Spiced Ale (spice sugestions)

[Lucky_Chicken]

So I am looking at a spice ale:
Is it too late for it to settle before the hollidays?

Is this enough spice/ not enough?

9.25 lb 2 row
1.63 lb 120L
1 lb 80L
.5 lb carafoam
.75 oz willamette
.75 oz cascade
London Ale yeast

Spices in secondary 10 days
1 ciniman stick
.25 tsp ground nutmeg

Let me know what you think. Thanks for the help!

 

[Lucky_Chicken]

well... I went ahead and brewed this on Oct 8th... if its not ready it will be christmas whenever it is!

4 days in primary then transfered to secondary (it tasted pretty good at the transfer) added spices and will taste this weekend to determine if i should add more and bottle.

As a side note, it is very impossable to stir in a carboy while trying not to airate the beer!

I will give more update at bottling and tasting.

 

[Stubbeez]

That sounds good. I am curious to know what the spice flavors are like - if they are up front or kind of subdued.
I have a batch I am going to brew this weekend or next that is pretty similar to your base recipe, but I am considering adding some cinnamon and ginger to the boil around 15 minutes remaining, and then maybe a couple of cinnamon sticks "tea" to the fermenter for about three days before bottling. I want something with some "christmas" flavor! There is an awesome local beer here from Columbus Brewing Company (Winter Warmer) that uses spices like that I am trying to match.

Edit: Maybe not two cinnamon sticks. I havent figured the amounts up yet.

 

[Lucky_Chicken]

I bottled this yesterday. On tasting the one cinnamon stick and .25 tsp nutmeg were very close, there was a hint of both but not overpowering. I will see how it ages in the bottles hopefully the spices don't mellow out too much. Next update around thanksgiving time frame when i taste the first bottle.

 

[Lucky_Chicken]

by request:

Winter Roost (Holiday Spiced Ale)
Christmas/Winter Specialty Spice Beer
Type: All Grain Date: 10/8/2011
Batch Size (fermenter): 5.25 gal Brewer: Jeremy Sims
Boil Size: 6.98 gal Asst Brewer:
Boil Time: 60 min Equipment: Lucky Chicken Brewery
End of Boil Volume 5.98 gal Brewhouse Efficiency: 72.00 %
Final Bottling Volume: 5.50 gal Est Mash Efficiency 78.9 %
Fermentation: My Aging Profile Taste Rating(out of 50): 0.0
Taste Notes:

Ingredients

Ingredients
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
9.25 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 1 74.7 %
1.63 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt -120L (120.0 SRM) Grain 2 13.1 %
1.00 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 80L (80.0 SRM) Grain 3 8.1 %
0.50 lb Carapils (Briess) (1.5 SRM) Grain 4 4.0 %
1.00 oz Cascade [6.00 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 5 19.8 IBUs
0.60 oz Willamette [5.30 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 6 10.5 IBUs
1.0 pkg English Ale (White Labs #WLP002) [0.04 qt] Yeast 7 -
1.00 Items Cinnamon (Secondary 7.0 days) Spice 8 -
0.25 tsp Nutmeg (Secondary 7.0 days) Spice 9 -

Beer Profile
Est Original Gravity: 1.060 SG Measured Original Gravity: 1.060 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.020 SG Measured Final Gravity: 1.013 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 5.3 % Actual Alcohol by Vol: 6.2 %
Bitterness: 30.3 IBUs Calories: 201.1 kcal/12oz
Est Color: 22.2 SRM

Mash Profile
Mash Name: Single Infusion, Medium Body, No Mash Out Total Grain Weight: 12.38 lb
Sparge Water: 4.60 gal Grain Temperature: 72.0 F
Sparge Temperature: 168.1 F Tun Temperature: 72.0 F
Adjust Temp for Equipment: FALSE Mash PH: 5.20

Mash Steps
Name Description Step Temperature Step Time
Mash In Add 4.11 gal of water at 165.2 F 154.0 F 60 min
Sparge Step: Fly sparge with 4.60 gal water at 168.1 F
Mash Notes: Simple single infusion mash for use with most modern well modified grains (about 95% of the time).

Carbonation and Storage
Carbonation Type: Bottle Volumes of CO2: 3.0
Pressure/Weight: 5.81 oz Carbonation Used: Bottle with 5.81 oz Table Sugar
Keg/Bottling Temperature: 70.0 F Age for: 28.00 days
Fermentation: My Aging Profile Storage Temperature: 52.0 F

Notes

Created with BeerSmith

 

[Lucky_Chicken]

Tried the frist one last night...

It is pretty good, the cinnamon is pretty mild and the nutmeg shines through... I might go lighter on the nutmeg next time, but it deffinatly reminds me of the hollidays. The spices might mellow some more before christmas?

 

[Lucky_Chicken]

Ok after waiting till Christmas to start really drinking these the Nutmeg mellowed a lot and this turned out very very good! A buddy of mine who I gave a 6er to for xmas said he liked it better than the Sam Adams he bought... This will have to be a yearly brew!