Need a beer for christmas

[bGoliath]

I'm looking for recipe that takes about 5 months to age and will be ready around christmas. Something thats fairly average and well-balanced in taste that most people appeal to because it will be part of a gift exchange and not every loves extreme type beers.

Any ideas?

 

[HopHound12]

Make a russian imperial stout this way they will all dislike it and therefore have to give it back to you for your own consumption

 

[homebrewdad]

You have so many options, here. Just about anything that doesn't rely on super young hop explosions or ridiculously long aging (barleywine) is a good option.

So your beer is ready for drinking in, say, seven weeks. So it gains three months of age on it and goes from good to great... what's the problem?

Seriously, I did a brown ale at the beginning of January that was good from day one. At four months, it became outstanding. Had one last night, and am truly sad that the box will be empty soon.

That being said, I love my darker beers, but I am currently in love with Revvy's Belgian blonde (a Leffe clone). At about eight weeks in bottles (three months after brew date), this beer is amazing. Light in color, sweet but not cloying, with some nice spicy and fruity notes. Really superb.

Revvy's orignal recipe is here on the thread; I did a PM of it and would be happy to share that if you decide that this appeals to you (i.e. if you don't do all grain... you didn't say).

 

[unionrdr]

Maybe a milk stout or English Special Bitter? Those would def qualify. Especially my Buckeye Burton ale,a strong ale that needs a bit of aging & is pretty good after a couple months.

 

[gmcastil]

My Christmas beer was based on this:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f12/official-kate-great-russian-imperial-stout-clone-217674/

Huge Russian imperial stout.

 

[usmc-ferg]

You know I would look into something with cinnamon. Right now I'm making a holiday porter. Nothing goes great with winter but a dark beer with holiday flavor

 

[homebrewdad]

Maybe I missed the point, but I gathered that the OP wasn't looking for a Chirstmas beer as much as a beer with wide popularity that he can share at Christmas.

Am I wrong?