Celestial Critter

Origin Story

Belgian Blond Ales are a recent innovation derived from the older Belgian Strong Golden Ale style, yet some describe it as a light variation of a Belgian Pale Ale. It was designed to appeal to European Pilsner drinkers by having a moderate strength that retains some Belgian complexity, and tends to be brewed with pilsen malt. In recent years, Belgian Blonds are becoming more popular as certain breweries have begun to widely market and distribute this style, with Duvel being the most well known throughout the world. The style is characterized by having a light to medium body with low malt character in the aroma and flavor, and similar subdued Belgian yeast qualities throughout as well. Occasionally, Belgian candy sugar can be added to lighten the perceivable flavors, which is exactly what we did by using a type fittingly called "Blonde" candy sugar. In a similar Belgian fashion, we also added some tangerine peel, as is often seen in certain beers styles like the Belgian White Ales. Noble hops tend to be the common varieties used in these beers. We chose to experiment with a hop variety that we had never brewed with before, that originated from Germany and is similar to the Hallertauer noble variety. Labeled as Saphir, these hops were bred from the Hops Research Institute in Hull Germany, as a cross between two of their newer varieties. Saphir Hops has a very low alpha acid content at 2%-5%, making it one of the lowest alpha hops in the world, resulting in very low bitterness, leaving aroma as the real contribution from these hops. They were bred to be resistant to many of the most disastrous disease and mildews that often plague some true noble hop plants in Germany.