Prepare for my Christmas Ale BRew Day

I am just about ready to start brew my Christmas Ale. The final recipe is posted below along with the mash.

I have a few questions about using some of the ingredients.

The spices: Cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and vanilla, should they be added at flame out, or in the secondary or a combo of both.

and the Molasses: should it be put in the boil, or added late as well. Also could I use more molasses as my primer?

If you see anything that needs to be looked at or adjusted, please let em know. I will be brewing about the 23rd.


Yule Brew
21-B Winter Specialty Spiced Beer

Size: 5.0 gal
Efficiency: 70%
Attenuation: 75.0%
Calories: 193.93 per 12.0 fl oz

Original Gravity: 1.058 (1.026 - 1.120)
Terminal Gravity: 1.015 (0.995 - 1.035)
Color: 21.2 (1.0 - 50.0)
Alcohol: 5.73% (2.5% - 14.5%)
Bitterness: 23.66 (0.0 - 100.0)

Ingredients:
3.5 lbs Vienna Malt
1.0 lbs Carahell®
0.75 lbs Belgian Special B
3.5 lbs Dry Amber Extract
0.5 lbs Molasses
14.0 g Target (11.50%) - added during boil, boiled 60 min
7.0 g Goldings (3.6%) - added during boil, boiled 30.0 min
0.3 tsp Cloves (ground) - added dry to secondary fermenter
3.0 ea Cinnamon (stick) - added dry to secondary fermenter
0.3 tsp Nutmeg (ground) - added dry to secondary fermenter
3.0 ea Vanilla (whole bean) - added dry to secondary fermenter
1.0 ea Fermentis US-05 Safale US-05

Schedule:
Ambient Air: 70.0 °F
Source Water: 140 °F
Elevation: 75 m

00:07:22 Mash In - Liquor: 1.64 gal; Strike: 161.9 °F; Target: 150.0 °F
01:07:22 Saccharification Rest - Rest: 60.0 min; Final: 140.2 °F
01:22:09 Mash Out - Heat: 14.8 min; Target: 168.0 °F
02:07:09 Sparge - Sparge: 2.09 gal sparge @ 170.0 °F, 3.1 gal collected, 45.0 min; Total Runoff: 3.13 gal

Results generated by BeerTools Pro 1.0.29

Tim

I would add the molasses at flame out, enough heat to sanitize it, but hopefully keep a little of the flavor. But for me, usually it all gets fermented out so I can't taste it.
The spices might be better with making a tea of them and adding it to the secondary prior to racking. But just adding them dry should not be a problem.
Am I missing something in the grains, <5lbs and your shooting for 1.058 OG? You must share your techniques on that!

3.5 lbs amber dry extract too...ought to be close

OK, it does look really tasty, You may want to to use the molasses in making the tea, or just add it during secondary depending on how well it is sealed. I prefer to boil water, let it start cooling and add in what ever I'm adding to the secondary.
Best of luck, I may have to try this so please post how it turns out.

I think I have one of those SS mesh tea screen balls around here somewhere. I thought about making a tea with all of the spices, then putting it in the secondary when I transfer from the primary. For the molasses I was thnking of disolving it in boiled water and adding right before I pitched the yeast, then using more to prime with (if that can be done).

Tim

Nevermind.

Ok, or the rest of the spices and molasses;

When I transfer to scondary, disolve the molasses in hot water, about 2-3 cups, let boil for 5 min, remove from heat and steep the rest of the spices until the mixture as cooled to around the temp of my wort. Then add it all to the secondary, even the spices left in the "tea"

I do not want the molasses to overpower the beer, should I add it at the end of the boil, so it can ferment out?

what do you think?

Tim

If you do NOT want to taste the molasses, you can add it at the end of the boil so it ferments out.

You CAN prime with molasses, I've done it, it's lovely, but it DOES add notes of molasses to your beer. If you're looking to avoid overpowering molasses, I would stick to just the boil. If you're embracing the molasses flavor, give priming with it a try! I liked it.

Thanks for the help guys

Tim

In my pumpkin spiced beer, I added all the spices at flameout and left them in the primary. Try to use the freshest spices available (whole cinnamon sticks, grind your own nutmeg, whole cloves).