Winter Seasonal Beer Holly (Christmas Ale)

[Nonstopflights]

I brewed this and served it my christmas party. IT in the last two weeks (bottled) it's become very sweet. It tastes a lot like Troeges Mad Elf with a lot of cherry flavors. No clue why! any ideas?

 

[Bradthoc]

I brewed this and served it my christmas party. IT in the last two weeks (bottled) it's become very sweet. It tastes a lot like Troeges Mad Elf with a lot of cherry flavors. No clue why! any ideas?

What yeast did you use? How much of the individual spices? Did you change up any of the malts? These would be the factors, I'd think. I opened up my last one, from two years ago, on Sunday, and it was fantastic.

 

[Rockn_M]

Took some of these to the family Christmas Eve party and it was a big hit. Will have to do this again next year.

 

[tyr00000ne]

I brewed this but missed the OG (1.066) and I used WLP001 because I had some on hand. FG was 1.010 so I guess it was a little dryer than OPs. This got RAVE reviews from my family and friends so I'll be making this every year I think! I bottled and it was very good after about 4-5 weeks.

I didn't use the dried bitter orange, instead I used fresh orange peel. I wasn't getting much citrus in the beer, and what I did get I think was just from the hops. Maybe next year I'll try adjusting the spices a bit. The ginger was the most pronounced but definitely wasn't over-the-top. Didn't get much vanilla or cinnamon. Still a damn tasty brew!

 

[atimmerman88]

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1438035876.193742.jpg

Saw this recipe made top 25 HBT recipes!

And my pic was the one they used for it, feel pretty honored or something.

My 2014 version at about a year old

 

[Shenanigans]

Thinking of brewing this in September so that it will be ready for December.
Is it really neccessary to used Centennial at 60 is there any flavour left after that long?
It's a hop I'd rather use only for flavour/aroma. I have plenty of Magnum, Nugget, Cloumbus or Northern Brewer I could use for bittering instead.

Thanks!

 

[aryoung1980]

Thinking of brewing this in September so that it will be ready for December.

Is it really neccessary to used Centennial at 60 is there any flavour left after that long?

It's a hop I'd rather use only for flavour/aroma. I have plenty of Magnum, Nugget, Cloumbus or Northern Brewer I could use for bittering instead.



Thanks!

Make it your own. Use what ever you'd like for bitterness. It'll come out delicious, I promise. I made this last year with homegrown Sunbeam and it was a hit with everybody. The malt and spices are the real heroes of this recipe.

 

[Shenanigans]

Make it your own. Use what ever you'd like for bitterness. It'll come out delicious, I promise. I made this last year with homegrown Sunbeam and it was a hit with everybody. The malt and spices are the real heroes of this recipe.

Thanks for your reply
I've narrowed it down to Nugget or NB.
I'll decide when I get around to putting the recipe into BeerSmith.

 

[Shenanigans]

Just thinking a bit more about this recipe.
Looks like the perfect opportunity to do a split batch 5 gallons like the original and 5 gallons without the spices but with different hops and yeast.

Anyone ever use this malt bill for another beer?
Maybe a Belgian with WLP530/WY3787 and some nobel/nobel-like hops?

Just thinking out loud

 

[jbedell2]

Looking forward to brewing this soon so it will be ready for the holidays!

Anyone else get higher OG and IBU numbers when plugging this in to their software? With Brewer's Friend I'm getting OG of 1.083 and IBU of 47. Usually when I enter a recipe from HBT into BF I'm within a point or two for both.

I searched this thread and someone mentioned a similar issue with BeerSmith, but it looks like no one ever responded to that. I also noticed that when someone converted this to 10 gallons, they actually had 11 going into fermentor. Is the grain bill meant for a 5.5 gallon batch rather than 5?

If the numbers in my software are correct, the finished beer will be about 9%.

Thanks!

 

[Shenanigans]

Looking forward to brewing this soon so it will be ready for the holidays!

Anyone else get higher OG and IBU numbers when plugging this in to their software? With Brewer's Friend I'm getting OG of 1.083 and IBU of 47. Usually when I enter a recipe from HBT into BF I'm within a point or two for both.

I searched this thread and someone mentioned a similar issue with BeerSmith, but it looks like no one ever responded to that. I also noticed that when someone converted this to 10 gallons, they actually had 11 going into fermentor. Is the grain bill meant for a 5.5 gallon batch rather than 5?

If the numbers in my software are correct, the finished beer will be about 9%.

Thanks!

The efficiency of the original post was 75% so maybe you have a higher value?

Also depending on the software you are using and how you set it up you could be using a different IBU calculator than the original poster.
Normally either Tinseth or Rager.
Generally Rager attribute more IBUs to the bittering hops than Tinseth and it's the other way around for the additions in the last 30 mins i.e. Rager attributes more IBUs to the flavour aroma additions, relative to Tinseth.

Since the ratio of bitter hops to aroma/flavour is 1:1 and you are getting more IBUs I would guess that the OP was using Tinseth and that you were using Rager but it's all just guess work

Edited to add:

I also forgot the obvious one - did you adjust weight to match the alpha acid % of the OP?
If your hops have a higher value then you will get more IBUs and need to use less to get the same value.

 

[jbedell2]

The efficiency of the original post was 75% so maybe you have a higher value?

Also depending on the software you are using and how you set it up you could be using a different IBU calculator than the original poster.
Normally either Tinseth or Rager.
Generally Rager attribute more IBUs to the bittering hops than Tinseth and it's the other way around for the additions in the last 30 mins i.e. Rager attributes more IBUs to the flavour aroma additions, relative to Tinseth.

Since the ratio of bitter hops to aroma/flavour is 1:1 and you are getting more IBUs I would guess that the OP was using Tinseth and that you were using Rager but it's all just guess work

Edited to add:

I also forgot the obvious one - did you adjust weight to match the alpha acid % of the OP?
If your hops have a higher value then you will get more IBUs and need to use less to get the same value.

Actually, my efficiency is set to 70, so if anything, I would expect at least my OG to be lower, not higher. It's weird.

I did check the AA% - the recipe states 9.4 and my software defaults to 10. I tried changing them to 9.4 and the IBUs dropped by about 2 points. Also, I am using Tinseth - Rager would give me about 56 IBU.

I think I will just target 5.5 gals into the fermentor, which should make my numbers pretty close to the recipe according to my software, which is usually pretty accurate for my equipment setup. And I guess that's what counts in the end.

Thanks.

 

[rollinn007]

Really want to try this for the holiday. But it may be to late how long should it bottle cure before best taste?

 

[atimmerman88]

Really want to try this for the holiday. But it may be to late how long should it bottle cure before best taste?

I've brewed this a few times over Labor Day with no issues for Xmas

 

[BrewCityBaller]

Really want to try this for the holiday. But it may be to late how long should it bottle cure before best taste?

I usually brew mine in the middle of September and crack them on Christmas Eve. Every single year my friends and family say it's the best thing I make. You have time!

 

[rollinn007]

Awesome going to brew it soon will be my first AG

 

[Quaffman]

I brewed this last year and scored a 40 in the first round of nhc this year, but it didn't make it past the mini bos. It was decent, but it's probably because I was about 14 points low on my og. I want to try it again hitting the proper numbers.

 

[Shenanigans]

This will be my next brew in about two weeks time.
On the same day I also want to brew some kind of porter or stout that will be ready to drink for the winter months. I'm having difficulty deciding on that one.

 

[Sunward33]

Getting my Fall/Winter brew calendar planned and this one is scheduled for early October.

 

[Sunward33]

I see that a few people experimented with subbing out Maris Otter for the base malt. Anyone who did this care to share your results?
I can imagine it would increase the malt character, but considering this recipe is frequently described as malty, how much difference do you get with the Maris?

 

[Shenanigans]

If I brewed this in the middle of October would it still be ready for the Holidays?
3-4 weeks fermenting and another 4 or 5 weeks it the bottle should be OK?

 

[BrewCityBaller]

If I brewed this in the middle of October would it still be ready for the Holidays?
3-4 weeks fermenting and another 4 or 5 weeks it the bottle should be OK?

I would strongly suggest a primary of 2 weeks or less if you're gonna brew in October. You want the spices aging in the beer as long as possible.

 

[Carros]

If I brewed this in the middle of October would it still be ready for the Holidays?

3-4 weeks fermenting and another 4 or 5 weeks it the bottle should be OK?

I brewed last years batch of this on Halloween, and bottled on November 30th. It was pretty good by Christmas, so the timeline you're planning on should work fine.

 

[Shenanigans]

Thanks for the replies.
The 3 to 4 weeks in the primary was just worst case scenario if the beer takes it's time to finish fermenting. I usually start measuring it after 10 days and then bottle as soon as I can after I get a steady reading for a few days.
Normally I only have time for brewing/bottling on the weekend so it gets bottled after approx. 14 or 21 days.

 

[Bradthoc]

If I brewed this in the middle of October would it still be ready for the Holidays?
3-4 weeks fermenting and another 4 or 5 weeks it the bottle should be OK?

I think you'd be okay. I brewed late Sept/early Oct before and it was great. Even better around early February.

 

[Pyg]

I plan on making the following partial extract version:

1# Crystal 60L, 2 oz Black Malt
3.3# Light LME, 3# Light DME, 1# Honey

2 oz Cascade hop pellets (11 AAU) bittering hop 60 min..
1 oz Cinnamon Stick, 10 min
1 oz Sweet Orange Peel, 10 min
1 oz of Ginger Root last 10 min
½ oz Saaz pellets aroma hop last 5 min
Nottingham dry yeast.

I planned on cooking on 9/26, bottle on 10/17. This will leave me with 3 weeks in primary and a month an half before I start handing out as holiday gifts.
My questions:
does my time table allow for enough time for the flavors to settle?
Will this beer still be drinkable after 2 months (does it age well)?
Vanilla bean, yay or nay? ( never brewed with it before)

 

[Sunward33]

I planned on cooking on 9/26, bottle on 10/17. This will leave me with 3 weeks in primary and a month an half before I start handing out as holiday gifts.
My questions:
does my time table allow for enough time for the flavors to settle?
Will this beer still be drinkable after 2 months (does it age well)?
Vanilla bean, yay or nay? ( never brewed with it before)

I'm a pretty new brewer and can't really speak to your conversion from AG to extract, but for what it's worth it looks like it will make tasty beer!

As to the time table. I've been reading this thread for the past week getting ready to brew this myself this coming weekend. The general consensus is that this beer NEEDS aging. In fact, we may be getting a late start.

Most have said that the cinnamon is overpowering brand new in the bottle, but that as it ages the cinnamon mellows and the vanilla comes through.
I plan to let it sit in primary for two weeks and then bottle age until Christmas eve.

Please report back on your recipe!

 

[BrewCityBaller]

I'm a pretty new brewer and can't really speak to your conversion from AG to extract, but for what it's worth it looks like it will make tasty beer!

As to the time table. I've been reading this thread for the past week getting ready to brew this myself this coming weekend. The general consensus is that this beer NEEDS aging. In fact, we may be getting a late start.

Most have said that the cinnamon is overpowering brand new in the bottle, but that as it ages the cinnamon mellows and the vanilla comes through.
I plan to let it sit in primary for two weeks and then bottle age until Christmas eve.

Please report back on your recipe!

If it means anything to ya, for the first two months I think it taste like a ginger snap cookie. So if that appeals to you, age less

 

[bolus14]

Ginger snap cookie, no way!!! I may have to make this one put off my Quad for a few weeks.

 

[F15eMav]

So the more aging the better; however I've found that ~ month in the bottle is enough for it to be delicious. It will be somewhat better at ~ 2 months, but I don't think it's significant enough to worry about if you really want to brew it.

I have brewed this the past 2 years and its always a hit.