December 2004

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SamiClones

By Bill Pierce

It’s arguably the most famous holiday beer in the world – Samichlaus. Learn from homebrewers who have made it how to clone this Christmas classic.

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Schloss Eggenberg: Samichlaus clone

For a long time, Samiclaus held the title as strongest beer in the world. Samichlaus is a doppelbock that continues to develop the longer it is aged.

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Magic Hat Brewing Co.’s Feast of Fools clone

“This beer is more along the style of a sweet stout. There’s no milk sugar, but we use one pound of fresh raspberries per gallon!” — Magic Hat head brewer Matt Cohen (now owner of Fiddlehead Brewing Co. in Shelburne, Vermont)

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Avery Brewing Company’s Old Jubilation Ale clone

Available October through November, Old Jubilation is a winter strong ale that features a hint of hazelnuts, mocha, toffee, and spice.

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Redhook Ale Brewery’s Winterhook clone

By Steve Bader

This is a clone of one of the Winterhook Dark Ale batches, but according to their website Winterhook is “Crafted with an evolving mix of malts and hops, each yearly edition of Winterhook is one-of-a-kind.” Check out Redhook’s website for the latest rendition of this beer!

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Summit Brewing Co.’s Winter Ale clone

By BYO Staff

First brewed in 1987, this winter warmer exhibits bready, toasted malt flavors with hints of coffee, caramel, black cherry, cocoa, and a dash of hop spice.

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Pyramid Snow Cap Ale clone

By BYO Staff

This full-bodied winter warmer is brewed in the spirit of British winter ales. Crafted with a flurry of roasted chocolate and caramel malts, and generously hopped, it delivers a smooth finish that makes this beer the perfect cold weather companion. This clone recipe first ran in the July 1998 issue and has been tweaked several times through the years.

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Widmer Brothers Brewing Co.’s SnowPlow Milk Stout clone

By BYO Staff

This recipe has been officially retired from Widmer Brother’s seasonal rotation, but they will bring it back from time to time. You can brew this sweet stout year round though, thanks to Widmer Brothers for sharing the recipe.

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Full Sail Brewing Co.’s Wassail clone

By BYO Staff

This deep mahogany winter warmer is a 13-time gold medal winner. It is available from October through December each year.

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Breckenridge Brewery’s Christmas Ale clone

Breckenridge Brewery describes this winter warmer as a beer with extra flavor and strength, with a sturdy texture and rich flavors of caramel and chocolate.

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Saint Arnold Christmas Ale clone

By BYO Staff

“There are no spices in (the Christmas Ale) at all, but I would have sworn there was before I started working here.”
— Saint Arnold Brewing brewmaster, Dave Fougeron

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Carolina Beer Co.’s Cottonwood Frostbite clone

By BYO Staff

“It is a hoppier beer, (but) is very drinkable and heavier for the season.” — head brewer, Nikki Koontz

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Big Sky Powder Hound clone

By BYO Staff

“Powder Hound is traditional in style, but as far as a winter beer, it is still something that could be considered a session beer. In keeping it around six percent ABV, it remains much more drinkable.”
—Matt Long, head brewer at Big Sky Brewing

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Harpoon Winter Warmer clone

By BYO Staff

First brewed by Harpoon in 1988, this beer has become a New England seasonal classic. Cinnamon and nutmeg dominate the aroma. The taste is a rich combination of the holiday spices and the hearty malt backbone. There is a mild sweetness to the finish along with the lingering flavor of the spices.

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Highland Brewing Co.’s Highland Heather Ale clone

By BYO Staff

Heather (Calluna vulgaris) are evergreen branching shrubs.  They can be found throughout Western Europe and in parts of northeastern North America and Siberia.

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St. Charles Smoked Beer

By BYO Staff

Ed Seaman • 2003 AHA Nationals Gold Medal Winner, Category 23: Smoke-Flavored Beer>

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California Common

By BYO Staff

A basic California Common (American Lager) recipe utilizing Cluster hops to provide a classic American hop character.

mr-wizard

When you want to double the batch size of a recipe, do you just double all the ingredients also?

By BYO Staff

mr-wizard

What is the proper way to force carbonate a keg of homebrew?

By BYO Staff

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Home Lab Tests

By Chris Colby

Does this look infected? Even if your beers tastes fine, it has some level of contamination. Learn how to find out if your beer is in the clear or if you’re one pitch away from disaster.

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Draftline Cleaner: Projects

By Thom Cannell

The last link between you and your brew is your draft lines. Keep ’em clean with this simple, but highly useful, project.

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High Elevation Brewing

By Glenn BurnSilver

At high altitudes, water boils at a lower temperature. How does that affect mile-high homebrewers? Read this article and find out. Plus: a high-altitude recipe from a New Mexican brewery at 7,000 ft.