What Are You Brewing Christmas Day?

So, I'm an atheist with no kids (that I know of), so Christmas Day is basically a free day off from work for me. With nothing else to do, I decided to brew (of course)! I'm brewing a slightly modified version of my oatmeal stout, is anyone else joining me in brewing on Christmas Day? And if so, what are you brewing?

 

Just drinking. I'm agnostic, with no kids, but a **** ton of family!

 

Does brewing coffee count? Too many family functions today to brew anything that requires a mash. Have fun though!

 

Yeah, does brewing coffee count?..LOL Heading in to work shortly so no beer stuff for me today...

 

I actually brewed yesterday. I made Edwort's Robust Porter. Had a mishap and stepped on my only unused airlock so I rigged a blowoff tube into the bucket lid. It's bubbling away nicely already.

 

Family functions done, received Surly Bender kit yesterday so I am just making a yeast starter today for a brewday on Sunday. Fun part is I don't have any growlers available so I need to finish drinking a growler from Hailstorm's Prairie Madness (Tinley Park IL).

 

Brewing a Heady Topper clone. It smells great!!!!!

 

I'm tinkering with a finished cider today. Hope to get a Belgian ale in the fermenter this weekend!

 

Thinking about mixing up a batch of Apfelwein. Not brewing, I know, but as close as I'm able to come since I just got back from the girlfriend's parents' house and it's storming out (which rules out brewing in the detached garage).

 

I brewed yesterday, a limited edition of my RIS, hit 1.136 on my OG...shooting for 15% alc.

 

Just brewed some coffee this morning. Did get in 3 hours of flight time today.
Took SWMBO for and the MIL for a flight and lunch. Beautiful day for a flight.

 

I live in orland I just was drinking hailstorm's take me to your liter yesterday

 

Just drinking today. Barleywine from a group brew that aged in a bourbon barrel for 8 months. View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1451090302.641833.jpg

 

Brewed 5 gallons of the centennial blonde Ale from the recipe database. Only using cascade hops though.

Split the batch in half and added prickly pear purée to one carboy.

 

Brewed a milk stout yesterday, then got some new gear today! I should have waited. ....

 

Don't really care about the holiday myself, but my wife and the inlaws do, so that's my day right there. Did take a couple gravity samples though. I will be taking the week of use-it-or-lose-it time that I've got between now and new years to brew a fair bit though.

 

Brewed the Fizzy Yellow Beer by @yooper with a few modifications (mainly that I always add 0.5lb of melanoiden and acid malt to most of my brews, but also used WLP001 instead of us 05). Found out my efficiency is 83% today as well...which explains why my beers are always 1% ABV stronger than the recipe states! Time to start using beer smith.

 

Here are some pics from the brew day. It was pretty windy and cold (in the 30's) so I was a little worried about my mash temps. I needed to mash at 150'F for an hour. After adding my grains the temp was 155'F and after 50 minutes it had dropped to 143. I did a mashout to 170 for 10 minutes and got my pre-boil gravity to 1.032 (estimated was 1.034).

Also, fermentation kicked off a lot harder than I expected. I woke up to clogged airlocks so I had to quickly attach a blowoff tube.

As I said earlier, this was 5 gallons of the Centennial Blonde Ale from the recipe DB here. The LHBS was out of Centennial hops so I just used cascade and adjusted the hop schedule to hit the same IBUs.

I split the batch into two carboys and added 4 cups of prickly pear puree to one of them.

Mashing


Boiling


Siphoning


10 minutes after yeast pitching


12 hours after yeast pitching

 

I brewed a 5 gallon pale ale. 10lb of 2row, 1lb of carared 20L, 1lb of c20. Crystal hops 2oz fwh, 30, 5, 1oz flameout. us-05, started at 6:30 am finished around 11:30 had lunch took nap then went to a xmas party. Great day especially being in Minnesota had great weather 30's

 

Couldn't get in a brew, but I did bottle a Black IPA. Decided I should finish drinking the last batch of Black IPA. It was just okay, so it lasted a long time.

I want to brew an Altbier tomorrow, but it will be very cold and windy, and I foresee a hangover too.

 

If Christmas eve counts, got my stout going then. Should be bottling mead sometime next week so I'll probably start my on deck then