Winter Seasonal Beer Holly (Christmas Ale)

[me08053]

My only fear with this would be the introduction of some kind of infection. I am doing an experiment this year. I have always followed the original recipe guidelines for adding spice. This year I made 11 gallons, which I will split between two kegs. In one keg I will add spices in a tea. In the other keg, I will add a tincture of all the spices I have been steeping in vodka for a few weeks. Like a spice extract. I am interested to see if there is any difference.

I do this! After the first year's tea turned the beer too bitter for my liking. Tincture all the way! Everyone liked year 2 over year 1 at Christmas Eve! I used roughly 4oz of my extract.

 

[BrewCityBaller]

I do this! After the first year's tea turned the beer too bitter for my liking. Tincture all the way! Everyone liked year 2 over year 1 at Christmas Eve! I used roughly 4oz of my extract.

This is my 5th year brewing this, and each year I tinker a little to make incremental improvements. This will be the first year of a big experiment!

A side note: does anyone have an opinion, or can anyone point me in the direction of literature, about aging warm vs. cold. Due to a lack of space I'd like to let this batch age in my kegerator, but not at the expense of proper aging.

 

[archy]

This is my 5th year brewing this, and each year I tinker a little to make incremental improvements. This will be the first year of a big experiment!

A side note: does anyone have an opinion, or can anyone point me in the direction of literature, about aging warm vs. cold. Due to a lack of space I'd like to let this batch age in my kegerator, but not at the expense of proper aging.

I do not know for sure but basic chemistry points to a slower thermal decomposition at lower temps. I have kegged this beer and let it carb for two weeks now and I am going to transfer to bottles this weekend. I tasted a half pint of this last night and it tastes the same to me as it did when I kegged it. It's been sitting at around 39*

 

[neon0107]

Well crap!! First time brewing this and all went plenty well until I forgot to add the honey at flame out!!! Is there anything you can do now that it’s fermenting? I have plenty of ingredients and might just redo tomorrow.

 

[TxBigHops]

Well crap!! First time brewing this and all went plenty well until I forgot to add the honey at flame out!!! Is there anything you can do now that it’s fermenting? I have plenty of ingredients and might just redo tomorrow.

You can definitely still add honey to your beer after fermentation has begun. Just read up on it to be sure you do so in a sanitary manner.

 

[archy]

Well crap!! First time brewing this and all went plenty well until I forgot to add the honey at flame out!!! Is there anything you can do now that it’s fermenting? I have plenty of ingredients and might just redo tomorrow.

You can still add your honey. Honey naturally is anti bacterial so you don't need to boil it for 10 mins. In fact, I used three different types of honey in my cupboard to get to the one pound needed for the beer and one of those containers was completely crystalized. I had to heat it up for like an hour to get it back to normal looking honey.
I would heat it up the container in a hot water bath to get the viscosity lower than room temp and once you are ready spray the outside with sanitizer and open your fermenter and dump it in. you should be good. Just MAKE SURE you sanitize your hands and everything you touch between the honey and your fermenter. You can't over do it when it comes to this but you can under do it and ruin your beer.
On a positive note, theoretically, this will allow your yeast to consume the more complex sugars from the converted starches rather than what the simple sugars the honey will add. There are theories about adding simple sugars after fermentation has began and the presumed benefits. Even if you don't add the honey the beer will be as it was intended. the honey just gives the gravity a boost to get a higher ABV. I don't think it has the ability to add and additional flavors to this type of beer especially with the tea that is added.

anyways cheers,

 

[bolus14]

Agreed with the statement above.

You may get more aroma/flavor from the honey adding it towards the end of the initial fermentation. Typically you'd lose a lot of it because of it blowing off during fermentation, this may allow some of the volatiles to stay in the beer better.

 

[Mueltrain54]

I have brewed this for the last couple years and have gotten great feedback, but ive always felt like the spice notes are just a little too muted for my tastes, so this year I decided to up the spices roughly 25% except for the ginger. In the past I have bottled this beer and usually try my first bottle after 4-5 weeks. Well this year in addition to increasing the spices, I am kegging it for the first time, and so i tried a sample almost immediately and lets just say the spice notes were far from being in the background lol. For those of you who keg this, how does the spice character usually develop over time?

 

[archy]

I have brewed this for the last couple years and have gotten great feedback, but ive always felt like the spice notes are just a little too muted for my tastes, so this year I decided to up the spices roughly 25% except for the ginger. In the past I have bottled this beer and usually try my first bottle after 4-5 weeks. Well this year in addition to increasing the spices, I am kegging it for the first time, and so i tried a sample almost immediately and lets just say the spice notes were far from being in the background lol. For those of you who keg this, how does the spice character usually develop over time?

I kegged mine on Oct 15th and as of Nov 15th the spice characters are mellowing out quit a bit. I didn't use as much ginger (fresh grated about 1tbs) and used sweet orange peel. So far the orange peel and vanilla is the most prominent flavors. I ran out of Co2, so until I get more, this is still sitting in the keg. I plan on transferring to bottles this weekend so I can give some out for Christmas and to age.

 

[BrewCityBaller]

The day is finally here! Christmas Ale 2018 is on tap and ready to go.

 

[Mueltrain54]

For those of you who keg this, how does the spice character usually develop over time?

To answer my own question the spices definitely mellowed out some with a few weeks in the keg, and it seems like the carbonation helps meld all those flavors together. This was my best version to date. I think upping the spices by about 25% helped suit it more to my tastes, but kegging and then bottling from the keg certainly made for a brighter, crisper beer.

 

[archy]

Mine came out delicous with a ton of vanilla up front. I used fresh ginger and I can't pick up any of it. I only used about 1/2 a tablespoon. I was afraid it was going to be too much. This one fermented well but came out a little wet in the mouth. Not much feel with little head retention. Still came out delicious though. Cheers mates!

 

[Mueltrain54]

This year I made 11 gallons, which I will split between two kegs. In one keg I will add spices in a tea. In the other keg, I will add a tincture of all the spices I have been steeping in vodka for a few weeks. Like a spice extract. I am interested to see if there is any difference.

Which did you prefer? I have done both but not in the same year, hard to judge fairly that way, but I think I preferred the tea method.

Last year I used fresh "baby ginger" for the first time, and I would highly recommend it. It seems to add a much smoother ginger flavor without dominating the other spices. It is what hardywood uses for their ginger bread stout.

 

[BrewCityBaller]

Which did you prefer? I have done both but not in the same year, hard to judge fairly that way, but I think I preferred the tea method.

Last year I used fresh "baby ginger" for the first time, and I would highly recommend it. It seems to add a much smoother ginger flavor without dominating the other spices. It is what hardywood uses for their ginger bread stout.

I ended up preferring the spice tea version. The vodka tincture version had a tartness that the spiced tea did not. Perhaps it was from the orange peel, hard to say.

Is "baby ginger" just ginger root that hasn't grown very big yet?

 

[CodeSection]

I ended up preferring the spice tea version. The vodka tincture version had a tartness that the spiced tea did not. Perhaps it was from the orange peel, hard to say.

Is "baby ginger" just ginger root that hasn't grown very big yet?

Have you considered using Sweet Orange Peels instead?

 

[Mueltrain54]

Is "baby ginger" just ginger root that hasn't grown very big yet?

I don’t think the size is necessarily part of it, but it is just immature ginger plants. They’re pink/white and don’t have that tough outer layer. Would be something you would most likely have to source at a local farmers market.

Here’s the article that inspired me to try it.

https://www.foodandwine.com/beer/hardywood-gingerbread-stout-story

 

[BrewCityBaller]

Have you considered using Sweet Orange Peels instead?

I use fresh orange peel. Take an orange, use a grater to take off the orange part of the peel. doing my best to leave the pith behind.

 

[CodeSection]

I use fresh orange peel. Take an orange, use a grater to take off the orange part of the peel. doing my best to leave the pith behind.

I was using freshly grated ginger, freshly scraped vanilla beans, and cinnamon sticks. When it came to the orange, my LHBS suggested against using freshly grated orange peels due to the oils that could give an off flavor. I don't know if that true. However, since I wanted sweet orange, I used the sweet orange dried peels in the tea I made.

So, I take it no off flavors with the freshly grated orange peel?

 

[BrewCityBaller]

I was using freshly grated ginger, freshly scraped vanilla beans, and cinnamon sticks. When it came to the orange, my LHBS suggested against using freshly grated orange peels due to the oils that could give an off flavor. I don't know if that true. However, since I wanted sweet orange, I used the sweet orange dried peels in the tea I made.

So, I take it no off flavors with the freshly grated orange peel?

I wonder if the off-flavors they were referring to are related to the orange pith. That's what I always heard. I have never detected off-flavors in mine, but that doesn't mean they aren't there. Maybe this year I will split batch, half with fresh and half with dried orange peel.

 

[Bent-Brewer]

I used orange zest last year and had no off flavors, but I avoided the pith entirely. This year I'm giving the dried / bitter orange peel a go.

Thoughts on adding 4oz honey malt to get more honey flavor to come through (5gal batch size)? Not sure it needs it, but as long as I'm making 2 batches I'm considering giving it a shot. Increase / decrease the amount?

 

[archy]

Just drank one of these from last year and it has only gotten better. going to brew this soon

 

[user 263363]

Dang, I sort of let this one slip by. I’ve been brewing up a storm since I started doing BIAB and I basically forgot about this. I had planned to brew it on Labor Day weekend. Oh well, guess I’ll get my ingredients and brew it either this week or next weekend. I am really looking forward to this one!

 

[BrewCityBaller]

Dang, I sort of let this one slip by. I’ve been brewing up a storm since I started doing BIAB and I basically forgot about this. I had planned to brew it on Labor Day weekend. Oh well, guess I’ll get my ingredients and brew it either this week or next weekend. I am really looking forward to this one!

I usually brew this around Labor Day, but life got in the way and I finally got around to it yesterday. Better 5 weeks late than never...

 

[Malkner]

Brewed two batches of this up yesterday, one on his system and one on mine. Had a sparge issue on his, so the OG ended up at 1.063 whereas mine ended up at 1.080. Guess we will have a Christmas light and a heavy to try at Christmas time! Should be interesting to see the difference the alchoal percent makes.

 

[BrewCityBaller]

I don’t think the size is necessarily part of it, but it is just immature ginger plants. They’re pink/white and don’t have that tough outer layer. Would be something you would most likely have to source at a local farmers market.

Here’s the article that inspired me to try it.

https://www.foodandwine.com/beer/hardywood-gingerbread-stout-story

You mentioned in an earlier post that you found baby ginger in a farmer's market. I went to two different ones the last two weekends, to no avail. Do you know of anywhere else that might carry it?

 

[bethshef]

It won't help you this year but try growing your own baby ginger next year. I buy ginger root from the grocery, cut the eyes like a potato and place the pieces in a pot. If you keep it watered well all summer, you should have some baby ginger roots. I'm in Virginia and we never get hot enough to mature the ginger root. I've used it beer but prefer it as ginger wine.

 

[Mueltrain54]

You mentioned in an earlier post that you found baby ginger in a farmer's market. I went to two different ones the last two weekends, to no avail. Do you know of anywhere else that might carry it?

A quick google search didnt readily turn up anyone that seems to sell it online. Perhaps its a regional thing and it doesn't grow as well where you are? My wife is hitting the farmers market for me in the morning to get some, assuming she finds it ill have her grab an extra piece, if you're interested PM me and I can ship it if you want to cover the cost.

Also maybe a specialty foods store or Asian supermarket could have it but thats just a guess.

 

[BrewCityBaller]

A quick google search didnt readily turn up anyone that seems to sell it online. Perhaps its a regional thing and it doesn't grow as well where you are? My wife is hitting the farmers market for me in the morning to get some, assuming she finds it ill have her grab an extra piece, if you're interested PM me and I can ship it if you want to cover the cost.

Also maybe a specialty foods store or Asian supermarket could have it but thats just a guess.

Thanks so much for the offer. I did already keg, so perhaps next year I will take you up on it!

I did find one place selling it online, but they were sold out by the time I got to them. I will also check out some specialty grocers nearby to see if they have it as well.

 

[Mueltrain54]

I entered a couple bottles from last years batch into competition and they won their category. Scored a 45.5! My recipe/process is pretty close to the original other then I push the abv up to 10% and I am slightly more heavy handed with the spices.

 

[BrewCityBaller]

It’s about that time of year again! A little early given I didn’t brew until October, but still tasty. We’ll see when it peaks, but I may finally stop tinkering with the recipe.