Stab at a winter warmer - Critique Please

Hey there,

Trying to take a stab at a winter warmer recipe modelled after the Garrison Brewery Winter Warmer, with a modification to the hops, theirs had 20 IBU and I am shooting for 35. Looking at the label it says it is brewed with cinnamon and cloves as well. Do you suppose these go into the boil or into the seconday? What would be a good amount of these ingredients to use so that you can taste them but not be overpowering.

Their ingredient list includes: 2 row pale malt, munich, caramel, chocolate and brown sugar with norther brewer hops at 1.064OG and 6.8% abv

Here is the recipe I came up with, it's extract + grain:

Recipe Specifications
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Batch Size: 5.00 gal
Boil Size: 3.00 gal avg
Estimated OG: 1.069
Estimated Color: 25 SRM
Estimated IBU: 35 IBU
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
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7 lb Pale LME (1/2 up front, 1/2 at 10 min remaining in boil)
1.5 lb Munich Malt - 10L
0.5 lb Crystal 60L Malt – 60L
0.5 lb Chocolate Malt – 400L
0.5 lb Dark Brown Sugar – 50L

1.00 oz Northern Brewer [9.00 %] (60 min) Hops
0.50 oz Northern Brewer [9.00 %] (20 min) Hops
0.50 oz East Kent Goldings [5.50 %] (5 min) Hops

Steep grains at 155F for 30 mins in 3 gal of water then heat water to 170F wash grains, bring to boil, remove from heat, add 1/2 of the LME and return to boil, begin hop schedule. At 10 mins remaining in boil, remove from heat, add the last 1/2 of LME, return to heat.

Yeast: Any suggestions that would fit this style?

Primary : 3 weeks @ ~65F
Secondary: 4 weeks @~65F

Any help/tweeks/modifactions and tips for brewing a bigger beer would be greatly appreciated.



B.

Just bumping this to see if i can stir some responses

I think that recipe looks pretty good. Here are a couple things I would do though. Bump that crystal up to at least 1 pound. IMO winter warmers should be heavier on the crystal than other brews. The LME will keep it thicker still, but I wouldn't be opposed to even going to 1.5lbs on the crystal.

EKG is a good choice for finishing hops. I would bump that up to a full ounce. Give it a little more of an earthy hoppy aroma without putting too much emphasis on hop character. (Of course I've never heard of Garrison Brewery Winter Warmer, so I can't say how it would compare.)

As far as the spices go, there are tons of threads about what to use and how much. Most say boil in the last 5-10 minutes. Start small and work your way up. You can add more by making a "spice tea" but you can never take it out!

Winter warmers use all kinds of yeasts. An American ale yeast would work well if you want a cleaner yeast profile, or an English ale yeast for a bit more fruitiness (Irish and Scottish could fit well too).

Hope this helps.