Brewing Award-Winning Winter Seasonal Beers
What makes a winter seasonal beer? For competition purposes, the most important thing to note is that winter seasonal beer is part of the spiced beer style category. This means that the beer should contain some kind of spices, which are loosely defined in the culinary sense as plant-derived flavorful food additives. But there is a style for spiced beer, so the autumn and winter seasonal beers need to contain ingredients that suggest the season or traditional foods eaten during the season.
In the case of winter seasonal beer, there are foods such as Christmas cookies, gingerbread, and English Christmas pudding, drinks such as eggnog and mulled cider, as well as decorations that might include evergreen trees and potpourri that can trigger memories of the time of year. The flavors and seasonings from these types of products can be used in beer to similarly suggest or complement the season.
There is a tradition in many brewing parts of the world (where it gets cold, at least) to produce special seasonal brews. England, Belgium, and the United States certainly have this tradition, but it also exists in lager-loving countries as well. The United Kingdom has a tradition of producing winter warmers, a stronger than average (5.5% ABV and up) ale that tends to be darker, fuller in body, and sweeter than typical beer. Generally unspiced (additional flavor often comes from brewing sugars), these beers are best entered in competition in the British strong ale category.
In Belgium, many winter beers are just the flagship beer of the brewery reformulated as a ‘special’ version (typically a little stronger and often richer than the base beer, and often spiced). The United States has more of an experimental approach and can produce any of these types of beers, but almost always incorporates spicing. I’ve seen special winter lagers from Germany and Mexico that are more similar to the Belgian tradition, except that they typically are not spiced. One of my favorite beers is Noche Buena from Mexico, which is like a stronger, richer Dos Equis amber lager.
As you can see from this discussion of brewing traditions around the world, there is no real uniformity or agreement on the style. Many of the commercial products are only thought of as special in that they are compared with the normal products of the brewery; they aren’t necessarily winter-like on their own. So keep an open mind when trying different types of winter seasonal beers, and be careful about too quickly declaring something to be “out of style.” These are specialty-type beers after all, and brewers are trying to be creative in brewing something unusual for the season.
I should say that many existing styles are very well-suited to drinking in cold weather. Barleywines, old ales, imperial stouts, Baltic porters, strong Scotch ales, doppelbocks, and Belgian dark strong ales are all delicious in the winter. But these are well-defined traditional styles, not specialty beers. The extra caveat in winter seasonal ales about evoking the season is what sets these specialty beers apart (and that they are spiced). Selecting those winter-friendly styles I named as the base style in a winter seasonal ale is often a good start for experimentation but don’t feel constrained to go with only the highest alcohol styles.
The base style of beer is usually something that is darker and richer, although generally not roasty. I personally wouldn’t go darker than chocolate malt in these types of beers, but I’m sure someone will have a great beer that will prove me wrong. Caramel and dark fruit flavors are often welcome, and a fuller body and richer finish generally are welcome. The alcohol strength is usually noticeable but doesn’t have to be at the knockout level. When using warm spices, the added heat of excess alcohol usually doesn’t play well (but might be a good basis for an aged vintage beer).
The flavors that are often found in English Christmas beers are often provided by brewing sugars or sugary adjuncts. Fortunately, the winter seasonal beer style allows for other fermentable sugars to be present, and many examples benefit from them. Sugars like molasses, honey, Belgian candi syrup, treacle, caramel, and invert sugar can all add incredible depth and flavor to a beer. Dried fruit such as raisins, prunes, figs, as well as the peel of various citrus fruits can add flavor and aroma.
Spicing in winter seasonal beer can run the gamut, but should have a unifying theme. The use of spices should complement and enhance the base beer and the other added ingredients, and often will suggest a specific food memory (however, this is not a strict requirement). Spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ginger, clove, and mace can often be found in holiday foods, but more exotic spices such as star anise or cardamom can also add a unique character. Even the humble vanilla can help round out the flavor combinations of other spices.
There are a few common mistakes when making specialty-type beers that apply to winter seasonal beer. The first is what I call the kitchen sink approach, or using too many ingredients. Brewers often have great ideas, but don’t realize that they have enough ideas for three or four different beers yet want to cram them all into one recipe. This can lead to muddled flavors and an indistinct end product. The second is the “but this one goes to 11” approach, where if a little bit of an ingredient is good, then a lot must be great. This can result in an unbalanced, undrinkable beer. Finally, the last mistake is clashing ingredients. You have to make sure the ingredients you use are compatible with each other and create a pleasant palate experience.
Brewing Seasonal
The five award-winning recipes I selected for this article (starting on page 47) are: Apple Pie Ale by Kevin Dibble and Brian Boyle; Chocolate Cinnamon Hazelnut Milk Stout by Jim Barrie; Gingerbread Ale by Mike Nelson; English Brown Ale with Holiday Spices by Sam Paterson; and Belgian Dubbel with Figs and Star Anise by Sean Torres and Philip Gardner.
Kevin Dibble gave me three great tips about brewing this style:
1. When brewing a winter seasonal beer, have a clear goal for the flavor in mind. Having the right base beer is key in creating the proper blend with the spices. Use darker beers as a base for spiced beer, and lighter style beers as a base for fruit beers to allow the spice and fruit flavors to shine through. You don’t want the beer to overpower the spice and fruit. When using spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg, the higher alcohol beers tend to add a warmth and sweetness that complements the spices well.
2. Try to use spices and fruit that are as fresh as possible. Fresh fruit gives a high quality taste to your beer. Being able to hand-select the fruit going into your beer is always a huge plus. The same goes for spices as well: Use whole spices and grind them yourself. You usually have to use less of the fresh ingredients to get the same flavor.
3. Use spices sparingly. Many novice homebrewers way overuse the spices they add to the beer. This is bad in a few ways. First, some of the spices are very powerful and using too much will make the beer almost unbearable to drink. Secondly, the idea here is to spice the base beer for a nice warming flavor. Too much spice will cause a muddled flavor when you really want to taste all the flavors in harmony. Don’t lose sight of the base style used, but instead build off that flavor and enhance it with spices. Less is more.
I definitely agree with these suggestions. I always start with a concept in mind for any beer style, but it’s pretty much essential in this style. You can ruin a beer at the concept stage as easily as when brewing it. He is also spot on with his comments about avoiding overspicing, and to use the freshest possible ingredients.
Kevin’s thoughts on spices with dark beer and fruit with light beer is interesting, but may be making too many assumptions. When going with a light or dark base style, I think about the flavor contribution of the fruits and spices. If you think of wine, red wines tend to have dark fruit flavors while white wines feature paler fruit. In much the same way, I think beer styles can match compatible fruit flavors (light with light, dark with dark). Some spices are stronger and more pungent than others, so I think that balancing the specific spice with the specific style is what will work best.
Jim Barrie mentioned that he isn’t a big fan of heavily spiced beers, and feels that most commercial examples tend to come out that way. He said his goal was to make a rich holiday ale that still tasted like beer. He said he normally starts with the BJCP guidelines when creating a new recipe. He used a hazelnut extract in his beer, and highly recommends the BSG hazelnut extract as tasting very authentic. I certainly agree that not all ingredients are the same and that if you find a good one, be very careful about substituting it in the future.
I think Jim makes a good point about making sure your final product still tastes like beer. It’s easy to focus entirely on the special ingredients to the point of losing the base beer. I’ve certainly judged a number of beers that had that problem. To be successful, the beer needs to work, the spices need to work, and the combination needs to be in balance, enjoyable, and allowing both components to be recognized. The best results are ones where the extra ingredients are an enhancement not simply something that’s compatible.
Mike Nelson said his best tip was to not be afraid of adjusting the spice profile once the beer is finished. If the flavor profile from the spices isn’t enough, make an extract out of the same spices by steeping them in vodka and then dosing the finished beer. He adjusts the flavor profile by taste. I use a similar approach, although I make a tea from the spices. I find that this is also an opportunity to adjust not just the intensity of the spices but also the balance between the spices. If one particular spice is getting lost, add more of it when making your adjustment potion. But I also agree that you must adjust to taste.
Sam Paterson said that spice freshness is the key to a great spiced beer, especially if using ground spices. The timing of the spice addition is something that also needs experimentation; his experience when using ground spices is that they lose much of their character if added during the boil rather than at knockout. He also advocates multiple spice additions, including a fine-tuning of the spices once the beer has been kegged.
I like the idea of multiple spice additions, kind of like multiple hop additions. You can get a different character from spices added during the boil, during the whirlpool, in the fermenter, or post-fermentation. If you like the flavor from all these methods, you might find that they give you additional complexity. Sean Torres likes to design a beer to accommodate the special ingredients by looking for similar or compatible flavors; he often uses the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) style guidelines for inspiration or for making sure the final product will work well within the style at competitions. He thinks food ideas offer a good start, and likes to research how the special ingredients are handled to enhance their flavor. In the case of his Belgian dubbel, he wanted to slowly roast the figs in order to caramelize them and draw out more of the sugar flavor, finishing them by broiling. This is somewhat different than most food recipes that use fresh figs, but those recipes are preparing the figs for eating not brewing.
He also emphasized that a good recipe can create multiple variations that can work in different styles based on the special additions. He actually won his competition with a Belgian dubbel with figs that very much suggested a holiday beer when I tried it. He added a compatible spice to create a beer that would work in the winter seasonal beer category by looking at what spices typically were used when cooking holiday fig desserts. While he picked star anise, I could also see spices like cinnamon, vanilla, or cardamom also being interesting choices.
I think you can see some common themes running through the comments and suggestions from the brewers. Having a good concept, using fresh ingredients, creating a balanced and enjoyable beer, checking the style guidelines, making sure the final product tastes just right – these are all solid recommendations for almost any style, but they take on a new meaning when considering the special ingredients used in this style. There are always many different ways a brewer can make a style that will score well with judges, and there’s no better place to look than in what other award-winning brewers are doing.
Apple Pie Ale
(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.070 FG = 1.032
IBU = 19 SRM = 21 ABV = 5.4%
By Kevin Dibble and Brian Boyle
Winner of Best In Show at Winterbrew in Chicago, Illinois.
Ingredients
11.5 lbs. (5.2 kg) Maris Otter pale ale malt
2 lbs. 5 oz. (1 kg) crystal malt (60 °L)
7 oz. (198 g) Special B malt
7 oz. (198 g) Carapils® malt
1 cinnamon stick, crushed (5 min.)
8 oz. (227 g) fresh cut red delicious apples (15 min.)
2 lbs. (0.91 kg) fresh cut red delicious apples (secondary)
4 AAU East Kent Golding hops (60 min.)
(0.8 oz./23 g at 5% alpha acids)
2.5 AAU East Kent Golding hops
(20 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 5% alpha acids)
White Labs WLP005 (British Ale) or Wyeast 1187 (Ringwood Ale) or Safale S-04 yeast
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)
Step by Step
Two or three days before brew day, make a 1-qt. (1-L) yeast starter, aerating the wort thoroughly (preferably with oxygen) before pitching the yeast.
On brew day, mash in the malts at 156 °F (69 °C) in 21 qts. (20 L) of water, and hold this temperature for 60 minutes. Sparge with 168 °F (76 °C) water until 6.5 gallons (25 L) of wort is collected.
Boil the wort for 60 minutes, adding the hops and first portion of apples at times indicated in the ingredients list. The cinnamon stick is crushed and then added to the boil. Chill to 68 °F (20 °C).
Oxygenate, then pitch the yeast starter. Ferment at 68 °F (20 °C) until fermentation is complete. Rack the beer onto the second portion of apples. Leave apples for four days, then remove and let beer sit in secondary for another week before cold-crashing.
Prime and bottle condition, or keg and force carbonate to 2.3 volumes.
Apple Pie Ale
(5 gallons/19 L, extract with grains)
OG = 1.070 FG = 1.032
IBU = 19 SRM = 21 ABV = 5.4%
Ingredients
8 lbs. (3.6 kg) light liquid malt extract
2 lbs. 5 oz. (1 kg) crystal malt (60 °L)
7 oz. (198 g) Special B malt
7 oz. (198 g) Carapils® malt
1 cinnamon stick, crushed (5 min.)
8 oz. (227 g) fresh cut red delicious apples (15 min.)
2 lbs. (0.91 kg) fresh cut red delicious apples (secondary)
4 AAU East Kent Golding hops (60 min.)
(0.8 oz./23 g at 5% alpha acids)
2.5 AAU East Kent Golding hops
(20 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 5% alpha acids)
White Labs WLP005 (British Ale) or Wyeast 1187 (Ringwood Ale) or Safale S-04 yeast
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)
Step by Step
Two or three days before brew day, make a 1-qt. (1-L) yeast starter, aerating the wort thoroughly (preferably with oxygen) before pitching the yeast.
Use 6 gallons (23 L) of water in the brew kettle; heat to 158 °F (70 °C). Place the crushed malts in a mesh bag, and steep in the hot water for 30 minutes. Remove the mesh bag, then turn the heat off.
Add the liquid malt extract and stir thoroughly to dissolve the extract completely. You do not want to feel liquid extract at the bottom of the kettle when stirring with your spoon. Turn the heat back on and bring to a boil. Boil the wort for 60 minutes, adding the hops at the times indicated in the
recipe. The remainder of this recipe is the same as the all-grain version.
Tips for success:
When brewing with fresh fruit, you can sometimes encounter a haze in your beer from the pectin in the fruit. This happens most often when pectin is heated, such as in the boil. To prevent any pectin haze from forming, you can treat your beer with an enzyme called pectinase. To do this, add pectinase at a rate of 1⁄4 tsp. per 5 gallons (19 L) during primary fermentation. When adding fresh fruit to the secondary, take a cue from winemakers and prevent contamination by adding sulfur dioxide. To do this you can use Campden tablets, which are available at any homebrew or home winemaking supplier. Add one crushed Campden tablet forevery gallon (3.8 L) of unpasteurized juice. Wait 24 hours before adding to the wort or beer.
Belgian Dubbel with Figs and Star Anise
(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.071 FG = 1.017
IBU = 28 SRM = 28+ ABV = 7.5%
By Sean Torres and Philip Gardner
First-place winner at Homebrew Alley in New York City.
Ingredients
5 lbs. 6 oz. (2.4 kg) Pilsner malt
4 lbs. 5 oz. (2 kg) Munich malt
13 oz. (369 g) aromatic malt
9 oz. (255 g) Caramunich® II malt (45 °L)
4 oz. (113 g) Special B malt
1.5 lbs. (680 g) D-90 Candi Syrup (10 min.)
8 oz. (227 g) D-180 Candi Syrup (10 min.)
1.5 lbs. (680 g) figs, roasted (0 min.)
1 whole star anise (0 min.)
6.2 AAU Styrian Golding hops (60 min.)
(1.15 oz./33 g at 5.4% alpha acids)
1 oz. (28 g) Styrian Golding hops (1 min.)
Wyeast 1762 (Belgian Abbey II) or White Labs WLP540 (Abbey IV Ale) or Lallemand Abbaye yeast
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)
Step by Step
Two or three days before brew day, make a 1-qt. (1-L) yeast starter, aerating the wort thoroughly (preferably with oxygen) before pitching the yeast.
Prepare the roasted figs. Select fresh, ripe, plump figs (Black Mission figs, preferably). Wash, dry, and cut the stem and top off, then slice in half lengthwise. Roast cut side up at 325 °F
(163 °C) for 2 to 2.5 hours, checking to make sure they don’t burn or get too dry. The goal is to get the figs very soft and the sugars deeply caramelized. Run the figs under a broiler briefly if necessary to get final caramelization. Let cool. Mash the figs into a paste and reserve for later.
On brew day, mash in the malts at 151 °F (66 °C) in 18 qts. (17 L) of water, and hold this temperature for 90 minutes. Sparge with 170 °F (77 °C) water until 6.5 gallons (25 L) of wort is collected.
Boil wort for 90 minutes, adding the hops at times indicated. Add the candi syrups with 10 minutes remaining in the boil. Put the figs and star anise ina mesh bag and add at knockout. Steep for 15 minutes then chill to 66 °F (19 °C). Oxygenate, then pitch the yeast starter. Ferment at 66 °F (19 °C) until fermentation is complete. Prime and bottle condition, or keg and force carbonate to 2.5 volumes.
Belgian Dubbel with Figs and Star Anise
(5 gallons/19 L, extract with grains)
OG = 1.071 FG = 1.017
IBU = 28 SRM = 28+ ABV = 7.5%
Ingredients
3.6 lbs. (1.6 kg) liquid Pilsner malt extract
3.3 lbs. (1.5 kg) liquid Munich malt extract
9 oz. (255 g) Caramunich® II malt (45 °L)
4 oz. (113 g) Special B malt
1.5 lbs. (680 g) D-90 Candi Syrup (10 min.)
8 oz. (227 g) D-180 Candi Syrup (10 min.)
1.5 lbs. (680 g) figs, roasted (0 min.)
1 whole star anise (0 min.)
6.2 AAU Styrian Golding hops (60 min.)
(1.15 oz./33 g at 5.4% alpha acids)
1 oz. (28 g) Styrian Golding hops(1 min.)
Wyeast 1762 (Belgian Abbey II) or White Labs WLP540 (Abbey IV Ale) or Lallemand Abbaye yeast
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)
Step by Step
Two or three days before brew day, make a 1-qt. (1-L) yeast starter, aerating the wort thoroughly (preferably with oxygen) before pitching the yeast.
Prepare the roasted figs as described in the all-grain version. Use 6 gallons (23 L) of water in the brew kettle; heat to 158 °F (70 °C).
Place the crushed malts in a mesh bag, and steep in the hot water for 30 minutes. Remove the mesh bag, then turn the heat off. Add the liquid malt extracts and stir thoroughly to dissolve the extract completely. You do not want to feel liquid extract at the bottom of the kettle when stirring with your spoon. Turn the heat back on and bring to a boil. Boil the wort for 60 minutes, adding the hops at the times indicated. Add the candi syrups with 10 minutes remaining in the boil. Put the figs and star anise in a mesh bag and add at knockout. Steep for 15 minutes then chill to 66 °F (19 °C). Oxygenate, then pitch the yeast starter. Ferment at 66 °F (19 °C) until fermentation is complete. Prime and bottle condition, or keg and carbonate to 2.5 volumes.
Chocolate Cinnamon Hazelnut Milk Stout
(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.055 FG = 1.016
IBU = 25 SRM = 38 ABV = 5.2%
By Jim Barrie
Best in Show at Hogtown Brewers Fall Intraclub Competition in Gainsville, Florida.
Ingredients
8.5 lbs. (3.6 kg) pale ale malt
9 oz. (255 g) flaked oats
9 oz. (255 g) roasted barley (500 °L)
9 oz. (255 g) chocolate malt (350 °L)
5 oz. (142 g) crystal malt (60 °L)
5 oz. (142 g) crystal malt (120 °L)
9 oz. (255 g) lactose (15 min.)
2 cinnamon sticks (secondary)
6 oz. (170 g) cacao nibs (secondary)
hazelnut extract, to taste (secondary)
6.2 AAU Magnum hops (60 min.)
(0.5 oz./14 g at 12.3% alpha acids)
Wyeast 1056 (American Ale) or White Labs WLP001 (California Ale) or Safale US-05 yeast
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)
Step by Step
Two or three days before brew day, make a 1-qt. (1-L) yeast starter, aerating the wort thoroughly (preferably with oxygen) before pitching the yeast. On brew day, mash in the malts at 155 °F (68 °C) in 16 qts. (15 L) of water, and hold this temperature for 60 minutes. Sparge with 168 °F (76 °C)
water until 6.5 gallons (25 L) of wort is collected. Boil the wort for 60 minutes, adding the hops at times indicated in the recipe. Add the lactose with 15 minutes remaining in the boil. Chill to 68 °F (20 °C).
Oxygenate the wort well, then pitch the yeast starter. Ferment at 68 °F (20 °C) until fermentation is complete. Soak the cacao nibs and cinnamon sticks in vodka for 1–7 days, then add it all to the secondary and wait one week. Rack the beer into keg or secondary, adding hazelnut extract to taste. Prime and bottle condition, or keg and force carbonate to 2.3 volumes.
Chocolate Cinnamon Hazelnut Milk Stout
(5 gallons/19 L, extract with grains)
OG = 1.055 FG = 1.016
IBU = 25 SRM = 38 ABV = 5.2%
Ingredients
5.5 lbs. (2.5 kg) light liquid malt extract
9 oz. (255 g) Carapils® malt
9 oz. (255 g) roasted barley (500 °L)
9 oz. (255 g) chocolate malt (350 °L)
5 oz. (142 g) crystal malt (60 °L)
5 oz. (142 g) crystal malt (120 °L)
9 oz. (255 g) lactose (15 min.)
2 cinnamon sticks (secondary)
6 oz. (170 g) cacao nibs (secondary)
hazelnut extract, to taste (secondary)
6 AAU Magnum hops (60 min.)
(0.5 oz./14 g at 12.3% alpha acids)
Wyeast 1056 (American Ale) or White Labs WLP001 (California Ale) or Safale US-05 yeast
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)
Step by Step
Two or three days before brew day, make a 1-qt. (1-L) yeast starter, aerating the wort thoroughly (preferably with oxygen) before pitching the yeast. Use 6 gallons (23 L) of water in the brew kettle; heat to 158 °F (70 °C).
Place the crushed malts and grains in a mesh bag, and steep in the hot water for 30 minutes. Remove the mesh bag, then turn the heat off.
Add the liquid malt extract and stir thoroughly to dissolve the extract completely. You do not want to feel liquid extract at the bottom of the kettle when stirring with your spoon. Turn the heat back on and bring to a boil. Boil the wort for 60 minutes, adding the hops and lactose at the times indicated in the recipe. The remainder of this recipe is the same as the all-grain version.
Tips for success:
Milk stout gets its name from the practice of adding lactose to sweeten the beer. Lactose is only mildly sweet, but it is not fermentable. It will also add body to the beer. Keep in mind that your friends who are lactose intolerant, or strict vegan will not be able to drink this beer. If you want to brew with an alternative sweetener, you can experiment with maltodextrin, which is also non-fermentable (although maltodextrin will not provide exactly the same profile as using lactose).
Serve this beer at around 52 to 55 °F (11 to 13 °C) if possible —it will allow the character of the beer to really shine. Colder temperatures can mute some of the nuances of the style.
Gingerbread Ale
(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.060 FG = 1.016
IBU = 22 SRM = 19 ABV = 5.8%
By Mike Nelson
Best in Show at the Ramona Homebrew Competition in San Diego, California.
Ingredients
9 lbs. (4.1 kg) Maris Otter pale ale malt
12 oz. (340 g) crystal malt (60 °L)
4.5 oz. (128 g) chocolate malt
4 oz. (113 g) Vienna malt
1 lb. (454 g) honey (30 min.)
4 oz. (113 g) molasses (30 min.)
4 cinnamon sticks (0 min.)
1 vanilla bean, split (0 min.)
5 cloves (0 min.)
1⁄8 tsp. ground nutmeg (0 min.)
1⁄2 tsp. ground allspice (0 min.)
1.5 oz (43 g) freshly grated ginger (0 min.)
2 large oranges, zested (0 min.)
6.25 AAU Golding hops (60 min.)
(1.25 oz./35 g at 5% alpha acids)
White Labs WLP005 (British Ale) or Wyeast 1187 (Ringwood Ale) or Safale S-04 yeast
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)
Step by Step
Two or three days before brew day, make a 1-qt. (1-L) yeast starter, aerating the wort thoroughly (preferably with oxygen) before pitching the yeast. On brew day, mash in the malts at 155 °F (68 °C) in 16 qts. (15 L) of water, and hold this temperature for 60 minutes. Sparge with 168 °F (76 °C) water until 6.5 gallons (25 L) of wort is collected.
Boil the wort for 90 minutes, adding the hops at times indicated in the recipe. Add the molasses and honey in the last 30 minutes. Add the spices at the end of the boil and steep for 20 minutes. Chill to 68 °F (20 °C). Oxygenate the wort well, then pitch the yeast starter. Ferment at 68 °F (20 °C) until fermentation is complete. Prime and bottle condition, or keg and force carbonate to 2.3 volumes.
Gingerbread Ale
(5 gallons/19 L, extract with grains)
OG = 1.060 FG = 1.016
IBU = 22 SRM = 19 ABV = 5.8%
Ingredients
6.25 lbs. (2.8 kg) light liquid malt extract
12 oz. (340 g) crystal malt (60 °L)
4.5 oz. (128 g) chocolate malt
4 oz. (113 g) Vienna malt
1 lb. (454 g) honey (30 min.)
4 oz. (113 g) molasses (30 min.)
4 cinnamon sticks (0 min.)
1 vanilla bean, split (0 min.)
5 cloves (0 min.)
1⁄8 tsp. ground nutmeg (0 min.)
1⁄2 tsp. ground allspice (0 min.)
1.5 oz. (43 g) freshly grated ginger (0 min.)
2 large oranges, zested (0 min.)
6.25 AAU Golding hops (60 min.)
(1.25 oz./35 g at 5% alpha acid)
White Labs WLP005 (British Ale) or Wyeast 1187 (Ringwood Ale) or Safale S-04 yeast
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)
Step by Step
Two or three days before brew day, make a 1-qt. (1-L) yeast starter, aerating the wort thoroughly (preferably with oxygen) before pitching the yeast. Use 6 gallons (23 L) of water in the brew kettle; heat to 158 °F (70 °C).
Place the crushed malts in a mesh bag, and steep in the hot water for 30 minutes. Remove the mesh bag, then turn the heat off. Add the liquid malt extract and stir thoroughly to dissolve the extract completely. You do not want to feel liquid extract at the bottom of the kettle when stirring with your spoon. Turn the heat back on and bring to a boil. Boil the wort for 60 minutes, adding the hops at the times indicated in the recipe. Add the molasses and honey in the last 30 minutes. Add the spices at the end of the boil and steep for 20 minutes.
Chill to 68 °F (20 °C). Oxygenate the wort well, then pitch the yeast starter. Ferment at 68 °F (20 °C) until fermentation is complete. Prime and bottle condition, or keg and force carbonate to 2.3 volumes.
Holiday Ale
(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.054 FG = 1.017
IBU = 27 SRM = 11 ABV = 4.9%
By Sam Paterson
Best of Show at Arizona Society of Homebrewers HBOY Holiday Ales competition in Phoenix, Arizona.
Ingredients
9.5 lbs. (4.3 kg) pale ale malt
10 oz. (283 g) aromatic malt
10 oz. (283 g) crystal malt (40 °L)
5 oz. (142 g) Briess Special Roast malt (40 °L)
1⁄2 tsp. ground cinnamon (0 min.)
1⁄4 tsp. ground ginger (0 min.)
1⁄8 tsp. ground allspice (0 min.)
1⁄8 tsp. ground nutmeg (0 min.)
1⁄8 tsp. ground cloves (0 min.)
1⁄8 tsp. ground cinnamon (secondary)
1⁄16 tsp. ground ginger (secondary)
dash of nutmeg (secondary)
dash of allspice (secondary)
7.2 AAU Golding hops (60 min.)
(1 oz./28g at 7.2% alpha acids)
White Labs WLP002 (English Ale) or Wyeast 1968 (London ESB Ale) or Lallemand Windsor yeast
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)
Step by Step
Two or three days before brew day, make a 1-qt. (1-L) yeast starter, aerating the wort thoroughly (preferably with oxygen) before pitching the yeast.
On brew day, mash in the malts at 155 °F (68 °C) in 18 qts. (17 L) of water, and hold this temperature for 60 minutes. Sparge with 168 °F (76 °C) water until 6.5 gallons (25 L) of wort is collected.
Boil the wort for 60 minutes, adding the hops at times indicated in the recipe. Add the spices at the end of the boil and steep for 5 minutes then immediately chill to 67 °F (19 °C).
Oxygenate, then pitch the yeast starter. Ferment at 67 °F (19 °C) until fermentation is complete. Add the second round of spices to the beer either in secondary or keg. Prime and bottle condition, or keg and force carbonate to 2.3 volumes.
Holiday Ale
(5 gallons/19 L, extract with grains)
OG = 1.054 FG = 1.017
IBU = 27 SRM = 11 ABV = 4.9%
Ingredients
7 lbs. (3.2 kg) light liquid malt extract
10 oz. (283 g) crystal malt (40 °L)
5 oz. (142 g) Briess Special Roast malt (40 °L)
1⁄2 tsp. ground cinnamon (0 min.)
1⁄4 tsp. ground ginger (0 min.)
1⁄8 tsp. ground allspice (0 min.)
1⁄8 tsp. ground nutmeg (0 min.)
1⁄8 tsp. ground cloves (0 min.)
1⁄8 tsp. ground cinnamon (secondary)
1⁄16 tsp. groundginger (secondary)
dash of nutmeg (secondary)
dash of allspice (secondary)
7.2 AAU Golding hops (60 min.)
(1 oz./28 g at 7.2% alpha acids)
White Labs WLP002 (English Ale) or Wyeast 1968 (London ESB Ale) or Lallemand Windsor yeast
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)
Step by Step
Two or three days before brew day, make a 1-qt. (1-L) yeast starter, aerating the wort thoroughly (preferably with oxygen) before pitching the yeast. On brew day, use 6 gallons (23 L) of water in the brew kettle; heat to 158 °F (70 °C). Place the crushed malts in a mesh bag, and steep in the hot water for 30 minutes. Remove the mesh bag, then turn the heat off.
Add the liquid malt extract and stir thoroughly to dissolve the extract completely. You do not want to feel liquid extract at the bottom of the kettle when stirring with your spoon. Turn the heat back on and bring to a boil. Boil the wort for 60 minutes, adding the hops at the times indicated in the recipe. Add the spices at the end of the boil and steep for 5 minutes. The remainder of this recipe is the same as the all-grain version.
Tips for success:
One thing to look out for when brewing with spices is to get them as fresh as possible. Spices can also change in potency from year to year. Doug Odell of Odell Brewing Co. in Fort Collins, Colorado says, “Always keep some of the spices you use around so you can compare them with newer ones. Make a little tea and keep notes from one year to the next or one batch to the next. See how one teaspoon in a quart of wort boiled for one minute tastes, and go from there.”
