What this is
A Belgian blonde by the book: Pilsner malt, a little Vienna, candi sugar, Saaz and a Belgian abbey yeast. Around 6.2%, dry, and driven almost entirely by what the yeast does.
Not to be confused with Riwaka Rascal Blonde, which is the same BJCP code approached from completely the opposite direction — six New Zealand malts, no sugar, and NZ hops. Between them they cover both routes to 25A.
Three grains and not much else
77% Pilsner, 15% Vienna, 7.5% sugar. That is the whole grist.
The candi sugar is doing the work a big grain bill would otherwise do: it ferments out completely, so it adds alcohol without adding body. That is what lets a beer finish at 1.010 and still taste light rather than thin — the malt is carrying the body, the sugar is carrying the strength, and neither is doing both.
Mash low, at 64°C, to push the same direction. A high mash would leave dextrins behind and the beer would finish heavy on top of the sugar.
Hops are one variety, kept quiet. 85 g of Saaz split between 60 minutes and 10 is enough to balance the sugar and nothing more.
Two brews, three days apart
Owen brewed his on 16 February 2026 and this version followed on the 19th. The two are structurally identical — the same 4.6 / 0.9 / 0.45 kg split, the same yeast, the same hop variety — and differ only in sourcing:
| Owen, 16 Feb | Matt, 19 Feb | |
|---|---|---|
| Pilsner | Gladfield German Pilsner | Weyermann Barke |
| Vienna | Gladfield | Weyermann |
| Sugar | Homemade light candi | D45 syrup |
| Saaz | 50 g | 85 g |
| Result | 1.060 → 1.008, 6.8% | 1.057 → 1.010, 6.2% |
That makes it a near-controlled comparison of a New Zealand malt bill against a German one, with everything else held. Worth tasting side by side while both are still around.
The D45 syrup is darker than the light candi sugar Owen made, so this version should carry slightly more colour and a faint caramel note his will not have.
Brewing it
Ninety-minute boil, for the same DMS reason any Pilsner-heavy beer needs one.
Add the sugar late in the boil rather than to the fermenter, and stir it properly so it does not scorch on the element.
Ferment at 18°C. Abbaye will throw plenty of character at that temperature and pushing it warmer risks fusels in a beer this pale, where there is nothing to hide behind.