Great Holiday Ale Extract Recipe

[Faralon]

Here is what I ended up doing with my AG brew day.

Batch: 5gal

Grain:
10lbs 2-Row Pale
1lb Amber
1lb Crystal 40
1lb Oats

60min mash @ 152'f

60min boil
Added 3/4oz. of a mix of Cascade, Willamette, Perle whole leaf homegrown hops at 60min.
Added 1/2oz. of the same mix at 30min.

(some of my vacume bags that had my hops in them were "not so" vacume sealed...so I ended up putting less hops then expected. I may toss some LHBS hops into the 2ndary for aroma....maybe.)

At flame out I added the 2lbs honey, 4 sticks of Cinnamon, and 20oz. powdered ginger.

While waiting for the wort to cool, I sliced up 5lbs of the GSmith apples and dropped em into the carboy. Earlier I had put the whole apples in sanitizer solution and hand rubbed them to clean the exterior of the apple.

Racked the cold wort from the kettle, into the carboy, onto the sliced apples.

Pitched: WL001 - already starting to bubble the airlock 7hrs later w/o a starter (once every few minutes).

OG was: 1.093 with the honey!. I thinned it out to 1.080 there will be extra fermentables fom the apples, but no way to measure.

With an expected FG of 1.018, this is a 8.7abv beer w/o factoring the apple fermentables!

Can't wait, thanks for the inspiring recipe!

Carboy looks just like the ones pictured.

One comment on the honey, I didn't want to stir the honey into the beer after racking to the secondary. What you would want to do is add the 2lbs of honey to the 2ndary 1st, then rack the beer ontop of it. For me, I just added it at flame out, so its in the primary. I'll add 64oz of Cider to the 2ndary before racking, which will thin out the ABV a little bit too....which I'm fine with, this is gonna be a BIG beer.

 

[clay3]

Two weeks in the primary because I couldn't wait any longer and broke my hydrometer so I could not take a reading. One of my modifications was to add my honey at flameout so I cannt comment on adding that to the secondary. I put my cider in the secondary first and then siphoned from my primary to the secondary so it would mix itself via the wirlpool effect.

 

[jtkratzer]

I was thinking about boiling the cider briefly to ensure there's nothing nasty in it (I know there isn't since it's not preserved, but...) and to mix the honey. I'm going to it cool a bit and then put it in the secondary and then rack the beer on top of it.

 

[brewstev]

Are you guys all adding 2 lbs of honey? and 5lbs of apples? i was thinking the "#" meant units. So 5 apples and 2 containers of honey...

Oh well the sample i tasted after the first hydro reading tasted great, so im sure it will end up great. Krausen was visible within a couple hours and there is still a 3/4 inch layer after 6 days! Usually this dissapates for me after 2-3days. I plan on doing the same as clay3 and racking to secondary on top of the cider to mix itself. Is it really necessary to boil it tho?

 

[jtkratzer]

Are you guys all adding 2 lbs of honey? and 5lbs of apples? i was thinking the "#" meant units. So 5 apples and 2 containers of honey...

Oh well the sample i tasted after the first hydro reading tasted great, so im sure it will end up great. Krausen was visible within a couple hours and there is still a 3/4 inch layer after 6 days! Usually this dissapates for me after 2-3days. I plan on doing the same as clay3 and racking to secondary on top of the cider to mix itself. Is it really necessary to boil it tho?

I'm guessing probably not, but I was going to do that just to get the honey to dissolve and not have globs of it just laying in the beer somewhere.

 

[clay3]

I am almost sure I have read on here and other sites that you should never boil cider because it created off flavors. Don't know if it is true but might be worth researching.

 

[jeffdill]

Brewing this today, thanks for the recipe!!! I'm really excited. I'm hoping to have it ready before Christmas...maybe I need to cut it a bit shorter than you recommend, but that's OK.

One question though - why is the cider that you add to the secondary unpasteurized? I thought you would want it pasteurized so there isn't bacteria in it. Maybe I'm wrong? Would using pasteurized instead be bad?

 

[jtkratzer]

Brewing this today, thanks for the recipe!!! I'm really excited. I'm hoping to have it ready before Christmas...maybe I need to cut it a bit shorter than you recommend, but that's OK.

One question though - why is the cider that you add to the secondary unpasteurized? I thought you would want it pasteurized so there isn't bacteria in it. Maybe I'm wrong? Would using pasteurized instead be bad?

I'm guessing pasteurized would be alright, you just don't want any preservatives. If you keg and force carb, you could probably follow the schedule of 1 week in the primary, 1 month in the secondary, but I'm planning on 8 weeks since I have to bottle and I'm going to expect 3 weeks to carbonate.

 

[jeffdill]

Just to help in the OG discussion - mine was 1.064. I followed the recipe pretty much exactly, except I accidentally added 2.67 pounds of honey instead of 2 (forgot that the bottles I bought were 1 pound 6 oz each), which was done at flameout. No big deal.

 

[jtkratzer]

Here's a picture of the surface of my fermentation 5 days after pitching. Airlock is chugging away, but still not much krausen. It's bubbling quite a bit on the surface.

Is the brown "stuff" on the apples alright? I'm assuming so, but just checking. Also, for those who did a week in the primary, a month in the secondary, was that "week" 7 days after pitching or when fermentation started? I suppose it doesn't really matter since it's getting more fermentables in the secondary.

 

[jtkratzer]

For the secondary, is everyone using a 5 gallon or is there a second round of krausen from the honey and cider?

 

[jtkratzer]

Anyone have any suggestions or input on the questions I posted recently:

-The color/condition of the apples on the surface
-7 days from the time the yeast was pitched or was there a gravity change that prompted the move to the secondary
-5 gallon carboy good for a secondary with more fermentation?

 

[Faralon]

Looks to me like the apples just have some yeast/krausen mud on em, should be fine.
7 days seems to be a good average point to where the CO2 out of the air lock calms down. I always wait for the main off-gassing of CO2 to stop before racking into secondary. Shouldn't get much krausening in the 2ndary, but always be ready with some racking tube and a pitcher half full of water as a blow-off valve just in case.

 

[jtkratzer]

Looks to me like the apples just have some yeast/krausen mud on em, should be fine.
7 days seems to be a good average point to where the CO2 out of the air lock calms down. I always wait for the main off-gassing of CO2 to stop before racking into secondary. Shouldn't get much krausening in the 2ndary, but always be ready with some racking tube and a pitcher half full of water as a blow-off valve just in case.

I'll need to pick up one of those carboy caps with two ports for the airlock and blow off hose then as I just have stoppers drilled for airlocks.

I think I'm going to wait an extra day or two then until things appear to slow down a bit more. Without having any idea of what the gravity readings should look like, I'm not sure what I would gain from drawing a sample.

 

[Faralon]

Took a grav reading today. Brew'd on the 18th, OG: 1.083, and am at 1.040 five days later. WL001 fermenting at an average of 65'f. If you've been brewing since the 14th, you might be ready for a 2ndary racking, but its not a do or die. Some people don't even use a 2ndary.

 

[jtkratzer]

Took a grav reading today. Brew'd on the 18th, OG: 1.083, and am at 1.040 five days later. WL001 fermenting at an average of 65'f. If you've been brewing since the 14th, you might be ready for a 2ndary racking, but its not a do or die. Some people don't even use a 2ndary.

My OG wasn't that high, but I still have honey and cider to add. I'm going to be out near my LHBS store tomorrow for work and I need to pick up a pound of DME to replace one I scavenged from a kit. I'll grab one of those carboy caps and probably rack it tomorrow evening.

I snapped a couple more pictures. The apples are definitely being consumed, at least the slices below the surface.

 

[jtkratzer]

LHBS guy suggested leaving everything, apples and all, in the primary and adding the honey and cider on top of what's already in the primary. Is there any benefit to racking off the apples? I can't rack this to a 5 gallon carboy since it's 5 gallons of wort, plus 1/2 gallon of cider, and the honey. It won't fit in a 5 gallon. Also, he thinks the fermentation is going to roar with all the honey.

Thoughts, suggestions, comments, concerns?

 

[permo]

LHBS guy suggested leaving everything, apples and all, in the primary and adding the honey and cider on top of what's already in the primary. Is there any benefit to racking off the apples? I can't rack this to a 5 gallon carboy since it's 5 gallons of wort, plus 1/2 gallon of cider, and the honey. It won't fit in a 5 gallon. Also, he thinks the fermentation is going to roar with all the honey.

Thoughts, suggestions, comments, concerns?

No concerns at all man, it is REALLY hard to screw beer up. Let her ride.

 

[jtkratzer]

I warmed the cider enough to dissolve/mix the honey and set the pot outside with a lid on it to cool. After it's closer to the temp the wort is at now I'll funnel the cider and honey into the carboy.

I'm tempted to grab a sample before the honey/cider for a gravity reading and then trying to mix it a bit without oxygenating it and then getting another gravity reading.

 

[jtkratzer]

I tried to get a sample for gravity readings, but the surface of the beer was too far from the top of the carboy and the turkey baster didn't reach. I didn't worry about a reading after adding the honey and cider since it wasn't mixed at all as I just poured it in through a funnel.

It's been about 4 hours since the addition and the beer is definitely reacting. More bubbles on the surface, more krausen, and the appearance of the "churning" below the surface is significantly more vigorous. Another thing that is probably a factor is the increase in temperature. With the temps only getting into the 40s during the day, I decided to get the woodstove going and the downstairs is about 4-6 degrees warmer than it has been. So the temp of the beer has gone from about 64-68 to 68-70. I moved the carboy back into the closet where it should be a bit cooler and stay around the 68* mark.

I picked up a cap that allows for a blow off hose, but I don't have that on right now. I'm going to check it in a few hours and see how it looks.

 

[jtkratzer]

12 hours after cider and honey:

I'm starting to think I'm going to need a blow off hose.

 

[jtkratzer]

Haven't needed the blow off hose yet...24 hours after cider and honey addition. I don't plan on doing this every 12 hours for the life of the beer, just thought since this recipe seems to be constantly being tweaked, feedback would be appreciated. And I have to admit, I'm enjoying the first time use of a carboy.

 

[brewstev]

wow crazy. so are you thinking it's better to just keep the beer in the 6 gallon primary rather than racking to 5 gallon secodary when throwing in the cider/honey?

 

[jtkratzer]

wow crazy. so are you thinking it's better to just keep the beer in the 6 gallon primary rather than racking to 5 gallon secodary when throwing in the cider/honey?

It's not that I was thinking it was better, it's that it wouldn't fit in a 5 gallon. Think about it, 5 gallons of wort, plus apples, and then add a half gallon of cider and 2 lbs of honey. It's probably close to 6 gallons of volume with the apples still in there. With the increased vigor of the fermentation after adding the cider and honey, a 5 gallon definitely wouldn't work. If you racked it off the apples before adding the honey and cider, a 6 gallon would probably work well, but the only carboys I have are 5 gallon and a single 6.5 gallon.

At this point, I don't think I'm going to need a blow off hose. It's still chugging along nicely, but the foam seems to have stopped growing.

 

[Faralon]

Looking good JTK.

I racked to 2ndary fermenter at 6 days. (it just worked out that way due to my schedule). I left out the apples in the 2ndary, and racked the beer onto the 1/2 gallon of cider. Taste was really still too sweet and gingery for me. I'm sure time will fix this as fermentation continues. She's still bubbling the airlock a few times a minute.

Side note, I did take a bite out of one of the apples at day 6, and their sugars were gone. It was like eating starch, w/ green apple skin on the outside. Crazy!

Good Malt/Ginger/Cinnamon and Apple nose for sure, its all there sofar.

 

[jtkratzer]

Looking good JTK.

I racked to 2ndary fermenter at 6 days. (it just worked out that way due to my schedule). I left out the apples in the 2ndary, and racked the beer onto the 1/2 gallon of cider. Taste was really still too sweet and gingery for me. I'm sure time will fix this as fermentation continues. She's still bubbling the airlock a few times a minute.

Side note, I did take a bite out of one of the apples at day 6, and their sugars were gone. It was like eating starch, w/ green apple skin on the outside. Crazy!

Good Malt/Ginger/Cinnamon and Apple nose for sure, its all there sofar.

I wonder if the apples will be worth tasting when fermentation of the honey and cider is complete. Are you planning on leaving it in the secondary for a full 4 weeks?

Is the fermentation of the honey/cider supposed to take 4 weeks or will it be 4-7 days like typical wort and then it's supposed to age for a few weeks?

 

[Tsuyako]

Wow this beer looks amazing! This is on my list of things to brew soon!

 

[Faralon]

Fermenting off the honey/cider shouldn't take 4 weeks at temps between 60-65'f (room temps). I was at 1.040 when I racked the beer into 2ndary onto the cider. Just checked it this am, 4 days later, I'm at 1.048. Cider added some sugars for sure, and with it, ABV! Tasted the sample I used for the refractometer. I'm not sure what it is, but its got a wierd taste to it still...hoping it ferments/ages out. Maybe its too much ginger? Smells great, but its just got a weird tinge' to it.

My plan is to let it continue to age/ferment until a week before xMas. Then I'll keg to carbonate. May bottle off some from the keg too.

 

[jtkratzer]

Fermenting off the honey/cider shouldn't take 4 weeks at temps between 60-65'f (room temps). I was at 1.040 when I racked the beer into 2ndary onto the cider. Just checked it this am, 4 days later, I'm at 1.048. Cider added some sugars for sure, and with it, ABV! Tasted the sample I used for the refractometer. I'm not sure what it is, but its got a wierd taste to it still...hoping it ferments/ages out. Maybe its too much ginger? Smells great, but its just got a weird tinge' to it.

My plan is to let it continue to age/ferment until a week before xMas. Then I'll keg to carbonate. May bottle off some from the keg too.

Mine has been fermenting around 66-68*. We have an 8 month old and keep the house a bit warmer, that and my wife says she's cold when it's 69-71...If tinge means a kind of spicy taste, it probably is the ginger. I'm hoping that steeping a tea rather than putting it in the boil will keep the strong taste of the ginger and the clove under control. I haven't tasted a sample of this yet since I couldn't get one before adding the honey and cider. Maybe I'll give the secondary fermentation a week to 10 days and then check the gravity and give it a taste.

 

[jeffdill]

Just racked this bad boy to the secondary after 8 days in the primary. Medium amber color, sweet with a dry aftertaste and spices at the forefront (in a good way!). Also kind of fruity!

I had an OG of 1.064 with the honey added at flameout (and I accidentally added 2.67 pounds of honey instead of the 2, oops). After one week it dropped all the way down to 1.013 before adding the cider (that's 6.69% alcohol already, and it has more sugar to eat!).

Very excited for how this will turn out.