Centennial Blonde Ale Recipe (All-Grain and Extract)

If you’ve ever found yourself looking for a light, refreshing blonde ale recipe with a well-rounded American hop profile, this could be the one for you!
Homebrewer Kevin Mattie’s Centennial Blonde Ale recipe is a pale, sessionable beer at just 4.2% ABV. The grain bill includes US two-row pale malt as the base, using Carapils for head retention and a combination of light crystal and Vienna malts for flavor and color.
On the hops side of the equation, a mix of Cascade and Centennial hops provide enough bitterness to set it apart from lifeless macro beers, but not nearly as much as an American pale ale or IPA. The choice of hops provides a touch of that piney, citrusy American hop flavor and aroma we all know and love.
For yeast, Mattie uses Danstar Nottingham Ale Yeast, a versatile dry ale yeast that’s clean fermenting, easy to use, and affordable.
Between its balance, sessionability, and simplicity, this sounds like a great brew to have on hand for summer!

Centennial Blonde Ale
(5.5-gallon batch, all-grain)
Specs
OG: 1.040
FG: 1.008
ABV: 4.2%
IBUs: 21.5
SRM: 3.9
Ingredients
7 lbs. Two-row pale malt
.75 lb. Carapils/Dextrine malt
.5 lb. Caramel/Crystal 10L malt
.5 lb. Vienna malt
.25 oz. Centennial hops at :55 (2.4 AAUs)
.25 oz. Centennial hops at :35 (2.4 AAUs)
.25 oz. Cascade hops at :20 (2 AAUs)
.25 oz. Cascade hops at :5 (2 AAUs)
1 packet Danstar Nottingham Ale Yeast
All Grain Directions: Mash crushed grains in 11 qts. of clean water at 150˚F. Hold mash for 60 minutes. Sparge with enough water at 175˚F to collect about 6.5 gallons of wort. Boil for 60 minutes, adding hops according to schedule. Whirlpool and chill wort to 68˚F. Pitch yeast and ferment at 68˚F for 10 days.
Extract Option: Replace the grain bill with 5 lbs. light DME and 1 lb. Carapils/Dextrine malt. Steep the crushed grains for 1 hr. at 155˚F then strain out. Add DME and enough water to make a 6.5-gallon boil. (For a 5-gallon kettle, a 3.5-gallon boil is fine.) Bring wort to a boil and boil for 60 minutes, adding hops according to schedule. Whirlpool and chill wort to 68˚F. If needed, mix in enough clean, bottled water to make 5.5 gallons. Pitch yeast and ferment at 68˚F for 10 days.
More Beer Recipes:

• Anchor Steam
• Fuller’s London Porter
• Westmalle Tripel
• Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale
• Pliny the Elder Double IPA

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David Ackley is a beer writer, brewer, and self-described “craft beer crusader.” He holds a General Certificate in Brewing from the Institute of Brewing and Distilling and is founder and editor of the Local Beer Blog.