Ultimate Christmas Ale
Latest Attempt: Ultimate Christmas Stout (#57) and Belgian Ale (#58)
THIRD PLACE for the Christmas Beer Category in the 1993 St. Louis Brews, Happy Holidays Homebrew Competiton.
Type: Grain and Extract recipe; Amount: 5 gals.
GRAIN BILL and EXTRACTS:
- 5 lbs. of 2-row pale malt (Klages) (all grains step mashed 1 hr.)
- 1 lb. of 30 deg. Crystal malt
- .5 lb. roasted barley (unmalted)
- .25 lb. chocolate malt
- 3.3 lbs. Muton and Fison's Amber malt extract
- 3.3 lbs. John Bull Amber malt extract
- 2 lbs. Light Clover Honey (from St. Louis bees!)
- 1 cup light brown sugar
HOPS:
- 1 oz. Northern Brewer hops (7.5 AAUs) boiled for 60 min.
- .5 oz. Eroica hops (9.6 AAUs) boiled for 60 min.
- .5 oz. Cascade hops (6.4 AAUs) boiled for 60 min.
- .5 oz. Mt. Hood hops boiled 30 min.
- .5 oz. Saaz hops boiled 10 min.
- .5 oz. Mt. Hood hops boiled 10 min. finishing
DISTINCTIVE INGREDIENTS:
- 3 cinnamon sticks boiled 30 min., and 4 more boiled 10 min.
- fresh grated orange zest from 6 oranges, boiled 10 min.
- 1 oz. fresh grated ginger root, boiled 10 min.
- spices: dash of ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, and ground cloves, 5 min.
- 1 tbsp. Irish moss, 10 min.
OTHER SPECIFICATIONS:
- Yeast = Red Star dry champaign yeast
- Pitching temp. 78 degrees
- 5 day primary fermentation at 70 degrees
- 32 day Secondary fermentation at 68 degrees
- Sept. 18 added 2 tsp. yeast nutrient and stirred to rouse yeast (SG.=1.032)
- Sept. 30 added 1.25 tsp. yeast energizer and stirred (began fermenting again!)
- Original Gravity = 1.060
- Terminal Gravity = 1.024
- Bottled on Oct. 17, 1993
Ultimate Christmas Beers 2005
GRAIN BILL and EXTRACTS for 10 gal. split batch:
- 14 lbs. of 2-row pale malt (all grains infusion mash at 155 degrees for 1.5 hr.)
- 1 lb. of 60 deg. Crystal malt
- 1 lb. of 20 deg. Crystal malt
- 1 lb. roasted barley (unmalted)
- 1 lb. unmalted Rye
- 6 lbs. Alexander's Amber malt extract
- .5 lb dark Belgian Candi sugar
Ultimate Christmas Stout (#58) additions
HOPS:
- 2 oz. Olympic hops (11% AAUs) boiled for 60 min.
- 1 oz. Target hops (8.1% AAUs) boiled for 30 min.
- 1 oz. Hallertauer hops (finishing) boiled for 10 min.
DISTINCTIVE INGREDIENTS:
- 2 cinnamon sticks and 2 cloves boiled 60 min.
- 2 cinnamon sticks and 2 cloves boiled 10 min.
- 5 oz. fresh grated orange zest, boiled 10 min.
- spices: dash of ground nutmeg, and allspice, 10 min.
- 1 tbsp. Irish moss, 10 min.
- Yeast = Whitelabs Irish Ale yeast from starter
OTHER SPECIFICATIONS:
- Pitching temp. 75 degrees
- 7 day primary fermentation at 75 degrees
- 10 day Secondary fermentation at 75 degrees
- Original Gravity = 1.066
- Terminal Gravity = 1.0?
- Bottled on
Ultimate Belgian Christmas Ale (#59) additions
HOPS:
- 2 oz. First Gold hops (8.2% AAUs) boiled for 60 min.
- 1 oz. Saaz hops (3.8% AAUs) boiled for 30 min.
- 1 oz. Saaz hops (finishing) boiled for 10 min.
DISTINCTIVE INGREDIENTS:
- 4 lbs. Light Clover Honey
- 3 cinnamon sticks boiled 60 min., and 2 more boiled 10 min.
- 7 oz. fresh grated orange zest, boiled 10 min.
- 1 oz. fresh grated ginger root, boiled 10 min.
- spices: dash of ground nutmeg, and cloves, 5 min.
- 1 tbsp. Irish moss, 10 min.
- Yeast =Whitelabs Belgian Ale yeast from starter
OTHER SPECIFICATIONS:
- Pitching temp. 75 degrees
- 7 day primary fermentation at 75 degrees
- 10 day Secondary fermentation at 75 degrees
- Original Gravity = 1.070!
- Terminal Gravity = 1.0?
- Bottled on ?
