Who Brewed beer for Christmas!?

[Mischief_Brewing]

We have a huge feast on the winter solstice every year (or the weekend before when it hits on a worknight like this year) and I have 20 gallons on hand for it. The special brew just for the occasion is a mint chocolate brown. Unfortunately I think I wrecked that one with too much mint and will probably not serve it. Luckily I have a regular chocolate brown, a sweet amber, and a 12% apfelwein.

 

[BendBrewer]

I have about 12 days off for the Holidays. Yes, I prepared for it. Currently stocked to the gills with beer and beer in process.

 

[Babachewy]

I made a Belgian, um, thing to give away as gifts. Vienna malt, orange blossom honey (added in secondary), coriander, WLP530. It's been ready to go for weeks, I just need to bottle the stuff. It's about 7% ABV.

 

[Whut]

I have about 12 days off for the Holidays. Yes, I prepared for it. Currently stocked to the gills with beer and beer in process.

Sweet! It should only take me 18 hours or so if I drive straight through. Should be at your place sometime this Sunday.

 

[AmandaK]

I made a Vanilla Toffee Cream Ale from a recipe I found from another member here, Ryan over at ryanbrews.blogspot.com/

Link

Just bottled it last Thursday, but the hydro samples taste great.

 

[SteveM]

Two slightly different batches of spiced pale ale. One with ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and sweet orange peel, the other similar but with no orange. The second batch just went into bottles the other day because the first batch was disappearing pretty quickly.

 

[Scubbastv]

I have a 6 month Apfelwein that I'm getting ready to bottle for Christmas presents for my family... Its potent stuff.

 

[Clifton]

Nothing special. Just a Dry Stout on Chimay yeast that I'm taking to my parents in the Miller Lite Home Draft to share with everyone.

 

[coslor]

I made a Trappist dubbel with sweet potatoes that's been in the bottle for about six weeks now. I'm hoping it will evolve into the "getting good" category right around Christmas.

 

[ZehBaron]

Made a Belgian Dark Strong Ale with plums and cinnamon. Can't wait to crack open a bottle!

 

[dvdanny]

Last year I did a Spiced Brown Ale (apples in secondary, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves in the boil) but this year I got lazy. That said I'll still try to brew it this year (maybe next week) and enjoy it the next Christmas, might be a tradition if this works out.

I've considered making a "Three Kings" beer too, flavored with frankincense, myrrh (or maybe some other tree resin substitute) and Kent Goldings hops (lol get it, Gold!)

 

[CDbrews]

I made a RIS on last Xmass to give away for this one

 

[DubbelDach]

Christmas is my favorite!

I made a Chocolate Peppermint Porter...

Red foil has green caps and pipe cleaners... Green foil has red caps and cleaners...

22 oz bottles and a Hershey chocolate candy cane on every bottle... The dorky ornament with me in 1980 is not included

Our white mantle and silver stocking weight made for a sexy "marketing" shot, lol....

Merry Christmas!!!

 

[bovineblitz]

that looks fantastic!!!

 

[munklunk]

Christmas is my favorite!

I made a Chocolate Peppermint Porter...

Red foil has green caps and pipe cleaners... Green foil has red caps and cleaners...

22 oz bottles and a Hershey chocolate candy cane on every bottle... The dorky ornament with me in 1980 is not included

Our white mantle and silver stocking weight made for a sexy "marketing" shot, lol....

Merry Christmas!!!

Dude, that looks amazing! I was checking out the recipe, and was wondering if you could clarify the mint addition for me.

Does that mean that you made a "Tea" out of 10 mint leaves of actually used a mint flavored tea bag?

 

[RugenBrau]

just the NB Dry Stout extract kit

 

[Zamial]

OMG DD! Those look great! Pm me if you need my address.

I have a cranberry orange spiced ale that will be getting forced carbed VERY soon...

 

[wired247]

Brewed one a few days ago with 14 lbs of British Pale malt, 2 lbs of 90 lovibond chrystal and a half pound of chocolate. An ounce each of cascade, nuggets and goldings with 1388 yeast. Crappy yield at 1.082 at about 5 gallons but I'm guessing it should finish 1.022 ish. Chugging away in the basement. I'll filter and force carbonate to 2.40 ish. Should bring on some Christmas Cheer.

 

[RM-MN]

Dang, you sure know how to make a guy feel inadequate. I brewed an extract kit from Midwest called Happy Holiday Brew and put it into their "Nitnany Ale" blue colored bottles on November 9th.

 

[modernlifeisANDY]

I brewed up a spiced IPA on Thanksgiving so that it would be ready for Christmas. It's a pretty solid IPA, tasted the sample while kegging last night - just the right balance of hop twang and holiday spices.

 

[DubbelDach]

OMG DD! Those look great! Pm me if you need my address.

I have a cranberry orange spiced ale that will be getting forced carbed VERY soon...

That sounds awesome... Nice combo! This morning I was eating clementines which made me start thinking about next year's Xmas beer....

Dude, that looks amazing! I was checking out the recipe, and was wondering if you could clarify the mint addition for me.

Does that mean that you made a "Tea" out of 10 mint leaves of actually used a mint flavored tea bag?

I got a box of Celestial Seasonings Peppermint Tea. There's a thread around here where Chriso recommends doing this. All it is is dried peppermint leaves in teabags, there is no actual tea leaves involved.

So with about 5 mins left in the boil, I teabagged (giggle) the beer... Dropped 10 bags in and let them steep for 5 mins, through chilling, and then I racked the beer into the carboy, leaving the bags behind.

The remaining 10 teabags, I soaked in vodka (just enough to cover them) for 2 weeks. I tasted the beer right before I bottled it and while the mint flavor and aroma was pretty darn nice with just the 10 steeped bags, I dumped in maybe an ounce of the peppermint vodka extract for good measure. That tasted pretty bangin, so I immediately bottled it.

Hope that helps, and THANKS CHRISO!!!