Blonde Lagers & Ales
A summer beer if ever there was one, blonde ales and lagers are dry, light on the hops and super refreshing.
Ready to Explore?
Thanks to their quintessentially classic look and flavour profile, many people assume that blonde beers — which can be both ales and lagers — have a long history, dating back to the early days of European brewing. In fact, they’re newcomers. Blonde ales became popular in the 1980s, at the start of the American craft beer movement, when brewers were searching for an approachable style that would be the nascent industry’s calling card. Since blonde beer was designed to be a gentle introduction to the world of craft beer, they were low on the bitterness scale and something of a middle-ground between a pale ale and a Kolsch. Whether it’s an ale or a lager, one of the best things about a blonde is that it’s almost always low in alcohol, making this low-key brew a great “session beer,” suitable for long afternoon hangs with friends.
You May Taste
Golden or straw-coloured, gently carbonated and nearly always bright and clear, these striking beers are about as far removed from the “haze craze” as you can get. And, although they are known for their slightly sweet malty flavour, these light-bodied and gently hopped beers are generally crisp and clean, which makes them ideal for summer. Some brewers add honey, spice or fruit to the mix but, at their core, blonde beers are straightforward and diplomatic crowd-pleasers.
Sip Them With
Although many beer experts advise pairing blonde ales with light cheeses, salads or whitefish, this friendly and approachable beer is also a great foil to fatty and spicy foods. Try it with spicy coconut soups from Thailand or Malaysia, or light seafood curries from southern India. It’s a versatile style of beer that can fit in nearly anywhere, including alongside pub fare, like meat pies, fried chicken sandos, or a classic fish and chips plate.
Serving Tips
Since a blonde beer is anything but fancy, it should come as no surprise that it’s perfectly fine to serve it in a simple standard pint, be it gently tapered, or a basic pub pint glass. It’s important, though, to be mindful of the temperature, since blondes should always be served cold — around five degrees Celsius — similar to the serving temp of a pilsner or light lager.
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Beer FAQs
Your Top Questions Answered
What is craft beer?
Craft beer is made by small-scale breweries, often independently owned, that practise traditional artisanal brewing techniques to create authentic and uniquely flavourful beers. These craft brewers may focus on either classic or lesser-known styles of traditional beer, or create innovative new modern brews.
How many calories are in a beer?
A standard 340-millilitre or 12-ounce beer that has five per cent alcohol by volume has about 150 calories. Styles of beer that contain more alcohol, such as IPAs, have more calories — up to 170. Light beers, which have less alcohol, have around 100 calories. While darker beers sometimes have a higher alcohol content and therefore more calories, that’s not always the case: consider Guinness Draught, a dark stout, which has just over four per cent alcohol by volume and 125 calories per 12 ounces.
How many beers are in a keg?
Most standard North American kegs hold 58.7 litres: in terms of standard 340-millilitre or 12-ounce bottles or cans, that’s 165 servings; if you’re counting by 16-ounce pints, its 124 servings. European beers often come in 50-litre kegs, yielding 140 340-millilitre glasses or 105 pints. Smaller 30-litre kegs (sometimes called “pony kegs”) give 82 standard beers or 62 pints. Mini-kegs (Heineken, for example) hold five litres: that’s about 10 pints or 14 glasses.
How is beer made?
All beer is made with four key ingredients: barley (or other grains), water, hops and yeast. First, barley is malted (meaning the grains are sprouted and then kiln-dried) to get ready for brewing. The malt is then mashed, or cooked with warm water, to create a sugary liquid called wort. The wort is boiled with flavouring hops, and then in the final step, it’s fermented with yeast, which creates the alcohol and finished beer.
There are many different styles and regional traditions of brewing, but to simplify, they basically fall into two categories: for ale, the beer is stored at room temperature while the yeast feeds on the sugar in the wort and produces CO2 and alcohol as by-products; for lager, fermentation is the same, but it happens at cooler temperatures so the process takes a little longer
How long does beer last?
Check for an expiry or best-before date on bottles and cans: “best” is best when consumed fresh. Bottles and cans stored at room temperature are safe to drink for at least four months after purchase and up to eight months when it’s stored in the refrigerator or a cool place. Draft or craft beer stored in a glass bottle keeps for two or three days in the refrigerator when tightly capped. And remember, keep beer away from light: it can develop a “skunky” flavour from a chemical reaction to UV light, which is why it’s usually packaged in cans or dark glass bottles.
What is beer made of?
Most beer is made from just barley, water, hops and yeast. That’s all! Each ingredient contributes to the beer’s flavour, as do the specifics of the production process. Some brewers may use other grains, such as corn, rye, rice, wheat or even oats, to produce different types of beer. Some styles even incorporate additional flavouring ingredients, including fruits and herbs.
