My Special Ale

(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.070  FG = 1.017
IBU = 30  SRM = 32  ABV = 7%

An ode to Anchor Brewing Co.’s annual holiday release Our Special Ale with advice gleaned from former longtime Anchor Brewmaster Scott Ungermann.

Ingredients
12.5 lbs. (5.7 kg) 2-row pale malt
13 oz. (370 g) crystal malt (40 °L)
6 oz. (170 g) chocolate malt
6 oz. (170 g) Briess Midnight Wheat malt
6 oz. (170 g) Special B malt
6 oz. (170 g) Briess Victory® malt
6.8 AAU Northern Brewer hops (60 min.) (0.8 oz./23 g at 8.5% alpha acids)
2.2 AAU Cascade hops (60 min.) (0.4 oz./11 g at 5.5% alpha acids)
1.25 oz. (35 g) Fuggle hops (dry hop)
1⁄2 tsp. ground cardamom (mash)
1⁄4 tsp. ground cinnamon (5 min.)
1⁄2 tsp. ground coriander (5 min.)
1⁄2 tsp. ground juniper berries (5 min.) 
1 tsp. bitter orange peel (5 min.)
0.2 oz. (8 g) gypsum (optional if using very low mineral water)
White Labs WLP051 (California Ale V), Wyeast 1272 (American Ale Yeast II), or Mangrove Jack’s M36 (Liberty Bell Ale) yeast
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (for priming)

Step by Step
Mill grains and mix with cardamom and 5.9 gallons (22.4 L) of 160 °F (71 °C) strike water and optional gypsum to reach a mash temperature of 149 °F (65 °C). Hold this temperature for 60 minutes. Vorlauf until your runnings are clear. Sparge the grains with 1.7 gallons (6.5 L) of 168 °F (76 °C) water and top up if necessary to obtain 6.25 gallons (24 L) of wort. 

Boil for 60 minutes, adding hops according to the ingredients list. Add the cinnamon, coriander, juniper berries, and bitter orange peel in the last five minutes. Once you reach an original gravity of 1.070, turn off the heat and chill the wort to slightly below fermentation temperature, about 65 °F (18 °C). If using liquid yeast, aerate the wort with pure oxygen or filtered air before pitching yeast. Ferment at 67 °F (19 °C) for four days.  Add dry-hop addition and raise to 72 °F (22 °C) for three days. Once at terminal gravity (approximately seven days total) bottle or keg the beer and carbonate to 2.6 volumes CO₂.

Extract with grains version:
Replace the pale malt with 7 lbs. (3.2 kg) extra light dried malt extract. Fill pot with 5.2 gallons (19.7 L) of water and optional gypsum. Place grains and cardamom in a large muslin bag and submerge into the water. Begin heating and when the water reaches 165 °F (74 °C) remove the grains, allowing to drip back into the pot. Turn off heat and stir in the malt extract until completely dissolved. Bring to a boil and boil for 60 minutes, adding hops and spices according to the ingredients list. 

After 60 minutes, turn off the heat and chill the wort to slightly below fermentation temperature, about 65 °F (18 °C). Aerate the wort with pure oxygen or filtered air (if using a liquid yeast strain), pitch yeast, and top up fermenter to 5.25 gallons (20 L). 

Follow the remainder of the instructions from the all-grain recipe.