12 Beers of Christmas 2018 Edition

[biochemedic]

...Space Dust clone on the other burner...

At one point a humming bird flew in and got itself caught in the skylight dome, but that was resolved effortlessly with the mash paddle.

You absolutely *have* to call it "Spacey Hummingbird Spiced Cherry Dubbel!!!"

 

[mirthfuldragon]

I spent this weekend staring at over a foot of snow. My plan is to brew a double batch of lambic, with half going towards crabapples and then the other half going to cranberries depending on how I like the crabapples. Though at this point it looks like winter is never going to end. Hrumph.

 

[biochemedic]

So I tried a few more ginger-IPA infusions today...I'm starting to think there isn't a hop profile that doesn't go well with ginger! I tried two citrus forward IPA's:

They both worked really well with the ginger!

I'm still leaning a bit more towards the piney/resiny hop profile, but if some citrus sneaks in there too, it certainly won't be the end of the world!

I need to start working on my grain bill...I'm thinking that it will feature some honey malt, and in place of dextrose, I will probably add some honey in secondary. I'm thinking I may go on the higher range of mash temps, to help retain some body and sweetness.

 

[cmac62]

Mine literally burned into carbon on the bottom and the top didn't even melt at all. I've never done this before so I had no idea what to expect. Might as well have lit money on fire lol. Anyway, I might go a slightly different route and see if a homeade candi sugar will work instead. I'm out of dme now...

You may want to make a lot more than you need as it is easier to not burn if you have more sugar. I have not made caramel before, but I have caramelized honey for a Bochet Braggot I made a while ago. You can also do something along the lines of a decoction and boil down some of the first runnings until you get the color and flavor you want. I hope this helps.

 

[MapleGroveAleworks]

@dryboroughbrewing will you update the OP so we can get someone else in to make the fruitcake Old Ale? Thanks

 

[dryboroughbrewing]

@dryboroughbrewing will you update the OP so we can get someone else in to make the fruitcake Old Ale? Thanks

Would love to, but cannot, it's too old to edit at this point, I did update https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/...stmas-2018-edition.642063/page-6#post-8199400 with the latest

 

[cegan09]

I'm tempted to jump in on this. Looks like the fruitcake would need to be started soonish?

What the hell. I eyed the project last year. Might as well.

 

[MapleGroveAleworks]

Would love to, but cannot, it's too old to edit at this point, I did update https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/...stmas-2018-edition.642063/page-6#post-8199400 with the latest

Ah didn't know this was a thing!

I'm tempted to jump in on this. Looks like the fruitcake would need to be started soonish?

What the hell. I eyed the project last year. Might as well.

Do it!

 

[Zimm9]

I feel like a slacker already. I haven't even started researching what I need for mine yet. Guess I need to bump up the priority of shifting to all grain sooner so I can get a test run of the Abbey Weizen going!

 

[dryboroughbrewing]

I'm tempted to jump in on this. Looks like the fruitcake would need to be started soonish?

What the hell. I eyed the project last year. Might as well.

You've got it!

We now have both groups filled!

 

[cegan09]

Cool. Guess I'll have to get a test batch going. Fermentation chamber should be free in another week.

 

[dryboroughbrewing]

I need to pull a sample at some point nowish to 'check' my acid/funk levels...

 

[cegan09]

Question for anyone that's brewed the old ale before. I plugged in the recipe on page 1, and my predicted OG is nowhere close. recipe says OG should be about 1.075, i'm getting 1.057, with just grains. Does that OG assume some bump from the fruit? I'm not sure how to enter fruit additions to beersmith. Just want to make sure i'm aiming in the right direction.

I'm also open to any tips overall from those who've made it in the past.

 

[biochemedic]

I did the Fruitcake Old Ale two years ago. I didn't use the recipe directly from the book, but did a sort of smash up recipe based on a couple of BYO articles. One of them was those style guideline articles usually done by Jamil Zanihshef...I was going to link the article, but I see that BYO has now moved all their online content behind a pay wall...f'n bastards...If you have or know someone who has a BYO subscription, it would be worth your time to look through the BYO archive for more information on Old Ales.

This is what I had come up with:

I went with a little bigger batch size (5.25 gal) because of expected loses due to the fruit, and this grain bill has a relatively low efficiency set at 60%. With those variables this yields an expected OG of 1.078. You could maybe cut back the base malt if you have better numbers than that...

Grain/Extract/Sugar
% Amount Name Origin Potential SRM
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
72.5 12.50 lbs. Pale Malt(2-row) Great Britain 1.038 3
14.5 2.50 lbs. Munich Malt Germany 1.037 8
5.8 1.00 lbs. Crystal 60L America 1.034 60
5.8 1.00 lbs. Turbinado Sugar Generic 1.046 0
0.7 0.13 lbs. Chocolate Malt Great Britain 1.034 475
0.7 0.13 lbs. Special B Malt Belgian 1.030 120

Hops
Amount Name Form Alpha IBU Boil Time
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.50 oz. Willamette Pellet 4.10 25.3 60 min.
1.50 oz. Willamette Pellet 4.10 12.9 30 min.
1.00 oz. Willamette Pellet 4.10 0.0 0 min.
IBU: 38.1

I did some calculations based on the nutritional information on the fruit packets to estimate the additional amount of sugar added from the fruit and just added those points to the OG.

From my notes: "Based on 1.4 oz / serving, and 32 oz berries @ 12 gm sugar / serving, and 16 oz apricots @ 15 gm sugar / serving, estimate about 445 gm sugar ~ 0.98 lbs added sugars. Assuming 1.046 pppg for sugar, conservitavely estimate 7 gravity points added sugar."

 

[MapleGroveAleworks]

Question for anyone that's brewed the old ale before. I plugged in the recipe on page 1, and my predicted OG is nowhere close. recipe says OG should be about 1.075, i'm getting 1.057, with just grains. Does that OG assume some bump from the fruit? I'm not sure how to enter fruit additions to beersmith. Just want to make sure i'm aiming in the right direction.

I'm also open to any tips overall from those who've made it in the past.

The recipe is probably using a different efficiency than you are. Just up the recipe grain quantity until the numbers match the recipe for you system. No different than copying any other established recipe.

 

[cegan09]

@biochemedic thank you for the recipe

The recipe is probably using a different efficiency than you are. Just up the recipe grain quantity until the numbers match the recipe for you system. No different than copying any other established recipe.

The difference just seemed larger than you'd normally get from a varying efficiency. Large enough that I didn't know if it was taking into account the fruit in the OG number. If I use the above estimate of 7 points from the fruit, that puts me at 1.064, which might be slightly closer to just an efficiency difference. Beersmith is estimating a 70% efficiency, which is low for even me.

I'm just over thinking things, which I normally do. I'll adjust to meet the estimates in the recipe and just run a test batch.

 

[BigCrazyAl]

After all the delays happening over the last 2 months, the quad is in the fermenter. I hope this one works out well. Finger crossed!

 

[MapleGroveAleworks]

@biochemedic thank you for the recipe




The difference just seemed larger than you'd normally get from a varying efficiency. Large enough that I didn't know if it was taking into account the fruit in the OG number. If I use the above estimate of 7 points from the fruit, that puts me at 1.064, which might be slightly closer to just an efficiency difference. Beersmith is estimating a 70% efficiency, which is low for even me.

I'm just over thinking things, which I normally do. I'll adjust to meet the estimates in the recipe and just run a test batch.

It's good to question things for sure. I can't imagine the fruit adds any relevant gravity points to this beer. I would yeah adjust for your system and attain the numbers as if you weren't adding any fruit. It's an old ale anyway, so even if it added a couple points it won't be a big deal.

 

[btbnl]

Two weeks in now, the Spacey Hummingbird Spiced Cherry Dubbel is down to a steady 1.012 and the fermentation chamber no longer smells quite so overwhelmingly of bananas. I've now added the Vitner's Harvest sour and sweet cherry purees, which both turned out to be a lot runnier than expected - more like juice than puree. Hopefully that will help when it comes to cold-crashing.

Based on other folks' experience, I'll be keeping a close eye out for blow-off.

 

[btbnl]

Fermentation has re-started, but with nothing like the vigor others have reported.

Do people re-oxygenate for the secondary fermentation? I can imaging racking onto fruit in a secondary naturally introducing more oxygen, but because I didn't have a spare fermentor I just added the puree to to the beer in the primary with little or no chance for re-oxygenation. FWIW, it's in a temperature-controlled environment at 68F.

 

[HopHeavy]

Do people re-oxygenate for the secondary fermentation?

Oxygen is bad once the yeast have begun to produce alcohol. Most take great care to prevent oxidation post fermentation.

 

[cmac62]

Tried the first rendition of the Juniper Rye Bock and can hardly taste the juniper at all. Will have to go big on the next version. Maybe go get some fresh berries and mash some with the grain, boil some with the wort and then tincture some for the lager fridge. I'll get that stuff in there somehow.

 

[biochemedic]

Tried the first rendition of the Juniper Rye Bock and can hardly taste the juniper at all. Will have to go big on the next version. Maybe go get some fresh berries and mash some with the grain, boil some with the wort and then tincture some for the lager fridge. I'll get that stuff in there somehow.

in 2012, my cousin-in-law brewed that beer, and he put fresh cut juniper boughs in the bottom of his mash tun, as well as juniper berries in the mash. No sure if he added anything after that. As I recall, there was a subtle, but present juniper flavor.

 

[cmac62]

The boughs in the mash tun is a great idea. I'll definitely do that.

 

[BigCrazyAl]

I'm jealous of all you kegging folks. I won't know if my quad is good for at least 6 weeks and that will be early. Either way, I plan on a round 2 this spring after I see what the flavor profile is.

 

[TwistedGray]

If I understand this correctly, there is one open spot on the 2nd list? (That would be for the CRANAPPLE LAMBICKY ALE which is definitely something that interests me.) Are you guys against an extractor joining?

 

[cmac62]

If I understand this correctly, there is one open spot on the 2nd list? (That would be for the CRANAPPLE LAMBICKY ALE which is definitely something that interests me.) Are you guys against an extractor joining?

Is it beer? Dah, of course your welcome. Using extract for a lambicy thing is an interesting idea. Should make no difference. I hope you join this crazy thing.

 

[BigCrazyAl]

If I understand this correctly, there is one open spot on the 2nd list? (That would be for the CRANAPPLE LAMBICKY ALE which is definitely something that interests me.) Are you guys against an extractor joining?

If this post is up to date then I think we're full up, otherwise I wouldn't mind an extract brewer jumping in.

Post 219: Participant List

 

[TwistedGray]

If this post is up to date then I think we're full up, otherwise I wouldn't mind an extract brewer jumping in.

Post 219: Participant List

Ah, thanks. I didn't scroll through the last few pages...just the original post. Good catch.

I'll hang out in standby mode.

 

[btbnl]

The underwhelming secondary fermentation doesn't seem to have hurt any, and 3 days later we're down to 1.011 and 8.15% ABV. The cherry is pretty subtle, and plays off the banana notes very nicely. I'll cold crash while I'm traveling next week, keg and carb, and see if it's a keeper.