Critique my attmept at a christmas ale please!

[dibrewzza]

So I'm brewing a beer probably Tuesday that I'd like ready by thanksgiving MAYBE and Christmas at the very latest.

Originally I wanted to do a partial mash and get around 9.5%abv but my understanding is that it wouldn't be ready any time soon. Instead ill just do a simple extract and steep.

Here we go:

6lbs plain amber dme
.5 pounds dark candi sugar

1lb briess 2 row
1lb briess 2 row caramel
.5lb chocolate malt

1oz magnum @ 60
1 oz cascade @ 15
1 oz cascade @ 5

1.5 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp ginger
All at 2 minutes left


SafAle us-05

I was planning 2-3 weeks in primary because Og should be 1.055 then probably 4 weeks in bottles because of the spices at the earliest.

Lemme know what ya think! I love criticism

 

[timrox1212]

I would skip the chocolate malt unless you want it to taste slightly chocolatey and be closer to a brown ale. Other than that this is very similar to my pumkin ale I brewed a few weeks ago except I didn't add ginger. Should be tasty.

 

[Calder]

I think you are looking at closer to 1.065 than 1.055. In 5 gallons, 6 lbs DME + 0.5 lbs sugar should get you to about 1.058, then you have the sugars from the grains to add.

I think you have way too much crystal. You are starting with amber DME and adding 2 lbs of crystal. I think it will end up on the sweet side. Since you are starting with amber DME, I would cut it to a half lb, maybe 1 lb max.

Hops seem Ok.

I'll let someone else comment on the spices. I don't care for highly spiced beers.

 

[dibrewzza]

Timrox how did the pumpkin ale turn out??

And Calder I got the 1.055 from brewtoad and beersmith. That's what they had for me lol.

 

[timrox1212]

It wasn't bad. Basically your typical tasting brown/amber ale with spices added. It's a good beer If you are have 1-2 in a night but if your drinking all day on football Sunday I would recommend something a tad lighter.

 

[Hello]

I would definitely get rid of that chocolate. It seems like it is out of place for a christmas ale. As for the crystal, I agree that it may come out sweeter. Have you considered roasted barley or perhaps special roast in place of the chocolate?

 

[alane1]

1 oz magnum and two late additions of cascade is way too much hops for a Christmas ale. I'd go with one addition of 1oz. cascade at 60. Spice additions look ok though.

 

[beernutz]

Rather than use that much chocolate I'd just cut back rather than cutting it out entirely. I just used 1/2 lb in a 10 gallon batch of mild and it ended up pretty brown, about 20 SRM. I used British chocolate malt which at 450 L is about 100 L more than American chocolate. Personally I wouldn't want my spiced ale to be that brown or for its chocolate malt flavor to overshadow the other spices.

I've made a variation of a spiced Christmas ale pretty much continually since the early 1990's and I always use some chocolate malt in it, but just enough to so that the resulting beer is under 15 SRM which is a deep amber.

Personally I like to add my spices for much longer than the 2 minutes you listed as they will gradually diminish over time like hop aroma. I typically add pretty much the same spices you've listed when I add my first (and only) hop addition for about 60 minutes of the boil.

FWIW, my spiced ale recipe is here:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f36/spices-winter-ale-432362/#post5515002

 

[dibrewzza]

brewed today, 1hr boil

used all the above fermentables I originally said, changed the hops from 3 oz to 1 oz of cascade at 60.

Added the spices at 45, irish moss at 15. Tasted phenomenal and smelled even better!

 

[dibrewzza]

1.056 OG

Porter-esque

 

[dibrewzza]

Tried it today. And it taste a lot like thirsty dogs 12 dogs of Christmas. A different sort of sweet to it though. I'm assuming from the candi sugar and thirsty dog uses honey. Either way can't wait to bottle and carb, because this thing is GOOD.

 

[alane1]

looked like such a tasty recipe, is it bottled and carbed yet?

 

[dibrewzza]

I bottled it with 5.1 oz of table sugar. I believe the date was the 16 of October. I had two tonight. Kinda have to pour it a little hard, but I love it. Next time ill use 4/5 of the candi because it's ever so slightly sweet. Additionally I'd up the cinnamon very slightly as well, maybe 20% more? I do love it though, it's a dark dark amber color. And easy as pie to drink. I will be making it again for sure. If indeed you make it, please let me know how it turns out!

 

[dibrewzza]

To elaborate on the carb levels, I have been pouring into a Sam Adams glass and it fills a head about 1.5 inches on the top with a decent pour. Not quite pouring like a nitro milk stout from left hand, but not being terribly easy with it lol.

 

[alane1]

I think some pix are needed.

 

[dibrewzza]

I plan on cracking one later. I'll add a few pics!

 

[dibrewzza]

Here they are!