Christmas Ale recipe critique

Working on a 3 gallon partial mash recipe for Christmas.
This is the first recipe I've worked on where I am pretty much shooting from the hip, so please, be gentle.

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Santa's Beerd - Christmas/Winter Specialty Spiced Beer (21B)

Batch Size 2.447 gal Boil Size 2.447 gal
Boil Time 60.000 min Efficiency 70%
OG 1.091 FG 1.025
ABV 8.6% Bitterness 26.2 IBU (Tinseth)
Color 25.5 srm (Morey) Calories (per 12 oz.) 304

Fermentables

Total grain: 7.125 lb
Pale Malt (2 Row) US 4.000 lb (mashed)
Chocolate Malt (US) 4.000 oz (steeped)
Oats, Flaked 4.000 oz (mashed)
Muntons DME - Dark 2.500 lb
Honey Malt Grain 2.000 oz (steeped)


Hops

Chinook 13% 0.500 oz Boil 60.000 min Pellet 26.2
Northern Brewer 9% 0.500 oz Aroma 5.000 min Pellet 0.0


Misc

Cinnamon Sticks 2 ea 1.000 min
Cloves 0.500 tsp 1.000 min
Ginger Root 2.000 oz 1.000 min
Vanilla Extract 1.000 tsp 1.000 min


Yeast

Wyeast - Irish Ale (1084) (plan on making a starter)

I've seen mostly people just a single cinnamon stick for a 5 gal batch, but that was after fermentation so it might come through stronger, but I would start with one stick then taste it after fermentation and see if you need more spice IMHO. You can always add more.

You need to mash the Honey Malt.

Poobah58 said:

You need to mash the Honey Malt.

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I thought it could be steeped if your goal was to get the aroma/flavor?
I've heard both: that it can be steeped, and that it must be mashed.

dwhite8 said:

I've seen mostly people just a single cinnamon stick for a 5 gal batch, but that was after fermentation so it might come through stronger, but I would start with one stick then taste it after fermentation and see if you need more spice IMHO. You can always add more.

Click to expand...

All the miscellaneous stuff was actually going to be tossed in the boil for the last minute or two. I wasn't planning on doing a secondary.

I think that the 2 sticks might be overpowering, most use just one for 5 gallons, but I can not personally vouge for that i have only dealt with ground cinn never the sticks.

IMO, the Cinnamon Sticks should be in the secondary for best taste, the Vanilla extract should be used and mixed in at bottling, the clove and Ginger should be tossed in during the last 10-15 minutes. If you add all of them at the end of the boil you will wind up with a muddy taste with no separation of flavors.

As previously mentioned the cinnamon sticks should be added one at a time to taste.

I've used 2 sticks of cinnamon in a 5 gal batch, but that was in the secondary. It was a cinnamon espresso stout. I actually had brewed the coffee separate and used 1tsp of ground cinnamon in the coffee grounds, just a standard 12 cup brewer brewed with strong coffee for the wort. It was actually quite nice.