Cascade Blonde

[discoloop]

Okay, so I realise I'll be creamed for talking about an Australian beer with the word 'blonde' in it, but truth be told I quite like Cascade's offering as a nice, inoffensive lager. Anyway, thought I'd have a go at cloning one.

My thoughts as follows:

1 x Morgan's Blue Mtn's Lager kit
1kg Wheat malt dry extract
About 10g Cascade hops @ 5 minutes.
Saflager W34/70

I chose a kilo of wheat malt for ease of purchasing at the LHBS, but am wondering if maybe I should replace half with barley malt.

Has anyone tried something similar? Also interested if anyone's tried an extract and grains (steeped/minimash) version.

 

[0M39A]

Okay, so I realise I'll be creamed for talking about an Australian beer with the word 'blonde' in it, but truth be told I quite like Cascade's offering as a nice, inoffensive lager. Anyway, thought I'd have a go at cloning one.

My thoughts as follows:

1 x Morgan's Blue Mtn's Lager kit
1kg Wheat malt dry extract
About 10g Cascade hops @ 5 minutes.
Saflager W34/70

I chose a kilo of wheat malt for ease of purchasing at the LHBS, but am wondering if maybe I should replace half with barley malt.

Has anyone tried something similar? Also interested if anyone's tried an extract and grains (steeped/minimash) version.

if you want it to be like cascade blonde, drop the hops all together (you dont want any hop flavour or aroma getting into your beer if you want it to be authentic!!), and use a kilo of dextrose instead of wheat malt, as that may give it some flavour as well.

just because the brewery's name is cascade, it doesnt mean it has anything at all to do with cascade hops. if you do end up using (which i do highly recommend, but it will make it taste nothing like cascade blonde), then i'd go with something like hallertau or saaz

 

[discoloop]

On the contrary, the blonde is actually reputed to use the cascade hop, albeit in small amounts. There definitely are citrusy notes in there somewhere. There is also definitely a quantity of wheat malt used.

The beer is rather light in the body, so you may be on the money about using some dex, but perhaps 500g dex, 500g dry wheat malt.

Are you sure you've tried the Cascade blonde, OM? (It was also known as Cascade Summer Blonde on limited release a few years ago.) It's quite different from Pure Blonde et al. The Cascade offering is quite delicately balanced and a little bit floral or citrusy.

 

[0M39A]

wow, seems it does actually have some cascade hop in it!

i have tried it before, but i certainly dont remember anything in the way of cascade flavour or aroma. was just another boring bland lager, but i do remember it not being as offensive as most.

 

[Thirsty Boy]

discoloop

Your recipe looks fairly reasonable to me.

You are correct. Cascade Blond is essentially an American wheat beer. Or at least thats the category it won a medal in in the World beer Cup last year. So the wheat malt isn't a bad idea. Perhaps you could try using a "wheat" tin and then 50/50 wheat extract and dextrose to make sure it stays very light in the body.

I also agree with the light citrus flavours. They are[/u] pretty subtle though, so maybe the ten grams at 10-15minutes to give a little combination of flavour and aroma, but not too much of either. Unless you'd like it a bit stronger than the original, in which case maybe 10 @ 15min and 10 @ 5. Or maybe yopu could use some Hersbrucker hops... they are a little citrus-y and they also have a lovely floral spicy note.

Also, I'd be tempted to use a nice neutral ale yeast like the US05 instead of the lager yeast. I'm pretty sure that Cascade uses an ale rather than a lager yeast on this beer. But I'm sure it will work pretty well either way.

I'm with you, I quite like this beer when you get a nice fresh batch with a bit of the citrus still hanging around. Unfortunately it doesn't exactly move a bunch of units, so fresh isn't always easy to find. A homemade version will probably be really drinkable and refreshing.

Good Luck

Thirsty

 

[0M39A]

it is most certainly a lager.

 

[discoloop]

Unfortunately it doesn't exactly move a bunch of units, so fresh isn't always easy to find.

I haven't had it out of the bottle since its Ltd Ed days, but a nearby pub to me has it on tap. It makes a lovely draught beer.

 

[Thirsty Boy]

it is most certainly a lager.

We'll have to disagree on that one I'm afraid, because I'm fairly certain it isn't.

Not that it matters too much anyway, its not like there are a whole bunch of yeast derived characteristics in the beer. Any fairly neutral yeast would do the trick I suspect. Depends on which one you prefer to work with.

Edit: speeelink

 

[troydo]

i'll second the draught version is very refrehing, its what i call a summer beer, on the veranda sun on your legs drinking a light fresh beer.

 

[Josh]

I haven't had it out of the bottle since its Ltd Ed days, but a nearby pub to me has it on tap. It makes a lovely draught beer.

Made for a lovely draught beer one late night at the Crows Nest Hotel just around the corner from my mate's place. He's a regular on that tap too.

 

[discoloop]

Yup, that's the pub! Come to think of it, I haven't seen it on tap anywhere else!

So I take it no-one's had a go at making something similar to this? Sounds like something that has to be tried.

I'm heading to the HBS tomorrow, so will pick up the ingredients. Have decided to go all malt - probably not exactly true to the original, but I think I'll enjoy it more. I've also got a Cascade hops 'teabag' floating around so I'll use that, steeped in hot water for 10 mins or so then chucked into the fermenter with the rest...

 

[deckedoutdaz]

All Cascades beers a most definately lagers, this should not need to be argued about, they don't have anyway to brew real ales.....don't even get me started on the "Cascade Pale Ale"....a little dicky bird assured me the small amount of hops involved were POR....

 

[discoloop]

The Cascade Pale ale is a strange beast. I think in terms of Australian Standard Lagers it's essentially okay, but there's not much 'pale ale' to it!

There's a whole heap of cascade beers I really like, though.

The Premium lager is quite nice, the light is just about the only palatable light on the Aussie market, the aforementioned blonde is nice, and I think the amber is a nice, inoffensive amber. Never tried the stout, so can't comment. I guess at least it's an ale.

They tend to get caned as a wolf dressed up in sheep's clothing, but I think the products themselves are okay.

 

[Thirsty Boy]

All Cascades beers a most definately lagers, this should not need to be argued about, they don't have anyway to brew real ales.....don't even get me started on the "Cascade Pale Ale"....a little dicky bird assured me the small amount of hops involved were POR....

ahhhh, well.... no they aren't.

You see, I have a little birdie too, its just that mine used to be head brewer at Cascade.

I don't know for sure that the Blond is an ale, I just think that I recall it is; but I do know for sure that Cascade both can and do brew actual ales.

And POR is not only very probably the hop used in the CPA, it is of course precisely the right hop for use in an Australian Pale ale.... mind you it IS actually a lager

 

[SpillsMostOfIt]

In my experience, a good blonde can be very enjoyable indeed...

I'm playing with an AG recipe at the moment (yet to brew) and all the recipes I've seen as part of my *cough* 'research' use a fair bit of wheat and not much hops. A couple I've seen specify kolsch yeasts, but I reckon a low-temperature US-05 (or some of that English stuff if you're so inclined) would work fine. I second the idea of a slightly floral hint, but too much would be just plain wrong.

 

[ham2k]

I don't know for sure that the Blond is an ale, I just think that I recall it is

http://www.fosters.com.au/enjoy/beer/beer_nutrition.htm

Cascade Blonde Lager

but then again....

Cascade Pale Ale

 

[jjeffrey]

All Cascades beers a most definately lagers...

LOL.

you happen to be arguing with blokes that ACTUALLY BREW CASCADE (yes, in a commercial sense). I'd be re-evaluating the advice of your little dicky bird if I was you.

 

[citizensnips]

I'm brewing something quite similar to your original recipe

-Morgans Blue Mountain Lager
-250g Wheat Malt
-250g Light Dry Malt
-650gDextrose
-12g Hallertau for some flavour
-S-23

Dont know what it's going to turn out like, just going to have to wait and see.

 

[0M39A]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cascade_Brewery

Cascade Blonde is a premium lager beer brewed with a blend of barley and wheat malts, then hopped using the "Cascade" Hop to give a light bitterness. The wheat malt in this brew gives the beer a citrus like mid palette. Alcohol Content: 4.8%

shame cascade dont actually make any decent beers, the brewery is pretty much a stones throw away from me. love going past there just to smell the malts.

and they do most certainly brew ales, albeit only a stout iirc (not sure about their first harvest, although i think its a lager as well)

now can we please end this? lol

 

[deckedoutdaz]

Just gonna sneak this one in before i go off to bed, i do believe, that the Cascade Blonde Lager is deffinately a Lager, is made with Cascades general hop, being the POR, and finished off just before the end of boil with a Tettnang,

Cascades Pale Ale is most deffinately and Ale, fermented at around 20 degrees from a natural fermentation process......Yes, i was misunderstood with waht i was actually trying to get across

If i'm wrong......