12 Beers of Christmas 2013 Edition! (Need Brewers!)

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The boubon spiced stout is bottled and ready to go!

We'll send them out after thanksgiving.
 
Just bottled the Abbey Weizen tonight. Might take an extra week or two to carb up though, we leave the heat set around 65*. Last winter to get my bottled beer to carb I had to have a dedicated carbonation closet with a separate heater I would run.
 
I snuck a bottle of the abbey weizen after only two weeks in the bottle and I have to say, I am pretty happy with it. Nice and hazy with just enough character from the abbey yeast. This will probably be a recipe I brew again.

I would be interested in everyone's own personal recipe they used for the beers if people don't mind sharing. I realize they are based on the posted recipes from the book, but some of them are pretty vague.
 
I agree. Would love to see everyone's grain bill. I chose a very basic stout recipe hoping that I could get the classic stout flavors but nothing too crazy that would distract from the spices. The sample I had on bottle day had a LOT of potential. It was very green tasting (duh) but the other flavors were there and the spices added a (what I hope to be) fantastic complexity. Especially the juniper berry. They weren't overwhelming but you could pick them out. I think it's going to be fantastic.

Anyway, here was my grain bill. I made a 7 gallon batch because I wanted lots for myself :)

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Boil Size: 8.87 gal
Post Boil Volume: 8.06 gal
Batch Size (fermenter): 7.00 gal
Bottling Volume: 6.60 gal
Estimated OG: 1.056 SG
Estimated Color: 37.1 SRM
Estimated IBU: 43.3 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 72.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 79.7 %
Boil Time: 90 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
13 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 1 83.2 %
1 lbs 5.0 oz Black (Patent) Malt (500.0 SRM) Grain 2 8.4 %
1 lbs 5.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt -120L (120.0 SRM) Grain 3 8.4 %
2.50 oz Fuggles [4.50 %] - Boil 90.0 min Hop 4 29.6 IBUs
2.50 oz Fuggles [4.50 %] - Boil 15.0 min Hop 5 13.7 IBUs
1.0 vial White Labs Irish Ale Yeast (no starter)

Mashed at 156* for 60 minutes. Fly sparged. I used spring water and added a bit of calcium carbonate to harden it up a bit (about 1 teaspoon for the 7 gallons).

And here's what I used for the spices:

Into 6 oz of Vodka (Svedka) and 4 oz of bourbon (Maker's 46, doubled what recipe called for), add:
0.5 tsp vanilla extract; 0.25 tsp allspice; 0.5 tsp cinnamon;
0.25 oz crushed coriander; 1 whole star anise; 0.5 oz crushed juniper; pinch of black
pepper

I made that mixture during brew day and put it in a plastic bottle that I left on top of the fridge. There's so much alcohol in it you don't have to worry about any contamination. After 3 weeks or so I transferred to secondary and and added the spice infused mixture to the beer then. I just strained it and added to the bottom of the bucket before I transferred.
 
Here's my brewsheet for the Fruitcake Old Ale. It's basically Munich as a base with some toasted Golden Promise, a bit of Special B, and some Carafa. I mashed at 154F (it went up to 163F and I brought it back down and extended the mash). I wish I hadn't, because the beer turned out a tad more dry than I wanted. Low hopping. I added dried fruits after primary fermentation (in the primary): green raisins, blueberries, cranberries, cherries, and apricots (along with some orange peel and cloves). Just bottled some from the keg to test carbonation with the transfer and will bottle the ones I mail once my tests are complete.
 
I'm drinking a bourbon spiced stout right now. Wow it's good. The classic stout flavors are there... lots of coffee upfront. The spices roll in right after. You can definitely taste the juniper berry. The finish is chocolatey with cinnamon, coriander, and juniper berry. May be one of the best beers I've made. It's very complex and the flavors are easy to pick out. I love it! Can't wait to hear feedback from you guys.
 
Curious if there is a standard sized box that will work well for shipping these out... anyone know?
 
NuclearRich said:
Curious if there is a standard sized box that will work well for shipping these out... anyone know?
Click to expand...

I can't remember the exact details, and I'm on mobile so I also can't post a link, but check out last years thread...I posted a bunch of pics on packing and listed a variety of box sizes that work for packing up 3 longnecks...
 
biochemedic said:
I can't remember the exact details, and I'm on mobile so I also can't post a link, but check out last years thread...I posted a bunch of pics on packing and listed a variety of box sizes that work for packing up 3 longnecks...
Click to expand...

I'll repost here for the sake of the group, as it took me a solid 20mins of scrolling lol.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f14/12-beers-christmas-2012-a-331431/index5.html#post4263407 <----------has packing instructions

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f14/12-beers-christmas-2012-a-331431/index5.html#post4263939 <----------has different box sizes listed for shipping

Thanks for posting all of that last year bio.

For those of you who are as lazy as I am half of the time, here's a summation:
Pack each bottle individually with a double wrap of bubble wrap, seal each bottle in a ziplock (gallon sized works well) or two, and snugly fill any empty space in the box with whatever packing materials you have: peanuts, newspaper, shredded junk mail, etc etc.
A 12"x12"x12" box will work great, but will need to be filled with a little extra packing.
11x8x6 looked to be a pretty nice fit.
FedEx has a 12x9x6 listed on their website as something they sell, but I didn't see a price.
 
My update on the Honey Ginger IPA:

I had originally planned to leave it on the ginger and dry hops for only a week, but after tasting it decided to let it go for a second week. Also opted to keg and force carb... received the results from a couple competitions I entered over the last month and had positive comments on the carb level, so I think I have finally dialed in my "bottling from keg" process.

She finished up at 1.010, for a ABV of 7.8%... a little bigger than I was expecting, but not by much. Hydro sample tasted pretty good. Even with this cold I'm trying to kick, it seemed that all of the flavors were there... floral from the EKG and maybe from the orange blossom honey, some spicy notes from the ginger and EKG. She's got a little haze, but I guess that's to be expected with 8.5 ounces of hops. So far I like how the Wyeast 1026 worked with this beer... Looking forward to sampling this after it's had more time on the gas. Regardless, definitely on target to bottle up by Thanksgiving and get 'em ready to ship!
 
Got a Christmas themed beer question for the brewers on this thread.

I'm planning on doing the Spiced Cherry Dubbel and starting to get the grain bill and ingredients list together. Fresh cherries are not available this time of year and the recipe calls for 2.5 lbs of sour cherries and 2.5 lbs of sweet cherries. I was wondering if I could use canned cherries? I have found cans of pitted red tart cherries in water (14.5oz per can) and pitted dark sweet cherries in heavy syrup (15oz per can). Will these work? If so, how many cans of each should I use for a 5gal batch?

Thanks ahead of time for any help.
 
Diaperload said:
Got a Christmas themed beer question for the brewers on this thread.

I'm planning on doing the Spiced Cherry Dubbel and starting to get the grain bill and ingredients list together. Fresh cherries are not available this time of year and the recipe calls for 2.5 lbs of sour cherries and 2.5 lbs of sweet cherries. I was wondering if I could use canned cherries? I have found cans of pitted red tart cherries in water (14.5oz per can) and pitted dark sweet cherries in heavy syrup (15oz per can). Will these work? If so, how many cans of each should I use for a 5gal batch?

Thanks ahead of time for any help.
Click to expand...

I used 14 cans in a stout once with decent result. It was expensive but tasty. At least the first half was, the other half got drained in the bottom of my keezer.
 
SavoryChef said:
I used 14 cans in a stout once with decent result. It was expensive but tasty. At least the first half was, the other half got drained in the bottom of my keezer.
Click to expand...

This just happened to me with my pumpkin ale... serving line got loose somehow. Thanksgiving isn't going to be the same...:(

But hey, at least it wasn't the beer for this exchange!
 
Thought I'd give the dunkel one more taste before shipping time. Its been bottled about 8-9 weeks now. All the green flavor and overly spiced flavors are gone. The spices and ginger are a little subtle but definitely there. I can tell that this is a Christmas spiced beer. Appearance is still a hazy dark amber. The body is lighter than expected but all in all I think its a pretty decent beer. Can't wait to try everyone else's.
 
I bottled the Saffron Tripel on Monday morning, and I just finished labeling them.
I measured the FG at 1.012 from an OG of 1.095, placing it about 11.8% abv according to brewersfriend.com. I added some wine yeast to help with the bottle fermentation, so hopefully that works in time for the holidays...
 
I mailed out the Fruitcake Old Ale to everyone yesterday. Those farthest away from me should get them in 5 days or so. UPS was cheapest to everyone but the brewer in Kentucky (I take it it's a rural area so FedEx was cheapest there). I shipped three bottles per brewer (10 brewers total now).

Yes, they are in clear bottles. It helps me to see what's inside and the clarity. Plus, I keep mine in the dark anyways, so no problems. I wrapped each bottle in bubble wrap and stuffed them in a zip-loc bag (one bottle went in one bag, the other two bottles in another). Those went in a 12"x6"x6" box which was stuffed with newspaper for padding, and a neat little label (uhmmm, just the name of the beer) was put on top before being closed and taped shut. I wrote "UP" on several sides of the box (with arrows) and on top. If you open it the right way, the label is on top.

Can't wait to get and try your beers! My goal is to sample the first one on December 14, the second on the 15th, and so on so that the last one is sampled on the 24th.

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Getting everything prepped for shipping tonight! Cant wait to start getting my christmas presents from y'all (almost moreso than the ones from my family lol, especially the socks from mom)
 
Just got home and received the fruitcake old ale today already. That was some quick shipping! Ill finish packaging tomorrow evening and ship out Saturday or Monday morning.
 
It's been crazy around here, and I wanted to give it more time on the Brett B, so I'm kegging today and will bottle in a week then ship them all out on Monday the 16th. I'm hoping it will make it out to everyone by Christmas.

Just curious.... About how much has shipping been costing everyone?

Can't wait to try everyone else's beers! The final sampling from the Christmas Gruit was definitely pretty cool! Finished out nice and dry at 1.004. I like it! Hope you do too!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

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Honey Ginger IPA is all bottled and I plan to label and pack the boxes tonight. I'm not convinced by the carb level, but at this point I just had to roll with it. Hoping to have them in the mail by Tuesday or Wednesday this week. The SWMBO was nice enough to handle the capping, so between her and the beer gun we cranked through them pretty quick. I'll send an update once they are on their way.
 
One of the brewers received my Fruitcake Old Ale package in a different package than I shipped it in. And a bottle was missing. I can only presume that the package was damaged in transit and UPS repackaged it. I'd like to hear that the rest of my packages made it safe, so if the rest of you can comment to let me know when your package arrived, that would be awesome. Thanks!

I said package a lot there...
 
jgourd said:
One of the brewers received my Fruitcake Old Ale package in a different package than I shipped it in. And a bottle was missing. I can only presume that the package was damaged in transit and UPS repackaged it. I'd like to hear that the rest of my packages made it safe, so if the rest of you can comment to let me know when your package arrived, that would be awesome. Thanks!

I said package a lot there...
Click to expand...

I received it last night! It looked a little shaken up, but all contents arrived safely. One is in the fridge now

It took me a lot longer than I thought it would to package, but I'll be printing the labels today and dropping to fedex tonight.
 
jgourd said:
One of the brewers received my Fruitcake Old Ale package in a different package than I shipped it in. And a bottle was missing. I can only presume that the package was damaged in transit and UPS repackaged it. I'd like to hear that the rest of my packages made it safe, so if the rest of you can comment to let me know when your package arrived, that would be awesome. Thanks!

I said package a lot there...
Click to expand...

Received mine yesterday... all bottles were present, but one appeared to have leaked at the cap. Lost 6 oz or so. Didn't stop me from chilling down the remainder and drinking it! Tasted great, even flat! I'll save my more detailed review for when I drink one of the ones that remained sealed. :D
 
10 boxes of Honey Ginger IPA are now on their ways to each of you... just dropped them off at the UPS Store this morning. Hopefully these sub-zero temps won't cause any issues. I tried to include each of your email addresses when I shipped so you would receive your tracking number, with the exception of Rich (sorry, I didn't notice the option until after I had printed your label. Yours is 1ZT476E10392667420). If anyone else didn't get theirs and wants it, just send me a PM and I'll send it to you.
 
stblindtiger said:
Just curious.... About how much has shipping been costing everyone?
Click to expand...

I sent all of mine through UPS and it was between $14-$17 per box depending on the distance. More than I was expecting, but I was lazy and made no attempt to shop it to find a better price.
 
I thought the shipping was going to run about $150 plus materials so that makes me feel a little better. Thanks for the heads up!

I received the fruitcake old ale today too, but had a little leakage with one, and they all seemed a bit shaken up.

Hopefully it starts to warm up a bit across the country, and gives us a nice window to ship them out without worrying too much about them freezing.

image-2199837014.jpg
 
Same for me. Shipping this weekend! Haven't received any beers yet, but may tonight.
 
I will be shipping either tomorrow evening or this weekend for sure. I received the fruitcake ale today, all made it intact.

I stopped by ups the other day to see how much it would cost for 10 boxes, the 12 x 12 x 6 were over 4 bucks a box! It was going to be almost fifty bucks just for boxes! Instead I drove across the street to Walmart and got 10 12x12x12. Little bigger than I wanted, but at 68 cents a piece I don't care. How in the world can ups justify over 4 bucks for a box? Stupid things like that make me want to ship fed ex, or bend the rules and ship with the post office.
 
20sq ft of bubble wrap is $5-7 at Wal-Mart or target. For the hell of it I looked at FedEx when I was there. $11. Never buy packing supplies from the places you would think did have the best prices. .. since it is their market. .. crazy
 
Just shipped out everyone's presents. The people in line behind me seemed angry about me shipping 13 packages any once. Oops.
Some are slated to arrive as early as Monday. Most were Wednesday or Thursday. I'll send everyone a pm with your tracking number. Just FYI for those who haven't shipped yet, I paid about $18 a box on average. About half the boxes were the Walmart 12x12x12...the other half are misc. Baby wipe and Rubbermaid boxes. Have to be resourceful.

EDIT: sent tracking numbers in email.
 
Based on the tracking, it looks like some of my packages have landed... Let me know what condition you got them in. With the deep freeze this week, I've been worried about beercicles...
 
Got the Caramel Quad and Honey Ginger IPA today! All made it safe and sound!

Cleaning the bottles tonight, bottling tomorrow night (off the keg) and hopefully shipping on Monday if I can get them all packed up.

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Hey all... I'll be packaging up the Cherry Dubbel tomorrow and hope to ship them out by end of the day. They are super cherry flavored and very tart... Not sure my opinion on that, but I think they will age and mellow nicely...

FYI, I received the Honey Ginger and Caramel Quad intact... Unfortunately, all three of the Fruitcake Ale also leaked for me too. Probably lost a couple of ounces from each. The bottles are fine, so it must have been an issue with the caps.
 

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