HELP! Fruit cake old ale

[JDXX1971]

Hello everyone,
I am going to brew the Fruitcake Old Ale for the Twelve beers of Christmas. I want to get this done soon so it can properly age in time for the festivity's. I don't want to screw it up either though. I am a NOOB so yeah I know I should follow a established recipe but yeah you know.......

Let me know what you think. I did a lot of reading (uh oh) and came up with this. I dont know much about all the different grains out there other than what I read in descriptions, articles and what all you guys say here on the different forums. I have also been referencing Designing Great Beers and a great BYO article @biochemedic turned me on to, along with his recipe. Which is mostly responsible for this.


Type: All Grain
Batch Size: 5.50 gal
Boil Size: 7.75 gal
Boil Time: 60 min
End of Boil Vol: 6.25 gal
Final Bottling Vol: 5.00 gal
Fermentation: Ale, Two Stage
Equipment: 0 BIAB 15.5 gallon
Efficiency: 70.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency 76.00%

Mash Ingredients

%/IBU

10 lbs Pale Malt, Maris Otter (3.0 SRM) Grain 1 60.6 %
3 lbs Munich Malt - 10L (10.0 SRM) Grain 2 18.2 %
1 lbs Caramel Munich 60L (Briess) (60.0 SRM) Grain 3 6.1 %
1 lbs Special B Malt (180.0 SRM) Grain 4 6.1 %
8.0 oz Carafa Special II (Weyermann) (415.0 SRM) Grain 5 3.0 %

Mash steps

Saccharification Add 35.54 qt of water at 162.7 F 156.0 F 60 min
Mash Out Heat to 168.0 F over 7 min 168.0 F 10 min

◯ Add water to achieve boil volume of 7.75 gal
◯ Estimated pre-boil gravity is 1.056 SG

Boil Ingredients

%/IBU Not sure about the hops yet suggestions (with reasoning) appreciated

1.50 oz Willamette [5.50 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 6 24.7 IBUs
1.50 oz Willamette [5.50 %] - Boil 30.0 min Hop 7 19.0 IBUs
1.00 oz Willamette [5.50 %] - Boil 0.0 min Hop 8 0.0 IBUs

Spices:
0.25 tsp nutmeg (added at end of the boil)
0.25 tsp allspice (added at end of the boil)
2 tsp Ceylon cinnamon (added at end of the boil)
1 tsp powdered ginger (added at end of the boil)
1 tsp vanilla extract (added at end of the boil)
◯ Estimated Post Boil Vol: 6.25 gal and Est Post Boil Gravity: 1.081 SG

Fermentation Ingredients
%/IBU

1.0 pkg British Ale Yeast (Wyeast Labs #1098) [124.21 ml] Yeast 9 -
1 lbs Brown Sugar, Dark (50.0 SRM) Sugar 10 6.1 %
◯ Measure Actual Original Gravity _______ (Target: 1.081 SG)
◯ Measure Actual Batch Volume _______ (Target: 5.50 gal)
◯ Add water if needed to achieve final volume of 5.50 gal

After primary fermentation, assemble 3 lb of dried fruit: Figs, apricots, cherries, pears and apples are all fruits I am considering. I am looking for something smooth,not too bitter and not too tart. I really want this to be good, for the sake of the fellow participants. I welcome any and all comments. I will be brewing in a couple of weeks.

Thanks for looking

 

[JDXX1971]

Well after researching and looking at quite a few recipes I decided to go ahead and order the yeast and grains. Still looking for input. I may cut back on the Carafa but am not sure yet. Also I found an unopened package of Pilgrim hops in my freezer that @jaybird had sent me with my keg dry hop filter. I read that they may add a pear flavor. What do you think?

 

[JDXX1971]

Like a ghost town up in here.

 

[LexusChris]

Hey JD!

I love the idea of a Fruit Cake spiced ale, so I am interested in how this turns out for you! However, I do not know the spices used in a proper fruit cake, but he ones you listed look like a great holiday spice combo.

I do know that spice intensity varies from fresh cut, dried, ground, etc. Even by brand. So, sometimes you need to get to know your spices with repetition. That being said, your spices don't look too heavy.

Personally, I would cut out the last hop addition, and give some room for the spices to push through. Keep the 60 and probably the 20 min adds.

I like the idea of figs & cherries with this!

Also, add the brown sugar post boil ..either when the wort is whirlpooling around 130-F, or put it in the bottom of the fermenter before you add your wort. You can get some nice flavor adds from proper brown sugar (not the cheap colored brown sugar), if you don't boil it.

Anyways, good luck! It will taste best in about 6-12 months!
--LexusChris

 

[JDXX1971]

Thanks for the reply @LexusChris,

I was planning to add the brown sugar into the fermenter but never thought about which brown sugar to use. I will definitely look for some "proper" brown sugar. Also I think you have a good point about that last hop addition and the spice flavors, I will probably follow your advise. I am going to brew this in the next couple of weeks so that it has a decent amount of time to age. I am thinking about aging in a keg and bottling a month or so before it is time to ship.

 

[imasickboy]

For the brown sugar, you could make your own, it's simply molasses and white (cane) sugar. Alternatively, you could use a more beer-yeast friendly sugar and molasses.

For the spices, I certainly wouldn't add them in the boil. I would, at packaging time, boil the spices in a bit of water, (as you would with corn sugar when bottling), and add some to the beer until it tastes the way you want. Spices can definitely be unpredictable, and a beer that's going to age for months might taste right with a certain spice level now, but after aging the spice flavor might need adjusted. You can always add more, but you can't take it back out.

 

[JKaranka]

I'm not fan of spices, but I guess that once you have a decent base beer you can dial down the hops a bit and add them for a bit of a twist. Personally, in a beer that size I'd up the bitterness a bit (45-50 IBU) and cut down the special b to probably 1/4 or 1/2lb. With the sugar, if you can add molasses to some demerara sugar you can go through the route of inverting it. If you use a dark invert sugar you can cut down on the coloured malts (such as special b), and possibly even up the amount of sugar. 10% invert sugar syrup is pretty good in an old ale and 20% not unheard of.

 

[JDXX1971]

Thanks for all the comments!! I have been working all weekend but have started to further my research.

@imasickboy I like the idea of adding the spices later at bottling time, but since I plan to keg this for bulk aging I wonder if that would be too late. Seems like the spices would benefit from aging in the beer too??

Alternatively, you could use a more beer-yeast friendly sugar and molasses.

Care to offer suggestions??

add molasses to some demerara sugar you can go through the route of inverting it.

Could this be one of them?

I need to order ingredients for the other brew I have planned for next brewday. ( I plan to do two batches most brewdays) So I can definitely get something else coming.

@JKaranka

I'm not fan of spices, but I guess that once you have a decent base beer you can dial down the hops a bit and add them for a bit of a twist.

Yeah that is the idea, this is a beer for the Twelve Beers of Christmas trade thread, https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=600363
So the spices stay.

cut down the special b to probably 1/4 or 1/2lb

What is the characteristic that you would be trying to cut by reducing the Special B? I ask because I have not used it yet. I have it but it is in a sealed package and I don't want to open it (humidity).

If you use a dark invert sugar you can cut down on the coloured malts (such as special b), and possibly even up the amount of sugar. 10% invert sugar syrup is pretty good in an old ale and 20% not unheard of.

With 5.9% Brown sugar in the recipe the ABV is 8.5% before accounting for the sugar in the dried fruit additions. Even after dropping the Special B down to 1/2 pound 10% demerara sugar ups the ABV to 9.4% before the Fruit. But you know, I like strong beers, so I might just do something like that yet.

 

[JDL]

Did you brew this up? If so what was your finally recipe you did...about to brew it for this upcoming christmas myself.

 

[JDXX1971]

Did you brew this up? If so what was your finally recipe you did...about to brew it for this upcoming christmas myself.

I sent you a PM.