Who's thinking about their Christmas Brew already?

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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!
 
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.
 
Austin_LSU said:
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.
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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!
 
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.
 
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.
 
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. :/
 
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
 
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.
 
brewt00l said:
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.
Click to expand...

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.
 
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?
 
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! :mug:
 
junkyard brewer said:
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.
Click to expand...

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.
 
TerapinChef said:
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...
Click to expand...

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.
 
Chriso said:
kolsch are a little "puckery" in tartness anyways, accentuating that could be risky.
Click to expand...
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...

chriso said:
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.
Click to expand...

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...
 
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!
 
I'm going with Jamil's christmas in a bottle from BYO:

Type: All Grain
Date: 08/04/2008
Batch Size: 11.00 L
Brewer: Rudeboy
Boil Size: 15.00 L Asst Brewer:
Boil Time: 60 min Equipment: Brew Pot (7.5 gal) and Cooler (48 qt)
Taste Rating(out of 50): 35.0 Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.00
Taste Notes:

Ingredients

Amount Item Type % or IBU
4.05 kg Pale Malt, Maris Otter (3.0 SRM) Grain 94.21 %
0.20 kg Caramel/Crystal Malt - 80L (80.0 SRM) Grain 4.71 %
0.05 kg Black (Patent) Malt (500.0 SRM) Grain 1.08 %
15.70 gm Horizon [12.00 %] (60 min) Hops 30.3 IBU
0.29 tsp Allspice (Boil 1.0 min) Misc
0.29 tsp Cinnamon Stick (Boil 1.0 min) Misc
0.29 tsp Ginger Root (Boil 1.0 min) Misc
0.29 tsp Nutmeg (Boil 1.0 min) Misc



Beer Profile

Est Original Gravity: 1.092 SG

Est Final Gravity: 1.023 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 9.03 %
Bitterness: 30.3 IBU Calories: 90 cal/l
Est Color: 18.4 SRM

Actually i don't have any Horizon so I was going to go with some Target I have. I've had a 11 Litre carboy I bought of a guy with a bunch of other stuff I've never used. So I'm going with a half batch of this. Then when it's bottled I'm going with a half batch of Yuri's Pumpkin Ale.

I'm working backwards because this is going to be a bigger British beer while I concieve of the Pumpkin as being a smaller (relatively speaking) American Beer.

Rudeboy
 
mwhc22 said:
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?
Click to expand...

From my experience, I put in a 1/2 tsp of ground cinnamon toward the end of the boil, and from samples I've had so far, it left a faint aroma, but also left a spicy heat aftertaste. I'm expecting that spicy heat to subside by Christmas.

When I racked to secondary a week ago, I had planned to drop 1 cinnamon stick that I had soaked in vodka for 3 weeks right into the secondary. But, fearing I would just make the aftertaste stronger, I just dropped the vodka in the secondary, not the stick. The vodka had turned a dark amber hue while soaking the stick and a very pleasant cinnamon smell. It was maybe 1/2 a cup of vodka.

One week later I just sampled, and the cinnamon smell comes right to the nose, just as I wanted. If you don't want to overdue the cinnamon taste, but get the scent imparted to the beer, I'd recommend trying this method.
 
Just brewed mine today. I used Mosher's Gingerbread Brown and a few southern brown recipes as inspirado.

3# light DME
3 3/4# Maris Otter
1/4# chocolate malt
1/4# biscuit
1/4# crystal 120L
1# light brown sugar
1 oz glacier pellets (60)
1/2 oz perle pellets (10)
spices added at flameout and steeped 5 min before cooling: 4 grams broken up cinnamon sticks, 1 gram whole cloves, 1/2 tsp ground ginger, 1/4 tsp all spice.
pitched danstar windsor yeast.
 
I'm brewing a Spiced Cherry Dubbel today. The recipe is from Mosher's "Radical Brewing"

After primary, I will rack it onto 3# of tart cherries and 3# of sweet dark cherries for a month.

I'll then keg and age until December.

Code: 
Dubbel Trubble 

Selected Style and BJCP Guidelines 
18B-Belgian Strong Ale-Belgian Dubbel 

Minimum OG: 1.062 SG Maximum OG: 1.075 SG 
Minimum FG: 1.008 SG Maximum FG: 1.018 SG 
Minimum IBU: 15 IBU Maximum IBU: 25 IBU 
Minimum Color: 10.0 SRM Maximum Color: 17.0 SRM 

Recipe Overview 

Wort Volume Before Boil: 7.00 US gals Wort Volume After Boil: 5.50 US gals 
Volume Transferred: 5.40 US gals Water Added To Fermenter: 0.00 US gals 
Volume At Pitching: 5.40 US gals Volume Of Finished Beer: 5.40 US gals 
Expected Pre-Boil Gravity: 1.044 SG Expected OG: 1.072 SG 
Expected FG: 1.008 SG Apparent Attenuation: 88.0 % 
Expected ABV: 8.6 % Expected ABW: 6.8 % 
Expected IBU (using Tinseth): 24.2 IBU Expected Color (using Morey): 14.3 SRM 
BU:GU ratio: 0.33 Approx Color: 
Mash Efficiency: 80.0 % 
Boil Duration: 60.0 mins 
Fermentation Temperature: 68 degF 
Fermentables 
Ingredient Amount % MCU When 
Belgian Pale Malt 6lb 0oz 48.0 % 4.0 In Mash/Steeped 
German Munich Malt 3lb 0oz 24.0 % 3.0 In Mash/Steeped 
US Caramel 80L Malt 1lb 0oz 8.0 % 14.5 In Mash/Steeped 
US Aromatic Malt 8.00 oz 4.0 % 1.8 In Mash/Steeped 
Sugar - Turbinado 2lb 0oz 16.0 % 3.6 Start Of Boil 

Hops 
Variety Alpha Amount IBU Form When 
German Perle 8.2 % 1.00 oz 24.2 Bagged Pellet Hops All Of Boil 

Other Ingredients 
Ingredient Amount When 
Irish Moss 0.2 oz In Boil 

Yeast 
White Labs WLP530-Abbey Ale

Mash Schedule 
Mash Type: Full Mash 
Schedule Name: Single Step Infusion (64C/147F) 
Step Type Temperature Duration 
Rest at 147 degF 60 
Recipe Notes 
Add 1 teaspoon of Ceylon (true cinnamon) at end of boil. 
 
Rack onto 4lbs of sweet cherries and 4lbs of sour cherries for secondary fermentation.  
Add one drop of almond extract.
 
Here's what I have so far:

Code: 
Style:  Christmas-Spiced-Bourbon-Ale
Brewer: Me!
Asst. Brewer: Santa

Recipe:
??? Probably do an extract brew of some sort.

I'll have to think about the recipe some more.

:mug:
 
I'm thinking of a cranberry-pear apfelwein, and a sugarplumb ale.

I won't be brewing until the end of august, so it might not be the best this christmas. . .
 
I made one last year that was delicious, UNTIL I decided to use molasses for priming. I had already used molasses in the main recipe, and I didn't consider what that would mean. Result: Horrible molasses flavored swill that was utterly undrinkable. I check every month or so, hoping against hope, but it's always nasty. Still, before I primed it, this was an awesome brew:

8 lb Pale Liquid Extract
1 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L
1/4 lb Honey Malt
1/4 lb Special B Malt
1 oz Northern Brewer [7.50%] (35 min)
1 oz Hallertauer [2.50%] (10 min
1 tsp Ginger Root (Boil 5.0 min)
1 tsp Nutmeg (Boil 5.0 min)
2 tsp Cardamon (Boil 5.0 min)
2 tsp Cinnamon (Boil 5.0 min)
1 oz Orange Peel, Sweet (Boil 5.0 min)
1/2 lb Molasses
Belgian Wit Ale (White Labs #WLP400)

I'm going to do it again this year, but save the molasses for gingerbread cookies. :D
 
I brewed mine about 3 months ago, it was an 1.095 OG so I wanted lots of time for conditioning. It's my Hemlock Ale...."Tennenbaum".
 
I'm gonna roll with the following - probably going to use cinnamon sticks instead of the powder though, as I have them on hand already. Any thoughts on how many to use?

Grains:
13.5 lbs. Maris Otter Pale
1 lbs. Crystal Malt 60°L
1 lbs. Crystal Malt 120°L
0.5 lbs. Black Patent
1 oz. Warrior (Pellets, 16.00 %AA) @ 60 min.

Yeast :
Safale S-04 Dry Yeast

Spices:
0.50 oz Sweet Orange Peel (Boil 15 min)
4.00 Clove leaves (whole, crushed) (Boil 1 min)
0.50 tsp Cinnamon (ground, dry) (Boil 1 min)
 
I couldn't wait, and also snuck one of my Christmas Old Ales...

Delicious! I can't wait to see what 2 more months will do (nonetheless, I will have to) - but it's good now. Just a bit undercarbed, but with a good cinnamon nose, delicious caramel taste, and nice alcohol heat at the end. A keeper.
 
I'm not going to do anything fancy with spices and the like. I'm just going to brew some Hobgoblin and share it with my wife's cousins. Unfortunately they all like commercial lagers (Bud, Miller, ect) and will probably not enjoy Hobgoblin. I will though, so more for me!
 
I'm thinking about it but haven't laid any plans out and won't have a carboy free until 10/18. Should I not even bother?
 
this is what I am going with

OG 1.063
FG 1.016
IBU 24
ABV 6%
SRM 29

Specifics
Boil Volume 7 gallons
Batch Size 5.5 gallons
Yeast 70% AA
Safale 04




Fermentables
% Weight (lbs) Grain Gravity Points Color
80.0 % 10.00 MO 36.3 3.2
6 % .75 German Munich 3.8 1.1
6% 1.00 American Chocolate 3.0 47.7
6 % .75 American Crystal 40L 4.6 7.3

12.50

Hops
% Wt Weight (oz) Hop Form AA%
40.0 % 1.00 Hallertau Whole/Plug 3.1 @ 60
40.0 % 1.00 Tettnanger Whole/Plug 4.5 @30
20.0 % 0.50 Hallertau Whole/Plug 3.1 @ 5

.25 oz cinnamon stick @ 5
.50 orange sweet @5
1 tbsp all spice @5
1 tbsp fresh ground ginger @5

If it needs I may and some cinnamon infused Vodka after primary.
 
Ice9 said:
I'm brewing a Spiced Cherry Dubbel today. The recipe is from Mosher's "Radical Brewing"

After primary, I will rack it onto 3# of tart cherries and 3# of sweet dark cherries for a month.

I'll then keg and age until December.

Code: 
Dubbel Trubble 

Selected Style and BJCP Guidelines 
18B-Belgian Strong Ale-Belgian Dubbel 

Minimum OG: 1.062 SG Maximum OG: 1.075 SG 
Minimum FG: 1.008 SG Maximum FG: 1.018 SG 
Minimum IBU: 15 IBU Maximum IBU: 25 IBU 
Minimum Color: 10.0 SRM Maximum Color: 17.0 SRM 

Recipe Overview 

Wort Volume Before Boil: 7.00 US gals Wort Volume After Boil: 5.50 US gals 
Volume Transferred: 5.40 US gals Water Added To Fermenter: 0.00 US gals 
Volume At Pitching: 5.40 US gals Volume Of Finished Beer: 5.40 US gals 
Expected Pre-Boil Gravity: 1.044 SG Expected OG: 1.072 SG 
Expected FG: 1.008 SG Apparent Attenuation: 88.0 % 
Expected ABV: 8.6 % Expected ABW: 6.8 % 
Expected IBU (using Tinseth): 24.2 IBU Expected Color (using Morey): 14.3 SRM 
BU:GU ratio: 0.33 Approx Color: 
Mash Efficiency: 80.0 % 
Boil Duration: 60.0 mins 
Fermentation Temperature: 68 degF 
Fermentables 
Ingredient Amount % MCU When 
Belgian Pale Malt 6lb 0oz 48.0 % 4.0 In Mash/Steeped 
German Munich Malt 3lb 0oz 24.0 % 3.0 In Mash/Steeped 
US Caramel 80L Malt 1lb 0oz 8.0 % 14.5 In Mash/Steeped 
US Aromatic Malt 8.00 oz 4.0 % 1.8 In Mash/Steeped 
Sugar - Turbinado 2lb 0oz 16.0 % 3.6 Start Of Boil 

Hops 
Variety Alpha Amount IBU Form When 
German Perle 8.2 % 1.00 oz 24.2 Bagged Pellet Hops All Of Boil 

Other Ingredients 
Ingredient Amount When 
Irish Moss 0.2 oz In Boil 

Yeast 
White Labs WLP530-Abbey Ale

Mash Schedule 
Mash Type: Full Mash 
Schedule Name: Single Step Infusion (64C/147F) 
Step Type Temperature Duration 
Rest at 147 degF 60 
Recipe Notes 
Add 1 teaspoon of Ceylon (true cinnamon) at end of boil. 
 
Rack onto 4lbs of sweet cherries and 4lbs of sour cherries for secondary fermentation.  
Add one drop of almond extract.
Click to expand...

Brewing this weekend

It wont be able to ferment/age as long as I would like it to but I think it will still turn out. 6 weeks for fermenting (probably do a 4/2) and then into the keg. Also, I am probably going to have to use dried cherries, and I might see if I can find some cranberries.
 
Homebrewers Outpost has fuggles in stock. I got them a few weeks ago for my last brew.
 

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