Xmas Spice Ale - Gingerbread Brown

[FatsSchindee]

Hey everyone, was wondering if you'd critique my new recipe for a gingerbread brown ale...

I am shooting for a mid-strength English brown ale, with a holiday spice (gingerbread, in particular) flavor. For inspiration, I'm using Randy Mosher's suggestion from "Radical Brewing" to use a low-hopped english brown as a base, and his spice regimen, and crossing that with Jamil's recipes (from his BN podcast) for a Southern English Brown and a Holiday Spice Ale. I didn't want to go as dark as a BJCP Southern English Brown (those seem to be more black than brown), or as low alcohol... Nor did I want it as big as the old ale he uses for the base of his holiday spice beer. So I kind of adjusted the SEB recipe up to fall somewhere in between those two and also a Northern English Brown, and swapped a few malts, including adding some molasses to help with the gingerbread flavor. Jamil uses WLP002, but I switched to 005 because it's more attenuative (and still leaves the FG at 1.020). I want it to be sweet (like a gingerbread cookie or cake), but not too cloying, of course. I'm using 152 as a mid-range mash temp, because I want some body, and but don't want it too end at too high an FG (and the molasses will help dry it out some, no?).

I've looked through some of the other older posts here about gingerbread ales, and took some of the suggestions there into account as well. One thing mentioned, in particular, is to reduce or delete the clove addition, and sub in nutmeg instead. Any thoughts on this or anything else you see in the below recipe? Thanks...

Title: Ho Ho Ho-liday Brown
Author: Fats Schindee

Brew Method: BIAB
Style Name: Holiday/Winter Special Spiced Beer
Boil Time: 60 min
Batch Size: 2.75 gallons (ending kettle volume)
Boil Size: 3.35 gallons
Boil Gravity: 1.052
Efficiency: 75% (ending kettle)

STATS:
Original Gravity: 1.066
Final Gravity: 1.020
ABV (standard): 6.13%
IBU (tinseth): 17.02
SRM (morey): 23.42

FERMENTABLES:
4.75 lb - United Kingdom - Maris Otter Pale (73.1%)
8 oz - American - Caramel / Crystal 75L (7.7%)
6 oz - Belgian - Biscuit (5.8%)
4 oz - American - Special Roast (3.8%)
4 oz - American - Caramel / Crystal 120L (3.8%)
2 oz - United Kingdom - Pale Chocolate (1.9%)
4 oz - Molasses - (late addition) (3.8%)

HOPS:
0.5 oz - East Kent Goldings, Type: Pellet, AA: 5, Use: Boil for 60 min, IBU: 17.02

MASH GUIDELINES:
1) Infusion, Temp: 152 F, Time: 60 min, Amount: 12 qt, BIAB
2) Sparge, Temp: 170 F, Time: 10 min, Amount: 3.4 qt, Dunk Sparge in new pot

OTHER INGREDIENTS:
0.5 each - Whirlfloc, Time: 5 min, Type: Fining, Use: Boil
2 g - Cinnamon (ground), Time: 1 min, Type: Spice, Use: Boil
1 g - Ginger (ground), Time: 1 min, Type: Spice, Use: Boil
0.5 g - Allspice , Time: 1 min, Type: Spice, Use: Boil
0.5 g - Cloves (ground), Time: 1 min, Type: Spice, Use: Boil

YEAST:
White Labs - British Ale Yeast WLP005
Starter: No
Form: Liquid
Attenuation (avg): 70.5%
Flocculation: High
Optimum Temp: 65 - 70 F
Fermentation Temp: 68 F
Pitch Rate: 0.75 (M cells / ml / deg P)

PRIMING:
Method: Corn sugar
Amount: .88 oz
CO2 Level: 1.5 Volumes



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[FatsSchindee]

I re-listened to the Southern English Brown podcast, and it made me realize a mistake in the above recipe. He had 17 IBU for a 1.041 OG beer in his recipe, and I didn't scale that up for mine. So, keeping the same BU/GU ratio (.41), I'm going to up the hops to .8 oz at 60 min, which brings it up to 27 IBU for my 1.066 OG... Sound good?


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[NiwotBrew]

This looks a lot like my holiday ale, I think you will do well with this. My only two cents would be to use a higher mash temp 154-155, I think of 152 as mid to low, and may not give the body you are after.
Cheers!


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[FatsSchindee]

Thanks, NiwotBrew - that's a good idea. I think I will do that. When I first listened to the podcast about Jamil's Southern English Brown, it sounds like he said a mash temp of 150, and I was upping that to 152 to counter for the possible drying-out effect of the molasses... But upon relistening to it (and just using common sense about mash temps), I caught in the recap of the recipe at the end that he does actually say 153. So upping that would indeed put me at 154-155, as you recommend. I think maybe I'll go with 154... As it already is showing finishing at 1.020, and I don't want the wort to have too many long-chain dextrines. Thanks for the advice!


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