I need a different kind of Christmas Beer

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LowBrewer

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Hi folks,
I just found out that my parents and extended family wish to celebrate Christmas/ New Year at the coast. Lucky me right? Yeah...well...I'm the guy that has to supply the beer. My good ol' dad likes his Corona, everybody else is a BMC fan and I'm having trouble trying to come up with something that will please them all. I don't want to do a traditional spiced winter ale, too dark. A saison woud be pretty good, but I need this to be ready in a month. I guess what I'm really looking for is a light ale (I don't have lager capability), maybe spiced, light body and extremely dry. Any suggestions, advice, comments, recipes are GREATLY appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Bradly
 
I came up with a recipe for "quick" Saison. I want to add apple and cranberry extract to make it more festive. Let me know what you all think.

10 lbs Belgian Pilsner malt
1 lb Belgian candy syrup
10 oz Caravienne
4 oz Caramunich

2 oz Fuggles @ 60
1/2 oz EKG @ 15
1/2 oz EKG @ 5

Wyeast #3724 Saison
14 days in primary
7 days in secondary
Add fruit extract at bottling, 4 oz apple and 1 oz (to taste) cranberry
7 days bottle conditioning

Does anyone have an opinion on this; should I do 7 days primary and 14 bottle or leave it as I have it?

Much thanks in advance, I hope to start this next week.
 
Not familiar with that strand of yeast, but it's very difficult to force a beer, particularly a saison into that kind of schedule. Maybe if you ferment at 85F+? Mine was still chugging along slowly around 3 weeks in the primary fermenting 75-80F. Good luck whatever you decide to do!
 
Do you really want a spiced beer? Most BMC and Corona drinkers would cringe, and even me as a craft brewer/drinker thinks "ewwww" at spiced beer. Not to mention that spices sometimes take time to mellow out and you've only got about 5 weeks.

If you want a crowd pleaser, a cream ale or other hybrid style would be great.
 
Not familiar with that strand of yeast, but it's very difficult to force a beer, particularly a saison into that kind of schedule. Maybe if you ferment at 85F+? Mine was still chugging along slowly around 3 weeks in the primary fermenting 75-80F. Good luck whatever you decide to do!

What yeast did you use? I definately do not want to rush it, but need something ready in a month. I may need to abandon the saison idea and go for something else.
 
Do you really want a spiced beer? Most BMC and Corona drinkers would cringe, and even me as a craft brewer/drinker thinks "ewwww" at spiced beer. Not to mention that spices sometimes take time to mellow out and you've only got about 5 weeks.

If you want a crowd pleaser, a cream ale or other hybrid style would be great.

No, changed my mind on that one. I don't want any kind of spice. Wow, I hadn't thought of cream ale... that might actually work. Don't suppose you have a good recipe?;)
 

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