Anyone got a good Christmas Ale?

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Somerville

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Just wonderin' about a good Christmas Ale to make...is it possible to make a nutmeg ale? Would it even taste like nutmeg? Or how about like...an eggnog tasting type of beer? Dunno, just a thought...I guess jsut cinnamon or something... :confused:
Thanks
 
I have two recipes;
Affligem Noel Christmas Ale that finishes at ABV: 9.1% and Rentier Frostschutz (Reindeer Antifreeze) that finishes at ABV: 11.2% which uses whole nutmegs, cloves, cinnamon sticks, oranges, and ginger. I have several bottles of the Rentier that I brewed last August and it's still warm. But its probably too late in the season to brew these for this coming Christmas. Let me know if ether of these sounds good.

Wild
 
How is it too late in the season? I only know how to brew with extracts right now...the Rentier sounds good...I like the idea of actually using all those real ingredients...
thanks
 
i made a holiday spice ale last month, it is bottled , and after the first test seems to be done. good ginger flavor. uses ginger, orange, whole cinnamon, and whole nutmeg
 
Somerville said:
How is it too late in the season?
Because of the ABV, it'll take a while to age and if you need it by this Christmas... But I'd be happy to share it with you:
Reindeer Antifreeze (Rentier Frostschutz)

6¾ lbs Dark Malt Extract
2 lbs Dry Dark Malt Extract (DME)
3 lbs Buckwheat or Clover Honey
½ lb Chocolate Malt
½ lb Crystal Malt (80°L)
½ lb Black Patent Malt
2 Oz Northern Brewer Hops (Bittering)
1 Oz Cascade Hops (Aroma)
1 Oz Ginger, Grated
3 ea Oranges, Peeled and Quartered
3 ea Cinnamon Sticks
2 ea Whole Nutmegs
6 ea Whole Cloves
½ tsp Irish Moss
1 vial White Labs Irish Ale Yeast (WLP004)
1¼ cups Dry Malt Extract (Priming)

OG: 1.094
FG: 1.010
ABV: 11.2%

METHOD:
Place crushed Crystal Malt, Chocolate Malt, and Black Patent Malt in water and steep at 155°F for 30 minutes. Remove spent grains and bring to boil. Add Dark Malt Extract, Dry Dark malt Extract, Honey. Bring to boil, add Northern Brewer Hops, and boil for ½ hour. Add the Cascade Hops and Irish Moss during the last 5 minutes of the boil. Turn off heat and add the oranges, cinnamon, nutmegs, ginger, and cloves. Allow steeping for 30 minutes, then strain. Cool wort and pitch yeast. Primary-ferment for 10 days and then transfer to secondary fermenter. Ferment an additional 2 to 4 weeks. Bottle, using 1¼ cups Dry Malt Extract. Age in bottle for 2 months.

Good luck,
Wild
 
Thanks for the recipe...it sounds intense! lol
If I start the first of next month I think I should be OK with all the aging and such...
I always thought that for priming it was 3/4 cup? Or is that just with corn sugar...because I would probably use what I have and thats corn sugar...

Just another newbie question: How come beers like that need so long in the bottle?

Thanks! :cool:
 
[QUOTE="Radical Brewing" - Randy Mosher]It takes a long time for the yeast to hack its way through all that sugar under the high-alcohol conditions that quickly develop. Six months in the secondary is not an unusually long time.[/QUOTE]
I've read further that Christmas beers are generally brewed at Christmas time and released the following Dec. 1st...that's why it's maybe a little late in the season. That being said tho...you could probably still get there. Just be real careful to take SG reading along the way so you don't add priming sugar if there are still fermentables at bottling time.
 
Somerville said:
How is it too late in the season? I only know how to brew with extracts right now...the Rentier sounds good...I like the idea of actually using all those real ingredients...
thanks
Hey Somerville, I stand corrected. :eek: According to Beer Captured that Affligem Noel Christmas Ale only requires 13 weeks...1 in the primary, 6 in the secondary, and 6 in the bottle. You've got plenty of time...go for it. :cool:
 
Go for it; you've got time! I brewed a big Chocolate Russian Imperial Stout last June that won't be ready until the first week in December, but that's because it's a high-gravity ale. I'm also doing a St. Arnold's Christmas Ale clone at the end of this month that should be ready before December.

You've got a lot of good suggestions here. Start Brewin'! :D
 
I'm still on the road in WA State, but I'll check out those recipes when I get home. Thanks. :D

I'm assuming the 6 3/4 lb Dark Malt Extract is liquid? I think to convert liquid to dry would be to divide by .8. I'll have to check my chart this weekend.
 
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