Holiday Brews

So I officially started yesterday brewing for Thanksgiving and Christmas time. What is everyone planning this year?

I'll be brewing:
Lots of Dubbel (it helps me cook and entertain)
Eisbock
Dark Strong Ale

So mostly high alcohol brews. More the merrier here.

I'm not going to do anything big, I don't have a big enough BK for the boil down.

On my list:
- Spiced pumpkin ale (either Thunderstruck Pumpkin Ale or NB's Smashing Pumpkin ale)
- Some sort of cranberry wit or cranberry wheat, something creative for Thanksgiving
- A winter warmer

I want to do a barleywine but my bk is a smidge too small. Maybe next year

Have any good winter warmer recipes?

I will brew my American ales at a little higher temperature during winter than summer to give more body to them.

I'm currently mashing my Russian Imperial Stout. Hoping to have it ready by November. Next week I'll prolly make my pumpkin ale for October/November. Week after that will be Christmas ale. I plan on being fully stocked this holiday season. Started way too late last year.

Bourbon stout (already bottled) and a ramped up oaked honey brown ale (10%, bulk ageing currently). I'll bottle that one late September, early October start drinking the two in November. Man I love big winter beers!

meteorbrews said:

Have any good winter warmer recipes?

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Depends on what you are looking for exactly. Check out the recipe section under Specialty or Spice/Herb/Vegetable Beer. Here are a couple to get you started though:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f66/american-winter-brown-ale-94385/
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f78/holiday-spiced-ale-89603/

I can't wait to get some lagers going during winter time as well. Don't have a fermentation chamber or extra fridge yet, but last winter I was able to lager several batches while leaving them outside with good results.

I saw a kit from brooklyn brewery sold at whole foods market for gingerbread ale. Might try to come up with a recipe for that.

Mjg1279 said:

I saw a kit from brooklyn brewery sold at whole foods market for gingerbread ale. Might try to come up with a recipe for that.

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EDIT: Brooklyn Brew Shop

I am doing a heavily hopped ale with belgian yeast, rye, wheat, oats and corriander......its gonna be a wild one.

I've got the following (at least) slated for the upcoming winter

Wee Heavy (Ed's recipe from Brewmasters Warehouse, just received it last Friday)
Belgian Dubbel
Orval clone (got a vial each of WLP510 and Brett. B. in my fridge!)
Westvleteren 12 clone

There's a room in our house that stays around 55-60 degrees F in winter if we keep the door closed, so I imagine I'll be brewing up some Kölsch and Alt as well, either for immediate consumption or for next spring.

I have a bretted dark saison that's been fermenting since March that I hope will be complete by early December. I have a mead that may be ready to drink by then but probably won't be ready.

If my reserve of homebrew drops down to less than 15 gallon by fall I plan on brewing some hefeweizen and apricot hefeweizen (although I know hefe is typically a summer beer it's an all the time beer in my house). That probably won't happen because the wifey is a big pumpkin beer fan and we are both oktoberfest fans and we end up buying a lot to try over the fall.

ReverseApacheMaster said:

If my reserve of homebrew drops down to less than 15 gallon by fall I plan on brewing some hefeweizen and apricot hefeweizen (although I know hefe is typically a summer beer it's an all the time beer in my house).

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I second that Wheats are an all year staple in our fridge too.
Have you done a blood orange hefe before? I am waiting to taste a Loquat wheat beer that I made from some of trees in the back.

Cheers

Barley Wine Brewed in July in Secondary
Wassail brewed August 1st
Belgian Strong Next week

Ive got 2 in fermentors now.
Bad Santa &
Fireside Ale

I try to give out six packs of six different beers as presents. Last year was like 20 of them. Quite the logistical nightmare considering they were all off the kegger, so no sediment for the queasy or those uneducated about yeasties and such. I always brew 10 gallons of the Saint Arnold's x-mas brew out of BYO. Seems to be a crowd pleaser...the rest of the six pack is what ever is on tap or in a keg waiting to be chilled.

I just shipped beer home to the my family for the holidays, dang that was an expensive venture.

gonna brew the "fruitcake old ale". sounds nommy, and i think 8-9% so lets hope i hit my numbers!