Could use some help with a christmas beer recipe

[Remos112]

Hello everybody I am planning a leftover grain brew and I figured why not make it a christmas ale with some spices and such.

This is what I had in mind:
Fermentebles:
4 kg Pilsener Malt
1 kg Munich Malt
0.3kg Special B Malt
0.8kg Candy Syrup amber D-45
Hops
Challenger 31 grams
Styrian Goldings 30 grams
Saaz 8 grams

Mashing Schedule:
60 minutes @ 70C/158F

Boiling Schedule:
Total boil-time 90 min
23 gr Challenger 60 min
30 gr Styrian Goldings 15 min
Challenger 8 gr 5 min
Saaz 8gr 5 min

Since I would like to be a christmas ale I was thinking of adding some spices and this is what I came up with.
1tsp cinnamon grounded
2tsp freshly grated ginger
1/4 tsp clove grounded
20 grams of sweet orange peel dried or 30gr fresh
All added to last 10 minutes of the boil
I see conflicting quantities though, sence the need for help.

does this recipe seem right? And is adding the spices to last 10 minutes of the boil the best way to go?

I want to ferment it with Wteast 1762 at around 20C/68F to let the spices really shine through.

Any comments, do's or dont's are very welcome!
Thanks in advance.
Remi

 

[Remos112]

Nobody any suggestions?

 

[Cheesy_Goodness]

Disclaimer: not a recipe designer

I know you said you were using leftover malt but for something christmas-y and spicy I don't know if Pilsner is a great base malt for something like that. If your main goal is to use up leftover Pilsner and Munich you might consider getting a bit more Munich and maybe some Vienna to go for an Oktoberfest/Marzen (which could be done as an ale if you're not set up for lagering)

If you do go with the holiday ale route, the spice amounts will ultimately be your call. That's kind of a cheap answer but tastes vary. For example I might consider rubbing a clove against the outside of the boil kettle but even then it might be too much clove flavor for me . You might try making a tincture of the spices and adding to taste after fermentation is done. As far as the rest of it goes, you can't go wrong with orange and ginger in a holiday beer imho. You could even find candied ginger and orange peel to add at flameout or as a dry-hop.

Hope that at least gets you started.

 

[jakeasaur]

Be careful with the ginger. I kegged 15 gallons of Christmas ale 2 weeks ago. My spices for 15 gallons were 1 1/2 tbs fresh ginger, 3tbs sweet Orange peel. 5 cinnamon sticks and 3 vanilla beans. And I have to say it's one of the best beers I have made

 

[Upthewazzu]

Be careful with the ginger. I kegged 15 gallons of Christmas ale 2 weeks ago. My spices for 15 gallons were 1 1/2 tbs fresh ginger, 3tbs sweet Orange peel. 5 cinnamon sticks and 3 vanilla beans. And I have to say it's one of the best beers I have made

Second this.

I used 2oz dried ginger in a 3gal Christmas beer last year and it basically turned it into a ginger beer.

Your malt bill looks...off. Looks like a Belgian beer instead of a Christmas beer. I think you need some chocolate/Carafa in there somewhere in place of the Special B and/or Candi syrup. Also, I'd skip both 5min hop additions. You want the spices to shine through, whereas those hops would create a weird "busy" dynamic.

 

[Remos112]

Disclaimer: not a recipe designer

I know you said you were using leftover malt but for something christmas-y and spicy I don't know if Pilsner is a great base malt for something like that. If your main goal is to use up leftover Pilsner and Munich you might consider getting a bit more Munich and maybe some Vienna to go for an Oktoberfest/Marzen (which could be done as an ale if you're not set up for lagering)

If you do go with the holiday ale route, the spice amounts will ultimately be your call. That's kind of a cheap answer but tastes vary. For example I might consider rubbing a clove against the outside of the boil kettle but even then it might be too much clove flavor for me . You might try making a tincture of the spices and adding to taste after fermentation is done. As far as the rest of it goes, you can't go wrong with orange and ginger in a holiday beer imho. You could even find candied ginger and orange peel to add at flameout or as a dry-hop.

Hope that at least gets you started.

Thanks, I have more then 4 kg's of munich leftover so I could always up the amount of Munich, Besides munich I have about 3/4kg biscuit melanoidin ,sauermalt,caramalt, and carapils also. I have lagering equipment, but I kinda want it to be ready by christmas hence the fairly low ABV target of around 7% Also I have never lagered before.Thanks for the input and warning for care with spices!
.

 

[Remos112]

Second this.

I used 2oz dried ginger in a 3gal Christmas beer last year and it basically turned it into a ginger beer.

Your malt bill looks...off. Looks like a Belgian beer instead of a Christmas beer. I think you need some chocolate/Carafa in there somewhere in place of the Special B and/or Candi syrup. Also, I'd skip both 5min hop additions. You want the spices to shine through, whereas those hops would create a weird "busy" dynamic.

You are spot on, this is a revised version of a Kwak clone I brewed earlier wich is totally delicious, I thought I'd make a lighter slightly altered version and spice it up to disguise it as a christmas ale.

Do you mean chocolate malt?Or actual chocolate to put in the fermenter.
Solid advice on the late addition hops I will remove them from the list.

 

[Remos112]

I found one unopened kg package of crystal rye as well, so not a real shortage on malts.

 

[Upthewazzu]

You are spot on, this is a revised version of a Kwak clone I brewed earlier wich is totally delicious, I thought I'd make a lighter slightly altered version and spice it up to disguise it as a christmas ale.

Do you mean chocolate malt?Or actual chocolate to put in the fermenter.
Solid advice on the late addition hops I will remove them from the list.

Chocolate malt. Or Carafa Special (Weyerman's version of chocolate, only dehusked).

 

[Remos112]

Chocolate malt. Or Carafa Special (Weyerman's version of chocolate, only dehusked).

Thanks for the reply I will look into it and see what I can come up with

 

[jbraaten]

The spice addition at 10 and while cooling is what I have found best. I tend to use crstelized ginger in mine. Just like what it offers in terms of flavor profile.