Winter Seasonal Beer Great Lakes Christmas Ale Clone

[stedy]

http://www.cleveland.com/drinks/index.ssf/2014/07/christmas_ale_brewing_begins_a.html
Some information for this beer:
- Sliced ginger
- Honey in prior to boil.

Hoped I would have read this before I brew it... So I have to give it another try next year


23.10.2015:
http://www.cleveland.com/drinks/index.ssf/2015/10/great_lakes_brewings_christmas.html
17 plato = OG 1070

 

[stedy]

double post

 

[ballsy]

Ordered ingredients to try this for the Holidays. Plan on following it exactly except for hop profile. I want a little more hop presence and figured something piney like chinook would blend well with the cinnamon and ginger so gonna do 1.5 oz cascade at 60, .75oz chinook at 10, and .75 oz chinook at 1. Probably dry hop as well.

 

[acott]

I'm going to brew this for Christmas but I can't get my hands on Special Roast here in Ireland. Does anyone know a good substitute?

 

[IslandLizard]

I'm going to brew this for Christmas but I can't get my hands on Special Roast here in Ireland. Does anyone know a good substitute?

You can substitute with Brown Malt.

It will not be exactly the same, but likely close enough.

 

[acott]

Cheers IslandLizard!

I was thinking of going for Biscuit as a substitute. The store I buy my malt from don't have Brown Malt

On another note...whats the hop quantity?

I can see its Cascade and Hallertauer but just how much

I was thinking 1.5oz of Cascade at 60 and 1.5oz of Hallertauer at 10...that's about 29 IBUS

 

[IslandLizard]

Cheers IslandLizard!

I was thinking of going for Biscuit as a substitute. The store I buy my malt from don't have Brown Malt

On another note...whats the hop quantity?

I can see its Cascade and Hallertauer but just how much

I was thinking 1.5oz of Cascade at 60 and 1.5oz of Hallertauer at 10...that's about 29 IBUS

Biscuit or Victory will work fine too. You'll lose a little of the roasted qualities Special Roast/Brown Malt brings to the party, but nothing crucial. If you have a little C80 or C120 you can add a small amount (say, 1 oz) of that in addition to the biscuit.

The recipe lists:
Cascade (60 min) 27 IBU
Hallertauer (10 min) 3 IBU

So depending on the actual %AA of the hops you're using, you may need to adjust your amounts to get the right IBUs. It's really not critical, 10% difference in IBUs is not easily detectable, definitely when there's a lot of other stuff going on, like dark malts and spices.

You should read (or at least skim) the rest of the thread for ideas and alternative approaches to the recipe, such as spicing (when and how much).

I've not added honey to either of the 2 batches I made, but if I did, I would add it after the fermentation is about done, say 10-14 days in, and not to the boil/kettle. Let that ferment out slowly for another 2 weeks. Then cold crash and package.

You can also add more spices (as much as you like) after 2 weeks. You have a much better idea how it tastes and what adjustments are desirable. I prefer the spicing to be on the subtle side, so err on having to add some later.

Forgot to say:
Count on using fresh ginger root, not the powder. You can slice it thinly and add later to the boil as it will extract quicker that way. It will be different than adding larger chunks earlier and boiling longer. It's like cooking. No, it is cooking.

 

[acott]

Thanks IslandLizard!

I brewed this up today but my numbers are way off, my starting gravity was only 1.057??? wondering how this happened. I followed the recipe to the letter and added the honey at flame out. When I put the numbers in to beersmith its says I should be around 1.061, rather than 1.075? so confused

 

[rmyurick]

Acott, you understand that's for 5 US gallons, right? If that's not the issue, Did you get the honey stirred in well? If the answer is yes to both questions, then you either had some loss of efficiency or weight or volume measurement issue.

 

[Snicklefritz]

Just wanted to say that I brew this every year and its always a favorite. Great clone

 

[IslandLizard]

Thanks IslandLizard!

I brewed this up today but my numbers are way off, my starting gravity was only 1.057??? wondering how this happened. I followed the recipe to the letter and added the honey at flame out. When I put the numbers in to beersmith its says I should be around 1.061, rather than 1.075? so confused

Acott, you understand that's for 5 US gallons, right? If that's not the issue, Did you get the honey stirred in well? If the answer is yes to both questions, then you either had some loss of efficiency or weight or volume measurement issue.

That's an excellent point on US vs. British (Imperial) gallons!

It could also have to do with mash efficiency (coarse grist), mashtun deadspace/wort retention, etc. You can always add some DME powder to make up for a bit low OG. You're only 4 points low, I wouldn't sweat it.

Or add some more honey. I prefer to add (simple) sugar additions (honey falls in that category) after the primary fermentation has slowed down significantly, like after a week or so. It also seems to retain more honey flavor that way, as not all aromatics are blown out the airlock with the heavy CO2 production.

 

[acott]

Acott, you understand that's for 5 US gallons, right? If that's not the issue, Did you get the honey stirred in well? If the answer is yes to both questions, then you either had some loss of efficiency or weight or volume measurement issue.

That's an excellent point on US vs. British (Imperial) gallons!

It could also have to do with mash efficiency (coarse grist), mashtun deadspace/wort retention, etc. You can always add some DME powder to make up for a bit low OG. You're only 4 points low, I wouldn't sweat it.

Or add some more honey. I prefer to add (simple) sugar additions (honey falls in that category) after the primary fermentation has slowed down significantly, like after a week or so. It also seems to retain more honey flavor that way, as not all aromatics are blown out the airlock with the heavy CO2 production.

Ah, I think you guys have nailed it! I was working off Imperial rather than US, so I have 23L of Wort rather than the US 18.9L. So it's actually watered down by about 5L, now it all makes sense.

I think I'll leave it as is though I don't want to risk messing it up.

On another note, the boil smelled incredible!

 

[IslandLizard]

Just keep those fermentation temps in check (low side) and this can be a winner. It's a really good recipe. The 2nd time I brewed it, I used Crisp Maris Otter. I liked it, but may have been too malty for some. Speaking of, I now want to brew it again.

 

[acott]

Just keep those fermentation temps in check (low side) and this can be a winner. It's a really good recipe. The 2nd time I brewed it, I used Crisp Maris Otter. I liked it, but may have been too malty for some. Speaking of, I now want to brew it again.

It's currently sitting at 64, luckily I attached a blow off tube as it's gone crazy...

 

[ballsy]

Brewed this up this past Sat. No time for AG, so converted to extract (2row x 0.75 = 8 lb pale LME). Hit 1.075 on the head with the honey in there. Like others said, boil smelled awesome. I cut the 1oz ginger root in half and threw it in with cinnamon sticks for entire boil (as GL brewing says they do). Used 1.5oz cascade 60min, 1oz Chinook 10min and 1oz Chinook 1 min. All LME and honey at flame out. Initial taste had a great balance so will see how it ferments out with the 04 yeast. Keeping it in mid to upper 60's to make sure the ferment doesn't stall out early.

 

[MMJfan]

Brewing up my first batch of Christmas Ale 2015 a week from Saturday and I can't wait!!! :fro:

 

[Vlint]

I'm brewing this next week. Going to substitute a half pound of honey malt and a half pound of sugar for the honey addition.

 

[Kolt-46]

Of all the beer that I've brewed, I don't think anything has smelled as good as the combination of Cascade hops, cinnamon, and ginger that I just added to this Christmas Ale boil. Wow!

 

[bj2387]

just made this. converting the recipe to mt equipment had the numbers slightly lower than the OG post.
hit my numbers right on for the most part and as the last post said. the smell of hops and the ginger and cinnamon for my first holiday brew was amazing.

beer smith is telling me primary for 4 days then secondary for 10. anybody have any different ideas?

 

[depper]

just made this. converting the recipe to mt equipment had the numbers slightly lower than the OG post.
hit my numbers right on for the most part and as the last post said. the smell of hops and the ginger and cinnamon for my first holiday brew was amazing.

beer smith is telling me primary for 4 days then secondary for 10. anybody have any different ideas?

I usually don't use a secondary, but I did for this beer. I wanted to clear it up a bit more so that's why I used a secondary. I primary for about 7 days then secondary for about another 7 then kegged/bottled.

 

[schach23]

For some reason I have 1 lb of the roasted barley instead of 0.08lb like the recipe calls for and its mixed in with the rest of my grains. Should I start over or run with it?

Scott

 

[brokebucket]

Planning on brewing this Saturday. Can anyone tell me the purpose of the Hallertau hops at the end? Seems kinda arbitrary to me.

Also, what's common consensus on honey and spices? 10 minute boil or full boil?

 

[ballsy]

just made this. converting the recipe to mt equipment had the numbers slightly lower than the OG post.
hit my numbers right on for the most part and as the last post said. the smell of hops and the ginger and cinnamon for my first holiday brew was amazing.

beer smith is telling me primary for 4 days then secondary for 10. anybody have any different ideas?

I don't understand these programs that insist on such short fermentation periods. This is a big enough beer that I would certainly give it more time to ferment out...especially prior to racking to secondary. Last thing you would want is for stalled fermentation. Whats wrong with a good ol 3-4 wk primary ferment!?!

I usually don't use a secondary, but I did for this beer. I wanted to clear it up a bit more so that's why I used a secondary. I primary for about 7 days then secondary for about another 7 then kegged/bottled.

I have never done secondary. The easiest way to clear a beer is cold crash (if bottling), and cold crash then gelatin fining (if kegging). Much easier, no extra equipment and no risk of infecting the beer. And when it's a dark beer I don't cold crash or use finings bc it's typically not noticeable either way. What was your FG?

 

[depper]

I have never done secondary. The easiest way to clear a beer is cold crash (if bottling), and cold crash then gelatin fining (if kegging). Much easier, no extra equipment and no risk of infecting the beer. And when it's a dark beer I don't cold crash or use finings bc it's typically not noticeable either way. What was your FG?

I agree about the best way to clear a beer, and do it with my kegs, but this one seemed to have a lot of cinnamon "gunk" floating around, so I decided on the secondary. 99% of the time I don't use a secondary, but this time it just seemed better to use it. I agree that dark beers you just leave alone. I don't remember my final gravity. I'll check when I get home.

 

[ballsy]

I agree about the best way to clear a beer, and do it with my kegs, but this one seemed to have a lot of cinnamon "gunk" floating around, so I decided on the secondary. 99% of the time I don't use a secondary, but this time it just seemed better to use it. I agree that dark beers you just leave alone. I don't remember my final gravity. I'll check when I get home.

Did you use cinnamon sticks or powder? I didn't notice any in mine and used the sticks, but I agree that's a good reason to clear it!

 

[depper]

Did you use cinnamon sticks or powder? I didn't notice any in mine and used the sticks, but I agree that's a good reason to clear it!

I used an ounce of the sticks. It may night have been cinnamon "gunk" but it wasn't as clear as I wanted it. I kegged it with gelatin but won't tap the keg until week of Thanksgiving. I'm sure that it's clear not. (Hopefully!) lol

 

[jamboparty]

Also, what's common consensus on honey and spices? 10 minute boil or full boil?

When I made this last year, I added the honey at flameout. The ginger and cinnamon sticks were in for the entire boil. It turned out great, but the cinnamon does fade rather quickly. I may up it to three sticks this year.

 

[acott]

So this has been in primary for 17 days, I took a sample last night and it was down to 1.008!!!! I used Nottingham...and it tore through it...so even after my low starting gravity of 1.057 it's still a respectable 6.4%

4 days in to fermentation, I lost 2 liters to blow off :

 

[MMJfan]

For some reason I have 1 lb of the roasted barley instead of 0.08lb like the recipe calls for and its mixed in with the rest of my grains. Should I start over or run with it?

Scott

It depends. You're talking about a significantly more amount of roasted barley which means you're beer is going to be very dark with that much roasted barely.

Are you brewing AG or extract? If you are just talking specialty grains for an extract brew, I would start over. If you are doing AG and you have all the grains mixed in including your 2 row, for me personally, I would probably roll with it because I wouldn't want to waste that much grain.

 

[Vlint]

Planning on brewing this Saturday. Can anyone tell me the purpose of the Hallertau hops at the end? Seems kinda arbitrary to me.



Also, what's common consensus on honey and spices? 10 minute boil or full boil?

Honey is 100% fermentable. I never add it until flame out or put in after fermentation starts. Anything earlier seems to be a waste. You lose the honey flavor by boiling and you could add table sugar and get the same results.