Don’t miss our New England Beer & Baseball adventure in 2026! Click here to register!

recipe

Sleepy Bear Wassail

Sleepy Bear Wassail

(5 gallons/19 L, partial mash) OG = 1.078 FG = 1.021 IBU = 49

Ingredients

5 lbs. two-row pale malt
0.5 lb. chocolate malt
0.75 lb. special roast malt
5 lbs. light malt extract
1 lb. of either honey or molasses, depending on taste
1 oz. Wye Target hops (8.4% alpha acid, 8.4 AAUs) for 60 min.
2 oz. Willamette hops (5.6% alpha acid, 11.2 AAUs) for 30 min. 1 Tbsp. fresh ginger, grated
1 tsp. freshly ground cinnamon stick
2 oz. vodka or grain alcohol Wyeast 1084 (Irish ale) or White Labs WLP002 (English ale) yeast
1 cup dry malt extract for priming

Step by Step

Heat 1.5 gal. water to 163° F. Mash in grains, hold at 150° to 153° F for 45 min. Sparge with enough 168° F water to collect 2.25 gal. in brew pot. Top up to 5.5 gal. and bring to boil, stirring in malt extract just before the boil begins.

Total boil is 60 min. Add Wye Target hops and boil for 30 min. Add Willamette hops and boil for an additional 25 min. Add either molasses or honey (or 0.5 lb. of each) and boil for remaining 5 min., then cool to 70° F and pitch yeast.

Ferment for nine days at 70° F, then transfer to secondary and allow to condition for 10 days at 70° F. When racking to secondary, steep ground ginger and cinnamon in grain alcohol for 10 to 15 min., then introduce all into secondary before transferring. After conditioning, prime with dry malt extract and bottle. Age for four weeks.

You might also like…

Glass of beer next to Monster of Reinvention can. recipe

Lindgren Craft Brewery’s Monster of Reinvention clone

This IPA is brewed using 100% spent fresh hops for a smooth bitterness.

Can of WeldWerks coffee coconut stout. recipe

Weldwerks Brewing’s Coffee Coconut Stout clone

This imperial milk stout is loaded with toasted coconut and coffee aromas and flavors.

recipe

The Maltose Falcons 50th Anniversary Festbier

The Falcons and Sierra Nevada have had a long history and close relationship over the years. Something about members of the Grossman clan an

recipe

Browniewine

Volume-wise, booze-wise, and holy crap-wise, this still remains our “biggest” collaboration to date (only Sierra Nevada brews more beer