winter Warmer recipe advice

Hey all. Looking to make a great high-gravity warmer. Looking for a great pairing of malty with pine/spruce

2.50 gal batch
7 lb. UK pale malt
.5 lb. Victory malt
.5 lb, Crystal 80
.5 lb. D 180 dark Candi Syrup
.25 oz Chinook 60min
.25 oz centennial 30 min
1 oz Kent Golding 15 min
Eighth tsp cinnamon 1 min
.25 tsp Spruce extract at kegging
1 packet us 05

Let me know what ya think!

IMO:grain bill looks like a very nice well balanced winter warmer (10%ish abv 22 SRM ish 35ish IBU). Spice, I would add ginger (1/2 tsp) too. Unknown, the spruce extract. Before dosing the entire beer I would taste test on a glass or two. You got a piney hop bitter and aroma, earthy woody hop for a final addition, sounds like resin pine earth and wood. Heads in the direction you want. Maybe try some juniper berries .5 oz at 10 min? If you get it balanced it will fantastic. Id mash it at 152.

Magic8Ball said:

IMO:grain bill looks like a very nice well balanced winter warmer (10%ish abv 22 SRM ish 35ish IBU). Spice, I would add ginger (1/2 tsp) too. Unknown, the spruce extract. Before dosing the entire beer I would taste test on a glass or two. You got a piney hop bitter and aroma, earthy woody hop for a final addition, sounds like resin pine earth and wood. Heads in the direction you want. Maybe try some juniper berries .5 oz at 10 min? If you get it balanced it will fantastic. Id mash it at 152.

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Thanks I was planning on mashing higher but I think I have enough body in there where a lower mash temp would work so ill shoot for 152.

The spruce essence can be very potent so I'll add that to the keg after conditioning if I still feel it's necessary. I may try the recipe again with boil additions of eastern white Pine needles. I use them in a Christmas Porter I make and they lend a mild sweet resin flavor.

I've never used ginger so I want sure how much would be too much. Would that be a boil addition also?

Last batch I used (5 gal batch) .5 tsp (2 g) ground ginger at end of boil. You can double the amount, but I like the ginger to be a background note. If you want it to be more forward go with a tsp. Keep in mind its for 5 gal not your 1/2 batch. I have also used candied ginger chopped placed in muslin bag same qty as ground and also at flame out. The candied ginger seems to be more pronounced ginger flavor than the powder and not as earthy. Sorry, I can't speak to fresh ginger, I am usually raiding the spice rack at last min. on brew day.

In regards to eastern white pine needles additions, what is your timings, amounts, preparation? Sounds cool.

For the pine needles in my porter I would go with .75 Oz (they're very light so that's about three quarters of a Ziploc sandwich bag full) for 30 minutes in a muslin bag

With 5 minutes left I add another .25 oz in a muslin bag. This .25 oz actually goes into the fermenter for the full duration of the ferment.

It's very important to only use the needles and never the twigs .

If you want to get a feel for the flavor make up Some pine tea. Boil some water up then add the needles and let them steep for about 30 minutes . I think you'll find the flavor a lot sweeter and delicate than what most people think.

Thanks for the info, much appreciated Joekd!