Winter Seasonal Beer Santa Baby - Spiced Holiday Ale

[BeerGrylls]

I think WLP007 would work fine.

 

[Moody_Copperpot]

Awesome, please let me know how it turns out! WLP007 will do just fine for this.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

 

[Jayfro21]

Hi all,

I am going to be brewing this on Sunday and I have a question about the cinnamon sticks. After making the tea with the spices, did you add the whole cinnamon sticks to the fermenter or filter them out? Thanks!

- Jason

 

[Moody_Copperpot]

Hi all,

I am going to be brewing this on Sunday and I have a question about the cinnamon sticks. After making the tea with the spices, did you add the whole cinnamon sticks to the fermenter or filter them out? Thanks!

- Jason

Hi Jason! I pour the beer through a wire mesh strainer (using a pitcher at first since who wants to pour six gallons of beer?) into the fermentor, so all the trub and the cinnamon sticks get filtered out.
Quick note that if you didn't see it, there is a definitive recipe for this on page 2 of the thread. Let me know how this turns out!

 

[Jayfro21]

Hi Jason! I pour the beer through a wire mesh strainer (using a pitcher at first since who wants to pour six gallons of beer?) into the fermentor, so all the trub and the cinnamon sticks get filtered out.
Quick note that if you didn't see it, there is a definitive recipe for this on page 2 of the thread. Let me know how this turns out!

Thanks! I saw the recipe on page 2 and intend to brew it just like that! I love Winter Warmer and am excited to try this during the frigid winters of San Diego!! I'll let you know how it turns out...

- Jason

 

[RareBreed]

This is what I'd consider to be the definitive recipe, since I can't edit my original post:

10lb American Two-row Pale
1lb Crystal 60
1lb Honey Malt
1lb Wheat Malt
8oz Brown Sugar (final 10 min of boil)
4oz Special B Malt
2oz Roasted Barley


60 mins 1oz Vanguard
20 mins .5oz Cascade
10 mins .5oz Cascade

15min 1 tsp Irish Moss
5 min 4 Cinnamon sticks
5 min .5 tsp Ginger Powder
5 min .5 tsp Nutmeg
2 min 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
I boiled 6oz water and put it in a teacup with all the spices listed above (except the vanilla) and let it sit for at least 30min. I then dumped all of it into the boil at 5 min.

Yeast Safale S-04

OG- 1.062 - 1.070.
FG- 1.016 - 1.010
@ 80% efficiency i got 1.062 and 1.016. @86% efficiency I 1.070 and 1.010 out of the same ingredients by varying my sparge, but 1.062 is a good number to shoot for.

A few cinnamon sticks could be added to the secondary, but that's up to you. It really doesnt need it.

Brewed this today. I followed the above recipe except I did .25 oz. Cascade and .25 oz Citra at 20 minutes, also .25 oz. Cascade and .25 oz. Citra at 10 minutes. Instead all cascade. Figured I'd give it an extra bit of fruit to the spice. Thanks for sharing the recipe!

Oh and I also used wlp001.

 

[Moody_Copperpot]

I like it, let me know how it turns out!

 

[CTS]

Brewing this Monday!! Got the ingredients yesterday. Didn't have some of the exact grains but should turn out a bit darker and still tasty I hope!

Subbed;

Crystal 77 for Crystal 60

Crystal 120 for Special B

Can't wait!!

 

[CTS]

Might want to use a blow off tube for this one....what a mess. Haha

View attachment 1446172171476.jpg

 

[TastyAdventure]

Ill be taking some advice off of this recipe when I brew my winter warmer tomorrow. Especially the spice amounts.
Thanks

 

[TastyAdventure]

Also, this recipe calls for 4 cinnamon sticks. That's twice as much as the Great Lakes Christmas clone on here. Is the cinnamon overpowering?

 

[CTS]

Also, this recipe calls for 4 cinnamon sticks. That's twice as much as the Great Lakes Christmas clone on here. Is the cinnamon overpowering?

I racked this to the secondary a few days ago and the cinnamon was not over powering at all.

 

[TastyAdventure]

Thanks man. I'm gonna bottle in a week. I'll report back

 

[CTS]

Thanks man. I'm gonna bottle in a week. I'll report back

Please do. I won't be kegging for at least 10 day. Curious as to how it turns out.

 

[herv]

Brewed this last weekend, looks and smells great, very subtle spice notes which is why i chose this particular recipe. looking to get it bottled and aged a few weeks b4 christmas with the family. not a lot of craft drinkers so will let you know how this comes out. thanks for the recipe!

 

[CTS]

Just filled 12 bottles and kegged the rest. Hydro Sample was freaking amazing, nice chocolate notes to it. This has the potential to be my best beer to date. Cant wait till the Friday to pour the first glass!

 

[TastyAdventure]

Tasted mine yesterday. It's not this recipe but I'm posting so everyone can have reference for amount of spices.
Here's my recipe:

8 gallons bottled
(1.067 OG, 1.012 FG, 31 IBUs)
78% 2 row
9% Crystal 80
4% brown malt
4% wheat malt
2% roasted barley
2% crystal 120

I know, heavy on the crystal malt but it's exactly what I'm looking for in a Winter Warmer.

Here's my kettle additions:

60 min: warrior hop to 31 IBUs
30 min: 5 cinnamon sticks, 1 tsp nutmeg, 1/4 tsp of diced (not fresh) ginger.
20 min: 1 orange peel
15 min: 14 grams of table salt

Yeast WLP002
Carbed to 2.25 vol of CO2

I tasted this last night. Not fully carbed, but close enough. It was great!!
I would have added 2 more cinnamon sticks, 1/2 tsp more of nutmeg, 1 more orange peel. The cinnamon is definitely there but not "obvious." I don't want it to hit you in the face but next time I do want it to be obvious. The amount of time I boiled the cinnamon certainly has something to do with it too.
The nutmeg and orange is hardly apparent.
The spice flavors were extremely prominent after the boil and through active fermentation, but once bottled not so much. I guess the lesson from this is, don't be afraid to spice more than you think!

 

[TastyAdventure]

Supposedly the carbonation is supposed to bring out more spice, but that's not what I've experienced so far. Maybe in a week when it's 100% carbed it there will be more cinnamon flavor...

 

[CTS]

On my second glass of this now. While it is really good the carbonation has totally changed the flavour profile from when I kegged it Monday. The chocolate notes are way down. Was kinda hoping they would be the same or more pronounced.

I also have no taste of the spices added. Will have to see how it changes with time.

So far I'm thinking of upping the spices next time. But I am also just getting over a cold so I'm sure that is affecting the taste as well.

 

[CTS]

Well it's been 3 weeks since I kegged this and I bet I have less then 10 glasses left. This is hands down the best beer I have made.

Making it again Friday, only difference is i am going to be increasing the spices slightly and using cinnamon powder instead of the sticks.

This beer will be made yearly! Thanks for a great recipe!!!

 

[herv]

didnt even want to drink this one for about the first 8mo of its life. but now wow! did it change. all the flavors have melded together and it is a very nice beer sure glad i held onto this one and didnt dump it! (my personal taste is not keen to spiced beers) spiced beer still not my forte but this one i can drink a few pints of and other nervous craft drinkers can as well thanks for the recipe.

 

[flyersfan]

All these years later....this was my first ever Holiday Brew, AND first one I ever kegged.

It is SO good! Thanks to the OP for posting this.