Winter Seasonal Beer Holly (Christmas Ale)

[Shenanigans]

Looking forward to brewing this soon so it will be ready for the holidays!

Anyone else get higher OG and IBU numbers when plugging this in to their software? With Brewer's Friend I'm getting OG of 1.083 and IBU of 47. Usually when I enter a recipe from HBT into BF I'm within a point or two for both.

I searched this thread and someone mentioned a similar issue with BeerSmith, but it looks like no one ever responded to that. I also noticed that when someone converted this to 10 gallons, they actually had 11 going into fermentor. Is the grain bill meant for a 5.5 gallon batch rather than 5?

If the numbers in my software are correct, the finished beer will be about 9%.

Thanks!

The efficiency of the original post was 75% so maybe you have a higher value?

Also depending on the software you are using and how you set it up you could be using a different IBU calculator than the original poster.
Normally either Tinseth or Rager.
Generally Rager attribute more IBUs to the bittering hops than Tinseth and it's the other way around for the additions in the last 30 mins i.e. Rager attributes more IBUs to the flavour aroma additions, relative to Tinseth.

Since the ratio of bitter hops to aroma/flavour is 1:1 and you are getting more IBUs I would guess that the OP was using Tinseth and that you were using Rager but it's all just guess work

Edited to add:

I also forgot the obvious one - did you adjust weight to match the alpha acid % of the OP?
If your hops have a higher value then you will get more IBUs and need to use less to get the same value.

 

[jbedell2]

The efficiency of the original post was 75% so maybe you have a higher value?

Also depending on the software you are using and how you set it up you could be using a different IBU calculator than the original poster.
Normally either Tinseth or Rager.
Generally Rager attribute more IBUs to the bittering hops than Tinseth and it's the other way around for the additions in the last 30 mins i.e. Rager attributes more IBUs to the flavour aroma additions, relative to Tinseth.

Since the ratio of bitter hops to aroma/flavour is 1:1 and you are getting more IBUs I would guess that the OP was using Tinseth and that you were using Rager but it's all just guess work

Edited to add:

I also forgot the obvious one - did you adjust weight to match the alpha acid % of the OP?
If your hops have a higher value then you will get more IBUs and need to use less to get the same value.

Actually, my efficiency is set to 70, so if anything, I would expect at least my OG to be lower, not higher. It's weird.

I did check the AA% - the recipe states 9.4 and my software defaults to 10. I tried changing them to 9.4 and the IBUs dropped by about 2 points. Also, I am using Tinseth - Rager would give me about 56 IBU.

I think I will just target 5.5 gals into the fermentor, which should make my numbers pretty close to the recipe according to my software, which is usually pretty accurate for my equipment setup. And I guess that's what counts in the end.

Thanks.

 

[rollinn007]

Really want to try this for the holiday. But it may be to late how long should it bottle cure before best taste?

 

[atimmerman88]

Really want to try this for the holiday. But it may be to late how long should it bottle cure before best taste?

I've brewed this a few times over Labor Day with no issues for Xmas

 

[BrewCityBaller]

Really want to try this for the holiday. But it may be to late how long should it bottle cure before best taste?

I usually brew mine in the middle of September and crack them on Christmas Eve. Every single year my friends and family say it's the best thing I make. You have time!

 

[rollinn007]

Awesome going to brew it soon will be my first AG

 

[Quaffman]

I brewed this last year and scored a 40 in the first round of nhc this year, but it didn't make it past the mini bos. It was decent, but it's probably because I was about 14 points low on my og. I want to try it again hitting the proper numbers.

 

[Shenanigans]

This will be my next brew in about two weeks time.
On the same day I also want to brew some kind of porter or stout that will be ready to drink for the winter months. I'm having difficulty deciding on that one.

 

[Sunward33]

Getting my Fall/Winter brew calendar planned and this one is scheduled for early October.

 

[Sunward33]

I see that a few people experimented with subbing out Maris Otter for the base malt. Anyone who did this care to share your results?
I can imagine it would increase the malt character, but considering this recipe is frequently described as malty, how much difference do you get with the Maris?

 

[Shenanigans]

If I brewed this in the middle of October would it still be ready for the Holidays?
3-4 weeks fermenting and another 4 or 5 weeks it the bottle should be OK?

 

[BrewCityBaller]

If I brewed this in the middle of October would it still be ready for the Holidays?
3-4 weeks fermenting and another 4 or 5 weeks it the bottle should be OK?

I would strongly suggest a primary of 2 weeks or less if you're gonna brew in October. You want the spices aging in the beer as long as possible.

 

[Carros]

If I brewed this in the middle of October would it still be ready for the Holidays?

3-4 weeks fermenting and another 4 or 5 weeks it the bottle should be OK?

I brewed last years batch of this on Halloween, and bottled on November 30th. It was pretty good by Christmas, so the timeline you're planning on should work fine.

 

[Shenanigans]

Thanks for the replies.
The 3 to 4 weeks in the primary was just worst case scenario if the beer takes it's time to finish fermenting. I usually start measuring it after 10 days and then bottle as soon as I can after I get a steady reading for a few days.
Normally I only have time for brewing/bottling on the weekend so it gets bottled after approx. 14 or 21 days.

 

[Bradthoc]

If I brewed this in the middle of October would it still be ready for the Holidays?
3-4 weeks fermenting and another 4 or 5 weeks it the bottle should be OK?

I think you'd be okay. I brewed late Sept/early Oct before and it was great. Even better around early February.

 

[Pyg]

I plan on making the following partial extract version:

1# Crystal 60L, 2 oz Black Malt
3.3# Light LME, 3# Light DME, 1# Honey

2 oz Cascade hop pellets (11 AAU) bittering hop 60 min..
1 oz Cinnamon Stick, 10 min
1 oz Sweet Orange Peel, 10 min
1 oz of Ginger Root last 10 min
½ oz Saaz pellets aroma hop last 5 min
Nottingham dry yeast.

I planned on cooking on 9/26, bottle on 10/17. This will leave me with 3 weeks in primary and a month an half before I start handing out as holiday gifts.
My questions:
does my time table allow for enough time for the flavors to settle?
Will this beer still be drinkable after 2 months (does it age well)?
Vanilla bean, yay or nay? ( never brewed with it before)

 

[Sunward33]

I planned on cooking on 9/26, bottle on 10/17. This will leave me with 3 weeks in primary and a month an half before I start handing out as holiday gifts.
My questions:
does my time table allow for enough time for the flavors to settle?
Will this beer still be drinkable after 2 months (does it age well)?
Vanilla bean, yay or nay? ( never brewed with it before)

I'm a pretty new brewer and can't really speak to your conversion from AG to extract, but for what it's worth it looks like it will make tasty beer!

As to the time table. I've been reading this thread for the past week getting ready to brew this myself this coming weekend. The general consensus is that this beer NEEDS aging. In fact, we may be getting a late start.

Most have said that the cinnamon is overpowering brand new in the bottle, but that as it ages the cinnamon mellows and the vanilla comes through.
I plan to let it sit in primary for two weeks and then bottle age until Christmas eve.

Please report back on your recipe!

 

[BrewCityBaller]

I'm a pretty new brewer and can't really speak to your conversion from AG to extract, but for what it's worth it looks like it will make tasty beer!

As to the time table. I've been reading this thread for the past week getting ready to brew this myself this coming weekend. The general consensus is that this beer NEEDS aging. In fact, we may be getting a late start.

Most have said that the cinnamon is overpowering brand new in the bottle, but that as it ages the cinnamon mellows and the vanilla comes through.
I plan to let it sit in primary for two weeks and then bottle age until Christmas eve.

Please report back on your recipe!

If it means anything to ya, for the first two months I think it taste like a ginger snap cookie. So if that appeals to you, age less

 

[bolus14]

Ginger snap cookie, no way!!! I may have to make this one put off my Quad for a few weeks.

 

[F15eMav]

So the more aging the better; however I've found that ~ month in the bottle is enough for it to be delicious. It will be somewhat better at ~ 2 months, but I don't think it's significant enough to worry about if you really want to brew it.

I have brewed this the past 2 years and its always a hit.

 

[dokken5]

So are you guys spicing this up in the boil pot or are you making a tea before bottling/kegging??

 

[atimmerman88]

So are you guys spicing this up in the boil pot or are you making a tea before bottling/kegging??

I've always added spices after secondary/primary during bottling

 

[Bradthoc]

So are you guys spicing this up in the boil pot or are you making a tea before bottling/kegging??

I made a tea before bottling and that worked great!

 

[Sunward33]

Brewed this today! Hit OG of 1.07 at 76 F° which translates to about 1.072 at 60F° according to the Beer Recipator's helpful correction app.
Everything went smoothly except I collected about .5 gallons more wort than I planned for. I figured on 5.5 post boil and ended up with 6. Thought the grain would soak up more than it did.
Oh well at a predicted 7.33% abv I'm sure it will be potent enough and I'll have plenty to share on Christmas Eve! 🍻

View attachment 1442787909345.jpg

 

[BrewCityBaller]

Brewed this today! Hit OG of 1.07 at 76 F° which translates to about 1.072 at 60F° according to the Beer Recipator's helpful correction app.
Everything went smoothly except I collected about .5 gallons more wort than I planned for. I figured on 5.5 post boil and ended up with 6. Thought the grain would soak up more than it did.
Oh well at a predicted 7.33% abv I'm sure it will be potent enough and I'll have plenty to share on Christmas Eve! 🍻

Just out of curiosity, did you follow the recipe in the first post? That looks a little lighter than mine.

 

[Sunward33]

Just out of curiosity, did you follow the recipe in the first post? That looks a little lighter than mine.

Yeah, I did. The malt bill is exactly as it is on page 1. I thought it looked a little light too. I had a small issue with mash temp.
I usually use a 5 gallon Coleman for mashing, but with the larger bill I bought a Coleman xtreme cooler for the job. I overestimated the loss from the cooler and ended up with a mash temp around 160. I then poured in a little cold water and the temp went down to 150. I left it there, but by the end of the mash the temp had dropped to 148. Could the lower mash temp have something to do with lower color extraction?
FWIW the wort tastes killer.

 

[BrewCityBaller]

Yeah, I did. The malt bill is exactly as it is on page 1. I thought it looked a little light too. I had a small issue with mash temp.
I usually use a 5 gallon Coleman for mashing, but with the larger bill I bought a Coleman xtreme cooler for the job. I overestimated the loss from the cooler and ended up with a mash temp around 160. I then poured in a little cold water and the temp went down to 150. I left it there, but by the end of the mash the temp had dropped to 148. Could the lower mash temp have something to do with lower color extraction?
FWIW the wort tastes killer.

I brewed this on Saturday, which is my third year in a row. I also had a problem with my mash temp since I also was using a new mash tun. I ended up mashing around 145* and I would say my wort was quite a few 4 or 5 SRM darker than yours. What were your boil and final volumes?

This is all really just curiosity, I am positive your is going to turn out stellar. It's hard to mess this recipe up.

 

[Sunward33]

I brewed this on Saturday, which is my third year in a row. I also had a problem with my mash temp since I also was using a new mash tun. I ended up mashing around 145* and I would say my wort was quite a few 4 or 5 SRM darker than yours. What were your boil and final volumes?

This is all really just curiosity, I am positive your is going to turn out stellar. It's hard to mess this recipe up.

My pre-boil volume was ~ 6.6 gl and my volume into the fermenter was ~6 gl. I was aiming for 5.5 and I though about extending the boil until it reduces down but decided not to for SWMBO scheduling reasons.

 

[BrewCityBaller]

My pre-boil volume was ~ 6.6 gl and my volume into the fermenter was ~6 gl. I was aiming for 5.5 and I though about extending the boil until it reduces down but decided not to for SWMBO scheduling reasons.

I gotcha, that may have been part of it. I lose 1.5 gallons during my boil, so I went from 7.5 to 6 gallons. Could account for some change. Or maybe not? What do I know, I never claimed to be an expert!

 

[MrZuckerkorn]

Brewing this recipe this weekend, or a modified partial-mash version at least. This will be my first brew on my new propane burner, using my new immersion chiller and a full 5 gallon boil. I'm wondering the best way to handle the honey addition at flameout with the wort chiller in the boil to sanitize. Would it change the flavor of the honey to add it with 15 minutes left in the boil? Or should I try to lift the chiller out of the pot for a minute? I'm guessing the copper will be really hot.

 

[BrewCityBaller]

Brewing this recipe this weekend, or a modified partial-mash version at least. This will be my first brew on my new propane burner, using my new immersion chiller and a full 5 gallon boil. I'm wondering the best way to handle the honey addition at flameout with the wort chiller in the boil to sanitize. Would it change the flavor of the honey to add it with 15 minutes left in the boil? Or should I try to lift the chiller out of the pot for a minute? I'm guessing the copper will be really hot.

Just a thought: I never got on board with the whole sanitize your chiller with heat train. I just stick it in my bucket of sanitizer solution for a few minutes before it goes in after flameout.

I just did a batch of this on Saturday. Turn off the heat, pour in honey, stir, drop in chiller, chill.

 

[TxBigHops]

Mash Efficiency: 75.0 %
Fermentation Temperature: 64 degF

Fermentables
US 2-Row Malt 13lb 0oz (84.1 %) In Mash/Steeped
UK Medium Crystal 8.00 oz (3.2 %) In Mash/Steeped
Belgian Special B 8.00 oz (3.2 %) In Mash/Steeped
German Wheat Malt 4.00 oz (1.6 %) In Mash/Steeped
US Chocolate Malt (350L) 3.20 oz (1.3 %) In Mash/Steeped
Sugar - Honey 1lb 0oz (6.5 %) End Of Boil

Hops
US Centennial (9.4 % alpha) 1.00 oz Bagged Whole Hops used 60 Min From End
US Centennial (9.4 % alpha) 0.50 oz Bagged Whole Hops used 30 Min From End
US Centennial (9.4 % alpha) 0.50 oz Bagged Whole Hops used 5 Min From End

Other Ingredients
Irish Moss 0.01 oz used In Boil
Vanilla Beans 1
Orange Peel, Bitter 1 Tbs
Cinnamon Stick 1
Ginger Root 1Tbs (dehydrated or fresh)

Single Step Infusion (67C/152F)

Recipe Notes
Make a tea prior to bottling by boiling a quart of the beer with the above spices and priming sugar for about a minute to combine. Add the mixture to a french press and let sit for 15 minutes. Then add to bottling Bucket.

This is everyone's favorite beer around Christmas time. Seriously, people rave about this all year long. The malt is quite complex and the hops blend in a heavenly way with the spices to create an amazing aroma.

Planning to brew a Christmas beer this year and I'm going to use this beer as a starting point. Here are the changes I am considering.

• I want the base beer to be a Northwest Red Ale. This is very close to my Red Ale recipe. I'm just going to sub about 5-6 lbs of Munich malt for a like amount of the Pale malt. I'll probably add some Cara Red Too.

• I'm going to up the IBUs with some Simcoe, and possibly some Cascade along with the Centenial. Going to shoot for about 60 IBUs.

• Not sure the vanilla will go well with the additional hops, so I'll probably drop it.

• I may only add spices to half the beer and bottle the rest as a straight Red Ale. If so, I will reduce the amounts. This way, if the spices and the extra hops are a mismatch, I'll still have half a batch of good red ale.

So what exactly are we doing with the French press? I know they have something to do with coffee, but I'm not a coffee drinker so I don't own one. If I understood what we're doing in this step, I assume I can come up with alternative method. Is it just a filter to remove anything that's not liquid?

 

[MrZuckerkorn]

So what exactly are we doing with the French press? I know they have something to do with coffee, but I'm not a coffee drinker so I don't own one. If I understood what we're doing in this step, I assume I can come up with alternative method. Is it just a filter to remove anything that's not liquid?

The French press just filters the spices out of the tea. The filter is slightly more porous than a paper coffee filter, which allows more oils through when brewing coffee. It makes a huge difference in body/mouthfeel with coffee, but I can't imagine it would affect the overall beer. The press filter is much more fine than cheesecloth, but perhaps using two hop steeping bags would do the trick? That's what I have used in the past when adding spices to the end of the boil in certain recipes.

 

[Pyg]

What do people use for the Orange Peel?
I have the option of using fresh store bought peels
Or
The dried Orange Peel found at my LHBS?

I have never used either for a brew?

 

[GilSwillBasementBrews]

I've used the store bought dried ones with good results.

 

[BrewCityBaller]

What do people use for the Orange Peel?
I have the option of using fresh store bought peels
Or
The dried Orange Peel found at my LHBS?

I have never used either for a brew?

I always use fresh orange peel grated off an orange. Just get the orange skin though while avoiding the white stuff underneath.

 

[Shenanigans]

So just finished weighing the hops and grains for this.
The only change I made was some Target hops for the 60 min addition that I wanted to use up.
Will brew it tomorrow night after work so I'm keeping it down to about 3 gallons to save some time.
I guess this is a beer that I wont want to drink all the time so the 30 or so bottles should be enough to make some gifts and have enough left over for myself for the holidays.
If I'm wrong then I can brew a bigger batch next time

 

[Pyg]

What honey do people use?
I just picked up the ingredients and my LHBS just gave me a Wildflower Blossom Honey. It is darker and smell sweet & floral.

I had used this stuff for a hard honey root beer and it was over powering.
However I read a lot of people use the wildflower honey in brewing.
Wondering if I should use clover honey.

Thinking of walking into Target and buyin the first generic honey I can find!

Any thoughts?
View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1443135378.864846.jpg

 

[Pyg]

Not as aromatic as I would have expected
View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1443370044.132303.jpg

 

[Shenanigans]

Oh **** I just realised I forgot to add the honey.

I brewed it without it and ended up with an OG of 1.080 anyway.
I was wondering why my pre-boil gravity was only about 1.060 and just compensated by boiling for 90 mins instead of 60.

It's already fermenting since this morning, if I add the honey now it will be way too strong but without it the FG will probably be too high. Maybe I should add it in few quarts of water?