Blonde Ale Centennial Blonde (Simple 4% All Grain, 5 & 10 Gall)

[hogriderj]

Can anyone recommend a good sub for Cascade from what I have in my freezer?

Centennial
El Dorado
Azacca
Magnum
Mosaic
Citra
Simcoe
Chinook

I’ve over used Mosaic, Citra, Simcoe since starting to brew so ideally want to leave these unless they are a great sub.

Was thinking of maybe swapping magnum in for the early addition and centennial in place or cascade OR going single hop with centennial.

https://www.brewps.com/hop-chart-hop-substitutes.html

 

[Broothru]

I've always liked the way Centennial and Chinook play with Cascade, but if you're looking to eliminate Cascade altogether you'll find a significantly different beer. Maybe bitter with Chinook and flavor with Centennial, or single hop with Centennial like Bell's Two Hearted. Cascade as a single hop is Sierra Nevada PA. Both are excellent "old school" American ales if you're looking to get back to basics.

Brooo Brother

 

[thehaze]

Centennial and Chinook will probably work best, but they will also be a bit different. In this recipe, I think you wouldn't go wrong with either.

 

[nreed]

I've always liked the way Centennial and Chinook play with Cascade, but if you're looking to eliminate Cascade altogether you'll find a significantly different beer. Maybe bitter with Chinook and flavor with Centennial, or single hop with Centennial like Bell's Two Hearted. Cascade as a single hop is Sierra Nevada PA. Both are excellent "old school" American ales if you're looking to get back to basics.

Brooo Brother

I don’t have any cascade in so trying to find a good alternative. I’ve yet to use centennial so maybe a good reason to try it as a single hop

 

[Broothru]

I really like Centennial as a single hop (fan boy for Bell's), though not everyone is. Still, can't go wrong at least trying it out. Grab a Two Hearted and see if you like it.

 

[Saunassa]

Yeah, hard to fit it into a box. But that's the best part of this recipe: uniquely simple, easily modified, frequently brewed, plus you don't have obsess over, "What's it taste like?"

Whenever I need a break from hoppy IPAs or smooth lagers, and just need a an enjoyable, quaffable beer, I look no further than this recipe. I really like variety but for some reason this one gets brewed at least a couple of times a year.

Next into the rotation (later this week if the weather agrees) I'll be brewing this one again for the third time this year. Although it's hard to improve on the original recipe, I'm adding a whirlpool charge of 1 oz Cashmere while dialing back the Centennial and Cascade in the boil to keep the IBUs within the range for a Blonde ale.

Hoping for a killer combination between hops to improve rather than change the original, remaining loyal to the solid, OP recipe. Thirteen years and still going strong.

Brooo Brother

I do a simple pale ale that has some mosaic for bittering and A few ounces of cashmere at the end. I think you will like yours and I in fact was considering doing the same to this blonde recipe.

 

[nreed]

I really like Centennial as a single hop (fan boy for Bell's), though not everyone is. Still, can't go wrong at least trying it out. Grab a Two Hearted and see if you like it.

I brewed this will just Centennial on the weekend, just sampled when checking gravity and this was not what I was expecting from the usual descriptors! I'm getting serious pine/herbal aroma and taste, very little citrus character, not my usual go to but the sample was strangely moresome..

 

[Broothru]

I brewed this will just Centennial on the weekend, just sampled when checking gravity and this was not what I was expecting from the usual descriptors! I'm getting serious pine/herbal aroma and taste, very little citrus character, not my usual go to but the sample was strangely moresome..

That's actually my impression as well. I don't sense citrus as a major component, but it is also true that Bell's is very selective about the Centennial hops they use in Two Hearted. The "clones" I've brewed of 2H don't seem all that 'clonish' to me. Some Citra or Amarillo late in the boil or WP might enhance the perception.

 

[nreed]

Some Citra or Amarillo late in the boil or WP might enhance the perception.

I was tempted to do a citra hop tea in the bottling bucket but I’m not sure my OG is going to finish at 1.010 so it’s already going to be low ABV. Hopefully it’ll mellow out a little after a few more days in the primary and conditioning.

 

[nreed]

First try of this with only and centennial and it’s really grown on me. This is my best brew yet - thanks for the great recipe! Can’t wait to try it with cascade as well!

 

[cblack85]

I took a 4 year hiatus from brewing, and will be getting back into it this weekend starting with this recipe. looking forward to brewing again!

 

[Shenanigans]

Welcome back

 

[cblack85]

Welcome back

Thanks, pumped about getting back into the hobby! The only thing I am not looking forward to is getting all of my equipment cleaned and ready for brew day, 4 years is a long time to sit dormant.

 

[hoppheadIPA]

I took a 4 year hiatus from brewing, and will be getting back into it this weekend starting with this recipe. looking forward to brewing again!

I'm with you man! I took 4 years off as well but jumped right back in it and have my first batch in 4 years chugging away in primary! Also have 2 gallons of mead and 5 gallons of apfelwein. Gotta get the pipeline going again!

 

[tomsen]

I live on 2200m altitude, so I will have to adapt hop quantities a bit, any suggestions on how to adjust over the 4 hop additions? just equally?
normal recipe, 21.5 IBU - 5 gal
0.25 oz Centennial [9.50%] (55 min)
0.25 oz Centennial [9.50%] (35 min)
0.25 oz Cascade [7.80%] (20 min)
0.25 oz Cascade [7.80%] (5 min)

0.25 oz = 7.1g

my hop schedule: (my cascade has only 5.5%)
10g Centennial [9.50%] (55 min)
15g oz Centennial [9.50%] (35 min)
15g Cascade [5.5%] (20 min)
15g Cascade [5.5%] (5 min)

 

[cblack85]

Brewed this over the weekend, and it was a great brew day! I was afraid it would take a little time to knock the rust off, but everything went smoothly, and I am looking forward to my next brew day!

 

[tomsen]

brewed this a week ago, how long untill this hits its peak?

 

[kmmuellr]

I've brewed this numerous times, and its now a standard at my house and my brother-in-laws house who I brew for. I always brew it per the original recipe.

Recently I've come into a bunch of El Dorado hops. Has anyone done this brew w/ a single hopped El Dorado? What do you think?

K

 

[bamcisman]

brewed this a week ago, how long untill this hits its peak?

For me, it rounded out nicely with 3 weeks in the keg. I kegged at 2 weeks so 5 weeks total for me.

 

[bamcisman]

Second time brewing this. Very nice fizzy yellow beer.

 

[kenmcchord]

I've got this in primary now, bubbling away nicely. Bonus, I hit all my numbers almost dead on, really looking forward to trying this.

I'm going to add strawberries to this recipe, plan to rack onto 4 lbs of strawberries in the secondary and was looking for opinions on the best method for preventing bugs from getting into the brew. Was thinking I would soak the strawberries in vodka for a few days then dump the berries and the vodka in the secondary, then rack right on top. Never done anything like this before, thoughts?

 

[efnm]

Dumb question on the extract version - when/how is the Cara-pils added? Is it mashed or just put in for the boil?

This should get you a very similar beer:

Batch Size: 5.50 gal
Boil Size: 6.57 gal
Estimated OG: 1.044 SG
Estimated Color: 3.2 SRM
Estimated IBU: 16.8 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 70.0 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item Type % or IBU

1.00 lb Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain 16.7 %

 

[Yaksha808]

Definitely put it in the mash. I don't think you want to boil it at all.

 

[efnm]

Definitely put it in the mash. I don't think you want to boil it at all.

Ok, I figured so. What's the typical process for that, steep from flame on to 170 or something else? I'm slowly dipping my toes into partial grain brews and have seen a bunch of approaches.

 

[Yaksha808]

The temp depends on a few things, but you want it around 150ish degrees. You should have it in a bag and act like it's tea, letting it steep in the water for no less than 30minutes

 

[Barbarossa]

Can someone help me identify the particular taste of this beer? It seems to be consistent with an extract blonde I did years ago, and it kinda taste like Coors light to me. What gives this beer that particular taste?

 

[Broothru]

Can someone help me identify the particular taste of this beer? It seems to be consistent with an extract blonde I did years ago, and it kinda taste like Coors light to me. What gives this beer that particular taste?

Kind of hard to say, other than the very light body and the crispness. The O.P. recipe includes a very small amount of crystal 10L whereas the purported recipes for Coors/Coors Light don't, though both have small amounts of Munich and Vienna as well as floor malted Bohemian and maybe a pinch of CaraHell which might bring some sweetness. The O.P. recipe also does not have any rice or corn adjuncts which add to the crispness and graininess of Coors.

The possible culprit might be Nottingham fermented at a slightly warmer temperature which may produce esters that bring some sweet maltiness. The Coors yeast is Wyeast 2105-PC, which may no longer be available even as a seasonal release. 2105-PC is either the Andechs strain, or at least a derivative of Andechs, which is a great lager yeast but not readily available to home brewers. It is a strong, clean fermenter that drops super clear, which sounds like Nottingham if you ferment it at the lower end of its optimum temperature range.

So, if you're picking up a Coors Light-like taste it may be Nottingham at a slightly higher temperature bringing a slight sweetness with the 10L, but it's unclear where the corn graininess comes from unless it's from the O.P. recipe's grain bill. I'm a real fan of Continental lagers, especially Pils and Helles, and usually have an "anti-IPA" on tap to 'cleanse the palate' from the hoppy APA or IPA on the other tap. My Coors/Coors Light clone is frequently in the rotation along with the Continental lagers on the anti-IPA tap for my BMC drinking friends.

 

[goodolarchie]

I always found it funny that this is a "Centennial Blonde" when the last time those hops touch the wort is at the 35 min remaining on boil mark. I make this recipe every year, but tried once subbing the cascade for a larger, late Centennial addition and it wasn't as good. I know Two-Hearted is good but Bells is very selective of the hop lots for those. In the case of mine, it was more floral, piney, slightly herbal. No citrus and that's what makes this a great summer crusher. So cheers to the Cascade Blonde!

 

[Broothru]

I always found it funny that this is a "Centennial Blonde" when the last time those hops touch the wort is at the 35 min remaining on boil mark. I make this recipe every year, but tried once subbing the cascade for a larger, late Centennial addition and it wasn't as good. I know Two-Hearted is good but Bells is very selective of the hop lots for those. In the case of mine, it was more floral, piney, slightly herbal. No citrus and that's what makes this a great summer crusher. So cheers to the Cascade Blonde!

I'm a big fan of Bell's 2H and also Centennial hops. I ordered 8 oz of Bell's Select hops from the country store, and they are very good hops, but I honestly can't tell the difference between them and YCH or other top suppliers. Last month I got some of the Imperial A62 Bell's House, also from the Country Store, but have yet to use it. Previous clones have used yeast cultured from dregs of 2H which all turned out great.

 

[fragged]

I've got this in primary now, bubbling away nicely. Bonus, I hit all my numbers almost dead on, really looking forward to trying this.

I'm going to add strawberries to this recipe, plan to rack onto 4 lbs of strawberries in the secondary and was looking for opinions on the best method for preventing bugs from getting into the brew. Was thinking I would soak the strawberries in vodka for a few days then dump the berries and the vodka in the secondary, then rack right on top. Never done anything like this before, thoughts?

I'm much too late and guessing you either skipped it or did it, but....


When I did this I used fresh strawberries for an added risk, because the fruit stand was closer to my house than the store. Anyway, I washed them under warm water well, cut the stems, halved them, then froze them. Thawed the day of the brew and pitched at high krausen. My thought was that if anything is still living on them, I want the yeast to win.

It was amazing. That was 2019.

I left the strawberries in there with the yeast cake after racking to keg, and put it under the steps to clean later - God I'm lazy. Your post reminded me of all this. Here they are today in all their glory, I honestly expected way worse.