I was thinking of using a micro-plane and grating them into the kettle...any thoughts for / against this method? I know it'll turn the ginger into more of a liquid-pulp, for sure....that should be a good thing, though, right?
I brewed it last year on Sep. 3. It was very drinkable on Christmas, and was actually quite a hit. Thanks to the OP.
However, it was even better at the end of Jan, so get brewing!
mcmillb1 said:Are you recommending over 3 months in total? (All of Sept + Oct + Nov + into December)?
I'm still fairly new to brewing, but, I've been using the following schedule (and planned to do so for the my Christmas Ale which is very similar...
Oct 27 - Brew Day + Into Primary
Nov 10 - Rack to Secondary
Nov 24 - Bottle
They should be "technically" ready around Dec 8 (after 2 weeks in bottle), right, BUT Dec 15th / Dec 22nd would probably make them perfect after they bottle condition for about a full month?
Thoughts?
Skip the secondary. No need on any beer unless u are adding fruit or souring. Long primary, cold crash in there if u want to condition prior to bottling. Or bottle earlier.
Is that 8 ounces of roasted barley? or .08 lb (which would be 1.28 ounces).
I've seen that this is an age old question - to secondary or not to secondary.
Racking to a carboy for secondary was how I was taught on from a friend on three previous extract brews, so, it's what I've been comfortable with and used since.
I have noticed it helps the clarity immensely...are there any other "pro" thoughts about using secondary?
SO, instead of doing two weeks in primary (I use a fermentation bucket, not a carboy) followed by two weeks in secondary carboy, I could just do four weeks in the bucket and be fine, that's what you're recommending?
dr0ker said:I brewed 10g of this Sept 1st and I came in at 1.071. Mashed @ 156. I pitched 1.5 pkgs of s04 into each bucket and figured I would bottle tomorrow (9/21). Fermentation took off and then after the first 4-5 days the airlocks settled down and haven't moved since. I forgot to check the gravity yesterday (I normally check on Wednesday then verify it hasn't moved by Friday), but I checked today and it is at 1.018. At 73% attenuation I am guessing it is done, but I haven't used s04 before. Do you think I am safe to bottle tomorrow, or should I wait and verify the gravity again in a few days?
Just to follow that up as far as spices, I added mine at last 5 minutes of boil this year as per information from GL on the issue and it came out alot closer to the original. I changed the recipe to reflect that too.
MMJfan said:I brewed an extract version of this recipe and I had emailed GL to see if I was on the right track. In my recipe I noted that I was adding 1.25 oz of ginger and 3 cinnamon sticks at 5 minutes left in the boil and my response from Mark Hunger was that they use equal amounts of ginger and cinnamon and they add it at 60 and keep it in for the entire boil.
**Update - Great Lakes changed the IBU's for this beer from 40 to 30**
10.00 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US 73.64 %
1.00 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L 7.36 % (they use 45L, but i could only find 40L)
1.00 lb Wheat Malt 7.36 %
0.25 lb Special Roast 1.84 %
0.08 lb Roasted Barley 0.59 %
Hallertauer (60 min) 20 IBU
Cascade (10 min) 7 IBU
Cascade (5 min) 3 IBU
2 Cinnamon Stick (boil 5.0 min) Misc
1. oz Ginger Root (boil 5.0 min) Misc
1.25 lb Honey (Flame out) Sugar 9.20 %
1 Pkgs London Ale (Wyeast Labs #1028) Yeast-Ale
Beer Profile
Original Gravity: 1.075
Final Gravity: 1.018
Alcohol by Vol: 7.53 %
30.0 IBU
11.6 SRM C
Mash Profile
60 min 154.0 F
All great lakes beers are carbed at 2.5Volumes.
A letter from a brewer at the GL
"Chris,
Im sorry, I was going through some old emails and it looks like I neglected to answer this one. The recipe looks perfect. Did you brew it yet? I was just wondering how it turned out. Sorry again for not getting back to you. Let me know if I can help you with any other questions.
Cheers!
Luke Purcell
Great Lakes Brewing Company
Brewer/Field Quality Specialist"
Would using wyeast 1056 be ok with this Christmas ale?
What type of honey works best with this beer? Clover?
Just brewed up a 5-gal batch this past Saturday. My batch last year, overall, turned out good with exception of a little too much ginger. I backed it off a touch this time around and also added an extra cinnamon stick. So far, she's a bubbling away and it smells wonderful.
BullGator said:I'm cooling my wort now and have a question (nothing like waiting till the last minute huh?). I put the cinnamon sticks and ginger around 5 min to flameout. Do they go in primary? As in, do I pull them out after I cool my wort or leave them in so they end up in the primary fermentor?
Sippin37 said:I dont think it matters either way. Whatever is easiest for you just go with it. Some people filter out hop trub and some people put it all in the fermenter, doesnt really matter.
I'm cooling my wort now and have a question (nothing like waiting till the last minute huh?). I put the cinnamon sticks and ginger around 5 min to flameout. Do they go in primary? As in, do I pull them out after I cool my wort or leave them in so they end up in the primary fermentor?
I just brewed this about a week ago. I only made it to a gravity of 1.064, but the wort smells fantastic! Equal amounts of ginger and cinnamon stick, and wildflower honey. My IBU's were pretty spot on and the color looks great! I decided to go with WLP011 because I wanted something a bit more malty and sweet. Any comments?
The fermentation is going, but pretty slowly. My fermenter is staying around 68-70F (measured on the outside by a non-contact IR thermometer). I definitely have yeast floating on the top, so I am figuring RDWHAH
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