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December 2004

Article

Article

SamiClones

FREE

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.

Recipe

Recipe

Schloss Eggenberg: Samichlaus clone

FREE

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.

Recipe

Recipe

Magic Hat Brewing Co.’s Feast of Fools clone

FREE

“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)

Recipe

Recipe

Avery Brewing Company’s Old Jubilation Ale clone

FREE

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

Recipe

Recipe

Redhook Ale Brewery’s Winterhook clone

FREE

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!

Recipe

Recipe

Summit Brewing Co.’s Winter Ale clone

FREE

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.

Recipe

Recipe

Pyramid Snow Cap Ale clone

FREE

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.

Recipe

Recipe

Widmer Brothers Brewing Co.’s SnowPlow Milk Stout clone

FREE

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.

Recipe

Recipe

Full Sail Brewing Co.’s Wassail clone

FREE

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

Recipe

Recipe

Breckenridge Brewery’s Christmas Ale clone

FREE

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.

Recipe

Recipe

Saint Arnold Christmas Ale clone

FREE

“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

Recipe

Recipe

Carolina Beer Co.’s Cottonwood Frostbite clone

FREE

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

Recipe

Recipe

Big Sky Powder Hound clone

FREE

“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

Recipe

Recipe

Harpoon Winter Warmer clone

FREE

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.

Recipe

Recipe

Highland Brewing Co.’s Highland Heather Ale clone

FREE

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

Recipe

Recipe

St. Charles Smoked Beer

FREE

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

Recipe

Recipe

California Common

FREE

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

Mr. Wizard

Mr. Wizard

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

FREE

Dear Mr. Wizard, I’m a partial mash brewer and formerly brewed single, 5-gallon (19-L) batches using 2.5 gallons (9.5 L) of water in the brew pot. After the boil was complete, we

Mr. Wizard

Mr. Wizard

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

FREE

Dear Mr. Wizard, I used my keg system for the first time recently and force carbonated my brew by chilling the beer, applying approximately 30 pounds of carbon dioxide pressure and shaking

Article

Article

Home Lab Tests

FREE

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.

Project

Project

Draftline Cleaner: Projects

FREE

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

Article

Article

High Elevation Brewing

FREE

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.