Who's thinking about their Christmas Brew already?

[Sigafoos]

I'm planning on brewing a stout on Saturday and tossing some cherries I picked into secondary. Since it's going to have more time to age than normal, I was going to bump up the abv a bit; how much can I get away with and still have it ready by Christmas?

Though now I'm thinking 'Ooh, with spices! I should do one of those too!' HBT is bad for me

 

[Cugel]

1. Belgian strong dark - 10% abv. The unmashed specialty grains smelled wonderful by themselves. tastes like a good example of a Belgian strong dark. Alcohol is warming but not solvent-like. This is now 2 months old.

2. Duvel clone. tastes great - like liquidized pears with a strong alcohol kick - only 1 week old though.

2a. Dubbel - tasted great, but alcohol was too hot when last tasted 2 months ago. I'm hoping that this will have calmed down a lot by Christmas. If so I'll keg, otherwise it'll sit in da carboy for another year.

3. Guinness / dry stout - to be brewed in the autumn. Maybe I'll kick this up and make a dryish version of a foreign extra stout. Maybe do a waaay-chocolatety stout.

I also plan on having an ESB and hopefully a robust porter kegged.

 

[jds]

I'm working on my recipe now, but I'm having a hard time with yeast. The first Christmas beer I ever made was Charlie P's "Blow me away holiday ale" from TNCJOHB. I've been tweaking that recipe a bit and converting it to AG, to the point where it looks NOTHING like the original . I've mostly settled on what looks at first to be a spiced dunkel of sorts with:

1 lbs Rice Hulls (0.0 SRM) Adjunct 6.02 %
5 lbs Pilsner (2 Row) Bel (2.0 SRM) Grain 30.08 %
3 lbs Wheat Malt, Ger (2.0 SRM) Grain 18.05 %
2 lbs Munich Malt (9.0 SRM) Grain 12.03 %
2 lbs Rye Malt (4.7 SRM) Grain 12.03 %
6.0 oz Chocolate Malt (350.0 SRM) Grain 2.25 %
4.0 oz Special B Malt (180.0 SRM) Grain 1.50 %

I'll hop it to about 45 IBU with Sterling and Willamette, and add Cinnamon, Allspice, and orange peel. A few pounds of invert sugar to raise the gravity into the 1.080-1.090 rnge, and I've got a big, bold Christmas dunkel.

However, now I'm wondering if this would work nicely with a trappist yeast -- but then what about the spices, too muddled with the funky trappist background? Hell, this would even work out nicely with SF lager to get a lot of fruity esters in there too.

I need opinions, please.

 

[BigKahuna]

Here is what I'll be brewing on August 10th.

10# 2 Row
1#Caramunich
1/2# Chocolate Malt
1#Carafa III (Dehusked)
1# Lactose.
2 oz Saaz (1 oz @60, 1 oz@ 30)
Pitch onto US-05 Yeast Cake from Cream ale
Racking to secondary with 1/2 gallon of VERY STRONG Cold Brewed "Holiday Spice" Coffee from Gevalia.

This will actually be a backwards brew by most of your standards. It will have the coffee and spice forward, and the Stout as the finish. I have brewed similar to this, and it seems to work out well for me. ...and I drink 98% of the beer I make so That's all that counts.

 

[Proofman]

I brewed this on July 5, and bottled it last week.

BeerSmith Recipe Printout - http://www.beersmith.com
Recipe: Winter Spice v1
Brewer: Brad Jones
Asst Brewer:
Style: Spice, Herb, or Vegetable Beer
TYPE: Partial Mash
Taste: (35.0)

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size: 5.50 gal
Boil Size: 6.00 gal
Estimated OG: 1.067 SG
Estimated Color: 22.8 SRM
Estimated IBU: 23.8 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 70.00 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item Type % or IBU
6.00 lb Light Dry Extract (8.0 SRM) Dry Extract 59.52 %
0.33 lb Treacle (100.0 SRM) Extract 3.27 %
1.50 lb English Crystal 75L (75.0 SRM) Grain 14.88 %
1.00 lb Munich Malt (9.0 SRM) Grain 9.92 %
1.00 lb Pale Malt, Maris Otter (3.0 SRM) Grain 9.92 %
0.25 lb Chocolate malt (350.0 SRM) Grain 2.48 %
1.37 oz Williamette [4.50 %] (60 min) Hops 23.8 IBU
0.25 tsp Yeast Nutrient (Boil 15.0 min) Misc
0.33 tsp Nutmeg (ground, dry) (Boil 5.0 min) Misc
0.50 oz Cinnamon Stick (Boil 5.0 min) Misc
1.00 tsp Irish Moss (Boil 15.0 min) Misc
1 Pkgs California Ale (White Labs #WLP001) [StarterYeast-Ale



Total Grain Weight: 3.75 lb



Notes:
------
Prime w/ 1.25 cup of Grade A maple syrup lightly boiled for 10 min in 1 cup of water.

 

[Saccharomyces]

OK picked up the stuff I need today at Austin Homebrew. Just need time to brew it now... I already have two other batches in the pipeline for this weekend. Got a new keezer to fill. :rockin:

10# Maris Otter
4# Munich
1# Crystal 60
1/2# Special B
1/2# Chocolate
2# Honey
Handful of cinnamon and nutmeg at flameout
Horizon and Cascade hops to 60 IBU

Have no idea what my efficiency will be with 15# of grain. I planned for 65% which will give me 1.90 or so. If I beat that.. well..

 

[HOOTER]

I just brewed this for winter:

7 lbs. extra-light DME
1/2 lb Sucanat sugar
1 lb. Cara-Munich
1/4 lb. Special B
1 oz. Sterling (60 min)
1 oz. Sterling (20 min)
1 oz. Liberty (5 min)
1 oz. Liberty (DH)
White Labs WLP550 Belgian ale yeast

I'm also going to brew a sweet stout and a spiced apfelwein for winter. If this winter is anything like the last one I'm going to need a good supply on hand.

 

[Chriso]

You guys have inspired me. I wasn't going to do one. But since you all have such cool ideas. I think i'm doing a Cinnamon Honey Porter. Sounds good!

 

[Saccharomyces]

You guys have inspired me. I wasn't going to do one. But since you all have such cool ideas. I think i'm doing a Cinnamon Honey Porter. Sounds good!

I hope so. I totally pulled that recipe out of my ***.

 

[Jaybird]

I think I am going to do a "Double Chocolate Strawberry Hazelnut Amerado Porter"
JJ

 

[TerapinChef]

I think I am going to do a "Double Chocolate Strawberry Hazelnut Amerado Porter"
JJ

I'm not sure if he's joking....and I'm not sure I want to know if he's not. That sounds like it might be a bit of an extravagant brew...

 

[Jaybird]

I'm not sure if he's joking....and I'm not sure I want to know if he's not. That sounds like it might be a bit of an extravagant brew...

Oh No I'm not joking... Just trying to come up w/ what hops to use. This might end up being a stout.
I am still working on the recipe
JJ

 

[Seawolf]

My Christmas brew is a Chimay Red clone. It'll be bottled into 16oz blue flip tops. It's gonna look so nice!

I just tasted a very small sample, and it's coming along really well!

Cheers to Christmas brews!

 

[summersolstice]

My Thanksgiving and Christmas brews are one in the same and is actually a mead. Last February I started a Sweet Potato Pie mead. Anyone from the south knows about sweet potato pie, but for those who don't, it tastes like pumpkin pie.

As most people know it's difficult getting pumpkins early enough to make something that's ready for the holidays so I used fresh sweet potatos that I peeled, sliced, and steamed (I didn't want to boil them and lose the flavor). I added fresh ginger, cinnamon sticks, cloves, and mace and backsweetened to make a medium sweet mead. It's already yummy and it should be perfect by the holidays.

 

[wizardofza]

I was thinking about this the other day and playing around with some ingredients I have sitting around. I came up with this:

3.00 lb. Extra Light Dry Extract (3.0 SRM) Dry Extract 30.30 %
5.00 lb Pale Liquid Extract [Boil for 15 min] Extract 50.51 %
0.50 lb Carafoam (2.0 SRM) Grain 5.05 %
0.50 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 20L (20.0 SRM) Grain 5.05 %
0.50 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L (40.0 SRM) Grain 5.05 %
0.40 lb Chocolate Malt (350.0 SRM) Grain 4.04 %
1.00 oz Galena [13.00 %] (60 min) Hops 21.5 IBU
1.00 oz Cascade [5.50 %] (10 min) Hops 3.3 IBU
0.50 tsp Cinnamon (Boil 5.0 min) Misc
1.00 oz Orange Peel, Sweet (Boil 5.0 min) Misc


A question: I'm a Tennessee boy and I'd like to add some Jack Daniels. Any experiences with adding whiskey in to the recipe. How much and when do I add it? After the boil, after a few weeks, or at bottling? I'd like to get that nice warm feeling that whiskey gives me. It'd be nice while sitting by a fire and enjoying the holidays.

I made a Bourbon Barrel Porter w/ 16oz of Maker's Mark in the secondary. Dude, one of the (if not the) best beer I've made to date!

 

[Chriso]

OK so recipe formulation has officially begun. What do you think of this? I need feedback. I've never done a spiced beer.

Christmas Beer 1 - Honey Cinnamon Porter

Taste Notes: Based on OB's EF clone.

9.50 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US
0.75 lb Honey Malt
0.50 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L
0.50 lb Chocolate Malt
0.25 lb Special B Malt
0.20 lb Black (Patent) Malt
1.00 lb Honey Add at last 5 min of boil.

1.15 oz Centennial [8.80 %] (60 min) Hops 33.1 IBU
0.50 oz Williamette [4.00 %] (15 min) Hops 3.2 IBU
0.50 oz Williamette [4.00 %] (5 min) Hops 1.3 IBU

0.20 oz Cinnamon Stick (Boil 5.0 min) Misc

Est Original Gravity: 1.071 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.018
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 6.87 %
Bitterness: 37.6 IBU
Est Color: 29.9 SRM

90 min @ 158.0 F

Edit 1:Dropped Honey malt to .75 lb.

 

[Cugel]

I'd go easy on the honey malt, a little can go a long way. I'd say somewhere between 8-12 ounces mihgt work, as it has to compete with the crystal and choc malts.

 

[Chriso]

What do people think of a Cranberry Kolsch? I'm trying to think of something that would complement it well. I can't see a cranberry stout or porter or brown working very well. :/

 

[AnonyBrew]

Already brewed my xmas beer 2 weeks ago. I went with dblvsn's Brrrrleywine.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=69064

 

[brewt00l]

What do people think of a Cranberry Kolsch? I'm trying to think of something that would complement it well. I can't see a cranberry stout or porter or brown working very well. :/

I could see a cran stout working quite nicely actually.

 

[Chriso]

Are you thinking simple dry stout, pale malt and roasted barley, a pinch of acid malt, a'la Guinness clone? Or more complex than that?

I might have to do some "tasting" tonight. A can of Guinness and a bottle of cran juice. Hmm.

I also came up with this:
Christmas Beer 2 - Cranberry Wit

5.00 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) Belg
5.00 lb White Wheat Malt

1.00 oz Hallertauer [4.80 %] (60 min)
0.25 oz Orange Peel, Bitter (Boil 5.0 min)
0.50 oz Orange Peel, Sweet (Boil 5.0 min)
1.00 lb Honey (Boil 5.0 min)

Some kind of Wit yeast for sure.

3.00 lb Cranberries, Frozen, Pasteurized, Smashed - Secondary

OG: 1.066 SG
FG: 1.017 SG
ABV: 6.42 %
16.5 IBU

 

[brewt00l]

That's one of the things I was thinking about, a light tartness in place of the acid malt addition to a dry stout (and it would prb have to be pretty subtle in that case) or you could go with a more forward presence in a nice big American stout.

 

[junkyard brewer]

Likewise, mine is currently sitting in the secondary on 1+ lb of cherries....

8.75 lb Pilsen Malt
3 lb Munich 10L Malt
6.0 oz Chocolate Malt
1 lb Honey
1 oz Saaz (2.1%) - added during boil, boiled 60.0 min
.5 oz Saaz (2.1%) - added during boil, boiled 30 min
0.25 tsp Ginger (fresh) - steeped after boil
1.0 ea White Labs WLP565 Belgian Saison I
1 lb Cherries (fresh) - added dry to secondary fermenter
Oak Wood Cubes - added dry to secondary fermenter

Edit: 3.5 gal batch BTW.

I believe I am going to give this a shot. chocolate + cherries, I like the sound of this. I think i am going to make a few more gallons though. I'm sure I will be taking this into the work Christmas party.

 

[Yuri_Rage]

My Christmas '08 brew has been aging for nearly a year already. I'm starting to think about next year's warmer.

 

[mwhc22]

question on use of cinnamon stick...

what kind of flavor properties does a cinnamon stick have if you put it in the boil vs. throwing it into the primary...or even the secondary for that matter.

also what will it do if i cut it into smaller chunks?

 

[TerapinChef]

I disagree with the previous statement about honey malt...I find it to be quite pleasant...My Honey Wheat had two pounds of honey malt in a 9.5# grain bill...Also I would be worried about a cranberry Kolsch, as kolsch is already a fairly dry, tart brew, the cranberry might take it over the edge. If I was doing a cranbrew, I might try to find something on the sweeter side, maybe a dopplebock or a nice scotch ale...also, I'm so glad I finally started a popular thread!

 

[brewt00l]

I believe I am going to give this a shot. chocolate + cherries, I like the sound of this. I think i am going to make a few more gallons though. I'm sure I will be taking this into the work Christmas party.

loosely based off this w/ some hungarian oak cubes to add a little extra character:

http://www.troegs.com/beers_elf.htm

Alcohol by Volume: 11% alcohol by volume
Hop Bitterness (IBU's) : 15
Color (SRM) : Ruby Red
Availability: Seasonal, 12 oz. bottles, 1/2 and 1/6 kegs (contact your local retailer to pre-order)
Malts: Pilsner, Munich, Chocolate
Hops: Saaz, Hallertau
Yeast: Spicy Yeast
Pennsylvania Honey
West Coast Cherries

The Mad Elf, a cheerful creation to warm your heart and enlighten your tongue. The combination of Cherries, Honey, and Chocolate Malts delivers gentle fruits and subtle spices. Fermented and aged with a unique yeast, this ruby red beer has significant warming strength that underlies the pleasant character of this intriguing yet delicious Ale. The Mad Elf, a jolly and delicious beer for the Holidays.

 

[Chriso]

I disagree with the previous statement about honey malt...I find it to be quite pleasant...My Honey Wheat had two pounds of honey malt in a 9.5# grain bill...

Exactly. I've used 2# in a batch before with nice results, and I want this Honey Cinn Porter to be fairly honey-forward. (Think SA's Honey Porter with spice.) I dropped it to .75# in the recipe, but that might go back up yet. I love honey malt and use it in like half of my recipes.

Thanks for the cran feedback. Something sweeter. Hm. The tartness is actually why I thought it might be well suited for a kolsch... but I see what you mean... kolsch are a little "puckery" in tartness anyways, accentuating that could be risky. I'm thinking the witbier approach could be solid, but it could also be fun to take a fairly standard American Amber ale, lots of residual malt sweetness but not over-the-top caramel grains, hop it very lightly, and use cranberries for bitterness. I've seen recipes that involve cran "mush" going in at 10" to end of boil, and recipes that put it in secondary. I wonder which lends what flavors - if the boiled ones are more aroma, less tart flavor, and the cran-in-secondary is more tart and acidic, with less aroma. I guess I might have to brew some tester batches.

Edit: I'm eating a Cranberry Orange scone for breakfast. It is good. I think a pale or amber ale might work.

 

[TerapinChef]

kolsch are a little "puckery" in tartness anyways, accentuating that could be risky.

If you were just adding a bit for a back flavor I think it would be okay but I was thinking you were looking to make something that would taste like cranberries...

I've seen recipes that involve cran "mush" going in at 10" to end of boil, and recipes that put it in secondary. I wonder which lends what flavors - if the boiled ones are more aroma, less tart flavor, and the cran-in-secondary is more tart and acidic, with less aroma. I guess I might have to brew some tester batches.

well I can tell you this...cranberries contain a lot of pectin. That's how we get that wonderful homemade cranberry sauce every thanksgiving. In order to release that pectin, which acts a bit like gelatin, you need to....that's right, heat the fruit. I'm thinking if you were going for a kolsch or amber you might want to go for the secondary. Although I'm curious...if gelatin can be used as a fining agent maybe pectin can too...might need some help from a winemaking afficionado on this one...

 

[adx]

I think I'm going to do the Vanilla Bourbon Porter for my Christmas brew. I'll probably be brewing it on Aug 16 which would give it 4 months to sit. I just hope that's long enough!