Blond beers are also known as gold ales and the color they have varies greatly. There are some whose color is a very pale straw like color and others it is golden blond. What you will notice with them all is that they are clear, crisp and dry, with a slightly bitter taste. Also although they do have some fruitiness to them this is not something that detracts from the beers aroma or taste.

Compared to traditional Belgian pilsners this type of beer has a very high alcohol content. Also these beers are very popular and it is hard to believe that many have only been brewed since the beginning of the 20th Century.

The most well known and popular of the various different varieties of Blond beer produced in Belgium today is that called Duvel. When translated into English it means devil and this particular beer is produced by the Brouwerij Duvel Moortgat (Duvel Moortgat Brewery) which was founded in 1871.

At the end of the First World War in 1918 the brewery produced this beer to commemorate the war finally being over and was originally called the Victory Ale. However, one of its avid drinkers in the 1920's was believed to refer to as being a "real devil" because of the high alcohol content (8.5%) and it was this that resulted in its name being changed to what it is today.

This is considered to be the definitive version of what a Blond beer should be and is brewed by the Duvel Moortgat Brewery using pilsner malt, white sugar and Saaz and Styrian Goldings hops. It is all of these ingredients which give this particular beer is very full and distinctive taste.

Another of the blond beers which is sold not only in Belgium but France also is the Leffe Blonde. Again it comes with its own distinctive flavor that has a slight almond taste to it. Although for many centuries it was brewed at the Leffe Monastery for the monks but during the French Revolution the monks were forced to abandon it and their brewery was destroyed.

But in 1902 the Canons returned to the Leffe Monastery once more and in partnership with the Flemish based brewery Lootvoet based in Overijse beer begun to be produced once more in 1952. Today however all the Leffe blonde beer is now produced at the Stella Artois brewery in Leuven. Although the Abbey at Leffe still gets paid royalties as in accordance with the agreement originally put in place back in 1952.

As previously mentioned the major difference between Blond beers and more traditional kinds of ales and beers is not just the color and taste but its alcohol content. On average most beers and ales will have around 4.5% of alcohol but the Blond beers far exceed this.