Blonde Ales
The sun slowly sets over the city and with it the hustle and bustle of the workday as it mutates into the relaxing hours of the night. Businesses close for the day and others open for the night as the 9-5 workers head home. Some stop for a bite to eat, a beer too perhaps because why not? The local brewery on the way home has a nifty looking food truck and a few friends will be there. What to order? The fluorescent lights that have bathed you all day took away your energy and work has zapped any urge to try something new. The food truck has a chicken sandwich. Very cool, those are always good, what an easy choice. Now the beer. Well wow, the tap list is daunting. What is that, ten or two hundred choices? The memory of a beer everyone had assured you would be your new favorite was Godawful last time, too bitter. Hops? Gross. But you don’t want a basic Pilsner or (heaven forbid) a seltzer. The words flow out before you can read the board.
“I’ll take the closest thing to a Blonde Ale you’ve got.”
Some call it the ‘Vanilla’ choice. Basic, devoid of character. Either the beer tender pours a Blonde or Golden Ale with no more said or they start to fumble over words, “Um well we don’t have a Blonde per se, but this is closest,” as they motion toward a light style of ale or lager completely devoid of hop flavors.
“Sure, that one,” you say and it's over.
But are Blonde Ales bad? Are they just a standard boring beer whose entire reason for being alive is to please and get by without too much notice? Are Blonde Ales the worker beer, just a cog in the craft beer machine on the inside - hidden and serves very little purpose? Is it more? Less?
The Blonde Ale
First let’s examine what a Blonde Ale truly is. A Blonde ale, which is also known as a Golden Ale, is a straw- to medium-blonde ale in color that has moderate bitterness and maltiness. It is closely related to traditional mass market lagers. It originated in North America for mass market American consumers used to traditional American Pilsners and other mass-produced American favorites. Dry, light to medium body with light malty sweetness, the Blonde Ale has little bitterness and little to no aroma.
Anyone awake? You still there? Let’s move quickly away from the description of the beer into some popular examples of the style.
Examples
Some of the most popular Blonde Ales are:
Summer Love by Victory Brewing
Sweet Action by Sixpoint Brewing
Big Wave Golden Ale by Kona Brewing
Twilight Summer Ale by Deschutes Brewing
805 by Firestone Walker Brewing
If you have been in a bar or restaurant that serves beer, you have seen one of these on tap. In California if you are not aware of 805 or genuinely have not seen the logo for it yet… HOW!? What rock do you live un…
Sorry.
It's very prominent. Many popular blonde ales play off the Summer Season as a selling point by either throwing the word in as part of the name or referencing it by way of talking about the beach or summer activities. After all, they never get above 6% (ok sometimes they do but rarely). So, is this style a crime against craft beer or does it deserve its place next to IPAs and the like?
You can sit with us
Blonde Ales on the surface may appear to be pointless and perhaps even be a nuisance to the craft beer fan. Who comes to a craft brewery for that? Why isn’t there a better style in its place like a Kolsch or Pilsner that have similar attributes but possess something more than just a blank slate of a beer style? There are a few answers to these questions. First off, they are largely a gateway beer. For those who are ready to dip their toes into craft beer but don’t want anything hoppy nor sour/sweet, for those who want a beer but also wish not to be challenged, the Blonde is there for you. Easy drinking, low enough ABV and when ordered gives the consumer the first step towards other styles. After one, maybe the drinker will request to try something a touch darker. Then comes the admittedly also boring Red or Amber ale. This new craft beer drinker is exposed to malt character and at times less bitter hop bitterness and aroma. Either they move towards it or not. From there it’s a door opening to Saisons, low bitterness Pale Ales and Hazy IPAs, Belgian styles and darker brews such as the Porter or Stout. Working at a brewery has opened my eyes to this.
Customer X came into the brewery a year ago with friends. They wanted something like a Blonde Ale, and I served them up a Kolsch (closest we had). Success, it was liked. A few visits later they show up with a friend they brought to show them the beers on tap. Today Customer X orders the Pilsner for a friend but decided to be bold and orders the Marzen, a German Style Lager. Another beer that Customer X can add to the list of beers enjoyed. Weeks later they show up and order a flight of beers challenging their pallet. “Oh hey, that Hazy isn’t bitter, is it? It's delicious!” Fast forward and Customer X orders West Coast IPAs with lower IBU. Thanks, Blonde Ale!
My gateway beer was a Hefeweizen alongside Guinness. I now dislike Wheat beers and Guinness is admittedly not my go-to (shout out to Black Butte Porter) but they have a place in my craft beer story just like the Blonde Ale has a spot for that Customer. Many others have this same story and is in no way an isolated example. It is rare for a person to jump straight into Double Dry Hopped West Coast IPAs. The beer journey has a beginning.
Secondly, the Blonde Ale is easy to make and sometimes can be thrown together using leftover extra materials. 805 was born out of an excess of base malt and a few low bitterness hops. The materials had to be used or disposed of while Pizza restaurants in the brewery’s area were always looking for an easy-drinking good-pairing beer with their pizza. So, 805 was made and strictly brought to these locations. It was a hit. This was before the beer had a name, so they humbly named it after the area code of the area. Now it’s a brand of its own. All from a beer concocted from leftovers.
Lastly, breweries love styles of beer with low cost and that are proven to move. There will always be the customer asking for an easy-drinking beer. It won't sit for too long and go bad. Return on investment is easy.
Conclusion
Does the Blonde Ale have purpose or is it just a boring, bland beer? I would argue it is one of the most important beer styles today in American Craft Beer. It is a gateway to every other beer yes, and it is a perfect fall back to summer beer for when you just need a light beer without being offended. With the new generation of beer drinkers leaning toward lagers and lighter styles of beer, the Blonde Ale is in a great position to grab the attention of the next generation of beer drinker. With variations of the blonde utilizing fruits, dry hopping, barrel aging and more, the Blonde Ale can also be so much more than bland and vanilla.
The light of day has long faded, and the third Blonde Ale is depleted. As you walk up to the beer tender to close out the tab something catches your eye. Coming Soon.
“What beer is that? It says ”Coming Soon.”
“Oh, it’s an Oat Pale ale. It’s very light with some hop aroma and citrus notes,” the beer tender says, redirecting your attention to the machine so you can add a tip and select a receipt.
“Ah ok sounds interesting, thanks!” and as you turn and leave either it genuinely sounded interesting or not, regardless it's now on your radar. Walking home thoughts now turn to all the beers not tried. Right there, that’s where the Blonde Ale did its work.
I will admit sometimes when someone asks for a Blonde Ale or something close it can get a bit boring. It’s a constant question along with, “Do you serve wine?” But it has potential to open someone up to a new world. So because of that, I salute you Blonde Ale. You may bore me to death and no, I will not be drinking one anytime soon, but you are very important. Thank you, Blonde Ale.
