Chistmas Ale recipe comments/suggestions/advice

[Nightwulf1974]

Hey all,

longtime lurker with not much posting, but I wanted to see what you all think of this Holiday Ale recipe I've tweaked from David Heath's Merry Christmas Ale. I've shared the link below, it's on Brewfather.

https://share.brewfather.app/8X8MVwXakXEyJ5
I'm brewing tomorrow and mainly wanted some last minute opinions on the recipe itself. If I'm posting in the wrong forum or need to provide a written version of the recipe vs. The link to the recipe on Brewfather, please let me know.

Thanks!

 

[RufusBrewer]

If it were my recipe I would not be so busy with all those spices nutmeg, allspice, cinnamon, vanilla, two orange peels. Maybe you will get a fine and wonderful balance.

I would be worried all those spices fight each other and you end up with spice mud.

Vanilla is delicate and easy to over power. IMHO With all that other stuff, save your money and do not use vanilla.

Vanilla + Orange = Nice
Or
Vanilla + Cinnamon = Nice
Going busier than that? I do not know.

 

[Nightwulf1974]

If it were my recipe I would not be so busy with all those spices nutmeg, allspice, cinnamon, vanilla, two orange peels. Maybe you will get a fine and wonderful balance.

I would be worried all those spices fight each other and you end up with spice mud.

Vanilla is delicate and easy to over power. IMHO With all that other stuff, save your money and do not use vanilla.

Vanilla + Orange = Nice
Or
Vanilla + Cinnamon = Nice
Going busier than that? I do not know.

Well the original recipe which is supposed to be really good has both the orange combinations and cinnamon, but without the other spices, oats or honey. I think what I am going to try (because that is half the fun) is omit the vanilla per your suggestion), toast the oats in advance and go as is. Who knows, maybe it will be great. I've seen similar recipes using various combinations of these, and I'm hoping the oats will add a small contribution to mouth feel. I used the honey to just up the abv a bit.

 

[RufusBrewer]

I am with you, experimenting is half the fun of homebrewing. Brew the beer you want and see how it comes out. If you based it on a recipe you have faith in, brew it.

 

[cire]

Baking soda is an addition to raise mash pH and lactic acid for lowering pH. You should never need both in the same stage and potentially could need neither.

 

[Nightwulf1974]

Baking soda is an addition to raise mash pH and lactic acid for lowering pH. You should never need both in the same stage and potentially could need neither.

I'm using distilled water and need the snall amount of baking soda to add some sodium that is otherwise at zero. The lactic is just to drop the pH a bit. How else can I add some sodium? If I take both out of this profile, I'm left with an estimated 5.51 pH. Maybe just roll with that?

 

[cire]

I'm using distilled water and need the snall amount of baking soda to add some sodium that is otherwise at zero. The lactic is just to drop the pH a bit. How else can I add some sodium? If I take both out of this profile, I'm left with an estimated 5.51 pH. Maybe just roll with that?

If you wish to have some sodium in your mash liquor, use table salt, a Christmas Ale would benefit from the chloride. A smaller amount of lactic acid could drop the pH a touch.