25A Belgian Blonde Ale
Riwaka Rascal Blonde Ale
Grain bill
| Gladfield Light Lager Malt | 3.1 kg | 42.5% |
| Gladfield Pilsner Malt | 1.2 kg | 16.4% |
| Gladfield Wheat Malt | 1.1 kg | 15.1% |
| Gladfield Vienna Malt | 0.9 kg | 12.3% |
| Gladfield Flaked Wheat | 0.85 kg | 11.6% |
| Gladfield Rye Malt | 0.15 kg | 2.1% |
Adjuncts
| Yeast nutrient | 2 g @ 10 min |
| Whirlfloc | 1 g @ 10 min |
Hop schedule
| Hop | 90 min | 30 min | 5 min |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wakatu | 20g | · | 30g |
| Riwaka | · | 20g | 30g |
Yeast
| Froth Tech Wildling FTW1 | 1 packet |
Water additions
| Calcium Chloride | 2 g |
| Calcium Sulfate | 4 g |
Tasting notes
2024-06-01
A Belgian Blonde Ale brewed as an all–New Zealand ingredients entry for Euroclash 2024, category 25A. The concept: use only NZ-grown and NZ-produced ingredients — Gladfield malt, NZ hops, and Froth Tech Wildling FTW1 as the yeast. Boil extended to 90 minutes for better colour development and DMS reduction with the high-adjunct grist.
Grain Bill
Six NZ malts totalling 7.3 kg: Gladfield Light Lager (42.5%) provides the pale, clean fermentable base; Pilsner (16.4%) adds gentle malt character; Wheat Malt (15.1%) and Flaked Wheat (11.6%) together contribute to head retention and body; Vienna (12.3%) adds warmth and roundness; a small Rye addition (2.1%) gives a subtle spice note consistent with Belgian character.
Hops
Two NZ varieties across four additions: Wakatu (50 g total) carries the noble German-lineage character — lime, citrus blossom, and clean floral — with a bittering charge at 90 minutes and a late flavour addition at 5 minutes. Riwaka (50 g total) adds its characteristic passionfruit and tropical citrus with a 30-minute charge and a second 5-minute addition alongside Wakatu.
The pairing works on the Belgian blonde template: light bittering from Wakatu’s noble base, late aroma punch from Riwaka’s tropical character. Total hop additions restrained to let the yeast and malt carry the beer.
Fermentation
Froth Tech Wildling FTW1 at 20°C — an expressive NZ wild-culture yeast bringing phenolic and fruity complexity. High attenuation drove the beer from 1.066 down to 1.004 (apparent attenuation ~94%), finishing dry with a strong yeast character sitting over the pale malt base. Packaged counter-pressure into bottles, final volume 21 L.
Tasting
Tasted 2024-06-01 before bottling: the all-NZ concept delivered cleanly — Wakatu and Riwaka provide distinctive citrus-floral hop character against the light wheat-pilsner base, with the Wildling yeast adding complexity without dominating. A well-balanced entry for the Euroclash 25A category.