rocketman768

Recipes 

So, I want to make a Yule (AKA Christmas) Ale, but I need some help with the spices. Here's what I have so far:

Batch Size: 2.0 gal
Grains & Stuff:
0.400 lbs Brown Sugar
0.832 lbs Crystal 80L
0.350 lbs Cara-pils (dextrin)
3.42 lbs Pale 2-row malt

Hops: Chinook @ 60 min and 15 min to make 15-20 IBUs
Yeast: Wyeast Kolsch

Expected Color: 46.7 SRM (black as soot)
Expected Gravity: 1.060

First, does that look acceptable for a Yule Ale? Second, I need a little advice with the spices. I know I want cinnamon and clove. I think nutmeg or allspice might be nice, but I can't remember how they smell or taste. Do you think some fresh orange peel would be ok? And most importantly, how much of each of these spices should go in? I've seen some wide variation in the amounts of these spices in the recipes section, so I am not sure what is "normal" and what is overboard. Would someone help me choose the spices to put in and the quantity? Thanks a bunch!

leghorn

Recipes 

First, I put your grains through Beersmith, and even at 2 gallons, it will not be black as soot. I got 20.6 SRM. May be I got it wrong, but I recommend double-checking your grain bill. And Kolsch yeast - I'm scratching my head trying to imagine the taste; your ingredient mix is unusual - thus it's harder to recommend the spice mix.

I made a 5 gallon Christmas Old Ale, using clove, orange peel, and cinnamon. At 5 gallons, I boiled 1 orange peel at 15 minutes, and 2 crushed cloves and 1/2 tsp of ground cinnamon at 1 minute. Initial results (1 month in primary, 1 in secondary, 3 weeks in the bottle) are promising. If we adjust for 2 gallons (roughly), that's 1/2 orange peel, 1 crushed clove, and 1/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon. Nutmeg and Allspice would be great to experiment with, but the cinnamon, clove, and orange will be sufficient. Go with fresh orange peel, but buy a zester so you don't get the pith (white part of the peel). If you are interested, I can post my old ale recipe, though your cutting it close for this Christmas.

rocketman768

Recipes 

Ok. So, dark brown sugar is 50L, crystal 80 is 80L, cara-pils is 2L, and pale 2-row is 1.8L. So, the color should be 0.4/2 * 50 + 0.832/2 * 80 + 0.35/2 * 2 + 3.42/2 * 1.8 = 46.7 SRM.

If you find my grain mix weird, please tell me why. I am by no means a pro at this. I am simply going by descriptions...Brown sugar because I think the taste would go well in a Yule Ale. Crystal 80 because I want caramel flavor. Cara-pils because I want the beer to have body and be smooth. Pale 2-row because it's a standard base grain. I didn't include any dark roasted grains because I dislike the sharp burnt flavors they impart. I'm using Kolsch yeast because I've used it before and it's fairly clean and attenuates well.

Thanks for the tips on the spices. I would also love to see your recipe.