Some of my friends really enjoyed a basic kit I made a while back. It was morebeer’s blonde ale, and I just saw it is on sale. I was thinking of buying a kit or 2 but trying to improve them a little. I am fairly new to home brewing,(11 extract kits on my own, assisted with 8 or so all grain brews with a buddy) but I personally prefer darker and hoppier beers. I am looking for suggestions on what to add hop or otherwise, and when. Their basic extract recipe is: 7 lb ultralight malt extract, 8 oz. crystal 15L with 1 oz Willamette bittering hops for the full boil 60 min. I made this full boil a while back. It was my “decoy beer” and kept all of my newbie craft beer buddies out of my good stuff, but I actually liked it. It was very drinkable, just needs a little something extra, maybe even some extra DME for more horsepower…but I’m really looking for educated opinions on hops that will make it more interesting. Thanks in advance.
[quote=“scooterbugg”]Some of my friends really enjoyed a basic kit I made a while back. It was morebeer’s blonde ale, and I just saw it is on sale. I was thinking of buying a kit or 2 but trying to improve them a little. I am fairly new to home brewing,(11 extract kits on my own, assisted with 8 or so all grain brews with a buddy) but I personally prefer darker and hoppier beers. I am looking for suggestions on what to add hop or otherwise, and when.
Their basic extract recipe is:
7 lb ultralight malt extract,
8 oz. crystal 15L
with 1 oz Willamette bittering hops for the full boil 60 min.
I made this full boil a while back. It was my “decoy beer” and kept all of my newbie craft beer buddies out of my good stuff, but I actually liked it. It was very drinkable, just needs a little something extra, maybe even some extra DME for more horsepower…but I’m really looking for educated opinions on hops that will make it more interesting. Thanks in advance.[/quote]
1st, if you could format your posting so it is easier to read. Thanks. 
Then, what do you want to accomplish with the beer? It’s fairly basic, what you would expect from a blond ale. So it can morph into just about anything.
You can drop an oz or 2 of cascade (Centennial, Chinook, Columbus… , at flame out. Dry hop with 1oz.
With the the above, you can also add an oz of high alpha hop (Magnum, Galena, Millennium…) to bump the IBU’s.
Add .25-1lb of a darker malt. Anything from C-60 to Special B.
The options are endless.
