The Liberty Blonde is a Belgian classic: a golden, round and approachable blonde that drinks with steady pleasure. Two malts in equal parts — Pils and Pale Ale — give it its luminous colour and lovely roundness on the palate.
The bitterness comes from CTZ, added early in the boil for a clean, straightforward base. And then there’s Sorachi Ace, added at the very last minute: this singular hop lends the resinous, fresh character that makes all the beer’s personality.
/ The ingredients
Quantities for 25 litres in the fermenter. Adjust the volume: the proportions recalculate automatically.
| Pils malt3 EBC | |
| Pale Ale malt7 EBC | |
| CTZ hopsColumbus-Tomahawk-Zeus · bittering · 80 min | |
| Sorachi Ace hopsaroma · 1 min | |
| Fermentis S-04 dry yeast |
Original gravity 1.064 (15.5 °P) · final gravity 1.013 (3.3 °P) · efficiency ~74.5%.
/ The brew
- Mash — Crush the malts and mash at 64 °C for 75 min for a well-attenuated beer.
- Mash-out & lautering — Raise to 76 °C, then sparge the grains at 78 °C.
- Boil (80 min) — CTZ from the start. Irish moss 10 min before the end, then the Sorachi Ace just 1 min before flame-out, to preserve all its aroma.
- Whirlpool (30 min) — At flame-out, create a vortex, cover and let it rest 30 min.
- Fermentation — Cool to 20 °C, pitch 2 packs of S-04 and let it ferment at 20 °C.
- Bottling — Bottle conditioning with 8 g of sugar/L and Fermentis F-2 yeast. See the dedicated article →
- Conditioning — 2 weeks at 21-22 °C, then enjoy well chilled.
/ Tasting
Clear golden blonde colour, crowned with a fine head. Fruity and subtle aromas comes from the fermentation. On the palate, the balance is perfect between malty sweetness and measured bitterness. And then that hoppy note, the Sorachi Ace signature, that reveals itself as you drink.
A great Belgian blonde is simplicity taken to its peak.
Serve between 6 and 8 °C, in a stemmed glass. A beer for every occasion.
