Just curious...: You've probably heard of blonde beer. Or drank it at some point. But what exactly is it?
Blonde beer is an extremely popular style of beer, which we at Uiltje are also heavily enamored with. But how do you make a blonde beer that stands out from all those hundreds of beers already on the market? By giving it a crafty twist, of course! Read on and taste it for yourself....
What is Blonde beer?
While not as new as New England IPAs, this beer has not been on the market as long as dark, stout counterparts like stout ale and porter. Blonde beer was first drunk in 1842 and immediately created a breath of fresh air in the beer world. A chain reaction of developments followed, and brewers discovered that lighter ales could also be brewed easily and lucratively. Blond ales were hugely popular in Europe at the time and not much later conquered the entire world.
Blonde beer food pairing
Blonde beer is smooth, accessible and known as the more universal type. After all, it can be combined with (almost) anything; from pasta and cheese to cookies. Because of flavors like honey, herbs and fruit that you often find in the beer, you can go wild with foodpairing. So, something to celebrate? Blonde beer it is! The subtle hop flavor and bitterness provide a slightly sweet, malty touch.
The history of blonde beer
Blonde beer is definitely not a new kid on the block, rather a classic. In fact, most bars have blonde beer on tap! There are many different types of blonde beer - more on that later. Yet it is often mentioned in the same breath as Belgium, even though it is hugely popular worldwide.
Blonde beer originated in monasteries, where it was drunk by monks more often as a foodstuff than as a mood enhancer. Dark in character and with a low alcohol content. Because of the malt sugars, the beer formed an extra source of energy during Lent, when the monks were not allowed to eat anything during the day. Hence the low alcohol content. As the popularity of beer grew, so did the demand for more alcohol. Monks made their own beer from a ground brew that they rinsed three times with water to wash the sugars from the grain. Thanks to that method, the blond beer as we drink it today was created during the "second" round.
The color of blond beer
Blonde beer is a rich, clear, medium-bodied ale, slightly sweet and dry in flavor. The alcohol content is between 5.8% and 8%. The color is light, the bitterness low and the beer drinks best in a tulip glass, at a temperature of 5 to 7 degrees. If you like a strong, blonde beer then you are going to love the American Cream Ale or Berliner-style Weisse.
Different types of blonde beer
Blonde beer comes in all shapes and sizes. Depending on where it is brewed, blonde beer varies in a number of ways. In Belgium, for example, blond beer contains more aromas and the yeast esters provide notes of banana and cloves (and they often have a higher alcohol content there!). American blond ales or golden ales, as they call them in the United States and United Kingdom, on the other hand, are brewed lighter, and are more balanced in flavor.
Blonde beer at Uiltje Brewing Company
Of course, in the "blonde beer craze" that has arisen, we couldn't be left behind. The result? Uiltje Blonde but with a Uiltje state of mind.
How it all started? Our friends from Cavallaro Napoli, just like us based in Haarlem (and responsible for our cool merchandise Italian style!), went looking for a beer à la Cavallaro. Entirely in the Italian theme, we - in collaboration with Fiorito - brewed a blond beer with notes of limoncello and basil. That combination quickly proved to be a hit. We decided to pour the limoncello beer at a number of local beer festivals during the summer as well, and it became a festival hit. Maybe some people thought we were crazy, but mixing beer with limoncello turned out to be not so crazy at all.
In early 2020, our core range was due for a new, fresh name: time to add a nice blonde beer to the list. And there was Prima Donna! The recipe is slightly different from the Cavallaro version, but the concept of limoncello-blonde beer remained the same.
In 2022, we went for a new blonde. blonde beer. At Uiltje , we focus primarily on lighter and drinkable blondes and golden ales. But don't be surprised if you also come across heavy blonde beer and experimental variations on blonde beer in our beer shop!
Looking beyond blond beer?
Would you like to discover other delicious beers besides our blonde beer? Then feel free to wander through our online beer shop. Are you looking for more fruity and deliciously drinkable beers? Then check out all our fruity beers or try our session IPAs. Are you ready for something dark and/or heavy after a limoncello blond? Then try our bock beers and barrel aged beers. Order, taste and find your favorite!
Why buy blonde beer online from Uiltje Brewing?
Buying blonde beer online in our web shop means you buy directly from the source. So your beer doesn't sit gathering dust in warehouses, wholesalers, and stores, but is sent to you directly from the brewery. Plus, as the brewers of all that deliciousness, we can tell you the most about the flavors, ingredients, and properties of our beer. Read our extensive product descriptions and make your choice at your leisure, without feeling the eyes of impatient store employees poking into your back....