Well-Known Member
This brew is great. I'm finishing up a keg of it right now, and plan on brewing it again soon. I want this stuff on tap all summer long. My standard rule of thumb is 1 month in primary, though this beer is so light that you can probably get away with 3 weeks in primary. After a month, I racked to a keg, let it carb up for a week, and enjoyed. A little over 5 weeks total time. Its a real crowd pleaser for the BMC drinkers to.......and my wife.
dickproenneke
Well-Known Member
okiedog said:
You should be good to bottle/keg after 3 weeks, just make sure that your gravity is stabile. Cold conditioning will help to clear the beer up and mellow to a certain degree but it's certainly not required. It's good to drink as soon as its carb'd up.
OP
OP
Thanks to all for filling me in on what sounds like a great beer to brew! I'm now planning on brewing a Centennial Blonde right after the Belgian Wit that I'm getting ready to brew.
Thanks again. You guys are very helpful.
Thanks again. You guys are very helpful.
Another popular, inexpensive, and easy brew is Yooper's House Ale ( https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f66/da-yoopers-house-pale-ale-100304/ ). I usually have it and the Centennial Blonde on tap at the same time.
OP
OP
Yooper's House Ale does sound like a good one to try. I have no experience with Munich and Vienna malts though. Used together, what type of flavor do they add to the beer?
MonsterBrew
Well-Known Member
Simplicity is a beautiful thing in certain beers. The Centennial Blonde is one of those.
dickproenneke
Well-Known Member
Vienna has a light toasty flavor. Munich is similar but also has some malt sweetness. Munich is kilned longer than Vienna so it produces a darker/reddish wort.
ladodger34
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I haven't tried this recipe, but I can say that a blonde ale is a nice compromise type of beer. My dad, FIL, BIL, and other folks really liked the blonde ale kit from MoreBeer that I brewed.
And after letting it sit for a bit, I really liked it as well. It was certainly better than any of the commercial examples that I've tried lately as a comparison,
It's one of those beer I'm going to have to keep in the rotation for my family members that aren't crazy about Arrogant Bastards (though my dad did admit that Ab was a tasty beer last weekend if paired correctly)
And after letting it sit for a bit, I really liked it as well. It was certainly better than any of the commercial examples that I've tried lately as a comparison,
It's one of those beer I'm going to have to keep in the rotation for my family members that aren't crazy about Arrogant Bastards (though my dad did admit that Ab was a tasty beer last weekend if paired correctly)
Pelican521
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This sounds like a popular choice, are there any commercial examples of this style or something close to compare to?
dickproenneke
Well-Known Member
Rosvineer said:
Certainly! Bulk up the grain bill to increase the malt profile and boost the abv, or play around with different citrusy hops and make a west coast pale ale. The world is your oyster. Play around and have some fun
Pelican521 said:
I just tried Deschutes River Ale and found it to be very close to BM's centennial blonde.
Due to my poor efficiency I upped the grain bill to compensate. Then I actually hit about 75% ha. It'll be a bit higher abv than I planned but no big deal.
Anyway, I split the batch in 3 and will leave 1 as is, add tomato / basil to the 2nd and strawberry to the 3rd. I would have left it all together then racked to secondary for the extras, but didn't have a full size fermenter available.
Now of course the wait.
Anyway, I split the batch in 3 and will leave 1 as is, add tomato / basil to the 2nd and strawberry to the 3rd. I would have left it all together then racked to secondary for the extras, but didn't have a full size fermenter available.
Now of course the wait.
I just bought Beersmith and fond that they have a "dilution calculator".
You just add your number of gallons and OG. Then enter an amount of water and it gives you a new OG.
I plan to use it to make sure my session beers are around 4% ABV like I like them...
The reason it is so good is that it really showcases the great flavor of a malt forward pale ale. Most of the time we are used to paler beers either being bitter and hoppy, or loaded with adjuncts and flavorless. I've only made it once, but I enjoyed it a lot.
If you want a Belgian equivalent, try this. It's the flagship at my nano.
Hopsail Belgian Single
1.045 OG
25 IBU
9 lbs pils
0.25 aromatic
0.5 carapils
1 oz sterling @60
2 oz sterling @5 mins
Mash at 151. WLP530/wyeast 3787. Ferment at 68. You can dry hop with a little centennial if you like.
If you want a Belgian equivalent, try this. It's the flagship at my nano.
Hopsail Belgian Single
1.045 OG
25 IBU
9 lbs pils
0.25 aromatic
0.5 carapils
1 oz sterling @60
2 oz sterling @5 mins
Mash at 151. WLP530/wyeast 3787. Ferment at 68. You can dry hop with a little centennial if you like.
joyceman
Well-Known Member
You could conceivably bring this recipe in at or under $15 with LHBS prices. Great recipe.
OP
OP
Brewed a slightly modified version of Centennial Blonde yesterday. It is just starting to ferment now. I'm anxious to see (and taste) how it turns out. Tried to find the grains list on HBT (I know I've seen it), but couldn't find it. Can someone point me to where to find the list of grains that shows their profiles for gravity, flavor and color?
ThatGeekGuy
Well-Known Member
Was that the MoreBeer 'Beers Under 50 Cents' blonde kit? I recently made it, but added 8oz of Cara 20 to the steeping grains and 1/2 oz Citra with 15 minutes left in the boil. Came out quite nice, will probably do again with ingredients from the LHBS.
ladodger34
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ThatGeekGuy said:
I believe so. It came with my kit, so I didn't pick it out.
OP
OP
Today I had my first tasting of my first Centennial Blonde Ale, and boy is it good! It is very close to Yooper's recipe, but slightly different to accommodate ingredients I have on hand. I'll definitely brew this again. 
I subbed in some Falconer's Flight for the Centennial (same IBUs) when LHBS was out of Centennial. Came out quite tasty.
Very popular with my German house guests.
Very popular with my German house guests.
OP
OP
I've never tried Falconer's. My sub was of grain only. I had a 10 lb. bag a mixed grain that I bought at a discount from my LHBS. It is 50% biscuit, 25% Crystal 40 and 25% Flaked Barley. I added 1/2 lb of that and it turned out great.
