Christmas in July

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tuckferrorists

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Here in Louisiana, it doesn't get Christmasy till novemberish. But is anybody else brewing their Christmas ale this early? Got mine in the kettle now.

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That's Tmooka nursing an Abita amber.

Pretty excited for our yearly Christmas party. This year on tap, we'll have Edwort's Apfelwein, Baby Boy Porter (named after my son due in October), Mashin' Pumpkins Ale, and Toasted Santa Christmas Ale. Will also be giving six packs of apfelwein as parting gifts. Cheers!
 
My Christmas ale was brewed last weekend, for consumption in December. Smells of hot alcohol and ginger root right now.
 
I'm doing Austin homebrews. Do you have a recipe? I plan on doing a new one every year for a few years until we find one we all love an will make that a yearly brew.
 
Well, my counter flow chiller didn't chill It enough in this Louisiana heat, so I have an ice bath going, and while we wait for it to chill, we're playing online drinking games. It may seem early, but I have to wake up at 5 for work.
 
Mine is brewed & fermented. I did a imperial brown ale mashed @156 and added some bitter orange peel, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger.
 
Going to be putting together a holiday spiced Robust Porter as soon as I have a fermenter open. I love the holidays. I normally bake and decorate like a bastard, but since I started brewing this year it opens up a whole new world. Cheers!
 
Arbor413 said:
Going to be putting together a holiday spiced Robust Porter as soon as I have a fermenter open. I love the holidays. I normally bake and decorate like a bastard, but since I started brewing this year it opens up a whole new world. Cheers!

Have you done apfelwein yet? That screams Christmas for me as well.
 
Targeting mid August to early September for my Christmas brew! Haven't nailed a recipe down so I'm all ears for ideas.
 
I haven't even thought about Christmas. I'm still trying to get a couple more done for the end of summer.

I just started a wee heavy (with some peated malt) yesterday that will be conditioned with oak and bourbon in secondary for a couple of months. That should be coming into it's own by the Holidays.

I've never really liked a heavily spiced ale.
 
Probably extract. I am gearing up for AG and haven't done one yet. I probably don't want my first AG "trial run" to be targeting my Christmas brew. I'm guessing I'll need to dial a few things in.
 
I've got a Belgian cider that's going to be turned into applejack, then I'm doing a creme brûlée stout and bourbon ale in August, a gingerbread amber in August, and a Christmas wit in late October. Should be a crazy 4 months!
 
Before I get into this to deep, my families started doing "home made" Christmas last year. IMO it was the best Christmas since I was a small child and got my BB gun. The gifts were well thought out and it was a LOT of fun. We also would get a "bought gift" but IMHO most of those were just OK...

Last year I made a mixed 6 pack to give to friends and family. I still have 1/2 of that left and will have a drinking party with friends with it. NEVER again will I attempt to do mixed 6 packs or more...

This year I may try a sparkling apple cider + an ale (I have not really decided what to brew) and some smoked jerky for the adults. Then give sweet cakes to the children.
 
I'm with ReverseApacheMaster's crowd, I doubt I'll do one this year.

I just have too many other ideas to "clog up" my pipes with a Christmas beer! Sours, Scotch Ale, Pumpkin, Saisons, more sours, another Saison, Rauchbier, etc...
 
No brews that are specifically for Christmas, but I just brewed an Imperial Stout (**deep breath** Oak Aged Imperial Chocolate Coffee Oatmeal Stout...) and will be brewing a PumpKing clone next month, so i'll have a couple beers to drink in winter. And i'll definitely be enjoying both on Christmas :)
 
Nagorg said:
Probably extract. I am gearing up for AG and haven't done one yet. I probably don't want my first AG "trial run" to be targeting my Christmas brew. I'm guessing I'll need to dial a few things in.

Seems like you can do a practice run on an easy AG and still have time to knock out a Christmas ale. I'm doing the Austin Homebrew mini mash and I'm not sure if it's going to be spiced enough. The spices were thrown in at 50 minutes and I couldn't really taste them in the hydro sample
 
Seems like you can do a practice run on an easy AG and still have time to knock out a Christmas ale. I'm doing the Austin Homebrew mini mash and I'm not sure if it's going to be spiced enough. The spices were thrown in at 50 minutes and I couldn't really taste them in the hydro sample


And that I just might do! :mug:
 
And I did do exactly that! :mug:

This is my Christmas brew:

Recipe: Modified Holiday Porter
Brewer: Nagorg
Style: Robust Porter
TYPE: All Grain

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Boil Size: 6.23 gal
Post Boil Volume: 5.73 gal
Batch Size (fermenter): 5.00 gal
Bottling Volume: 4.78 gal
Estimated OG: 1.071 SG
Estimated Color: 25.8 SRM
Estimated IBU: 70.0 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 72.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 79.9 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
9 lbs 8.0 oz Pale Malt (2 Row) UK (3.0 SRM) Grain 1 69.4 %
1 lbs 8.0 oz Munich Malt (9.0 SRM) Grain 2 11.0 %
10.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM) Grain 3 4.6 %
10.0 oz Wheat, Torrified (1.7 SRM) Grain 4 4.6 %
8.0 oz Chocolate Malt (350.0 SRM) Grain 5 3.7 %
3.0 oz Black (Patent) Malt (500.0 SRM) Grain 6 1.4 %
12.0 oz Honey (1.0 SRM) Sugar 7 5.5 %
1.50 oz Nugget [13.30 %] - Boil 60.0 min
4.00 Items Cinnamon Stick (Boil 30.0 mins)
1.00 oz Saaz [8.10 %] - Boil 10.0 min Hop
2.00 oz Orange Peel, Sweet (Boil 10.0 mins)
2.00 oz Ginger Root (Boil 0.0 mins)
1.0 pkg English Ale (White Labs #WLP002)

Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Full Body, Batch Sparge
Total Grain Weight: 13 lbs 11.0 oz

----------------------------
Name Description Step Temperat Step Time
Mash In Add 17.18 qt of water at 171.3 F 156.0 F 60 min

Sparge: Batch sparge with 3.74gal of 168.0 F water


OG = 17.1 brix (1.070 SG)
Estimated FG = 1.022
Estimated ABV = 6.24
 
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