December 2004
Article
SamiClones
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
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.
Recipe
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)
Recipe
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.
Recipe
Redhook Ale Brewery’s Winterhook clone
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
Summit Brewing Co.’s Winter Ale clone
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
Pyramid Snow Cap Ale clone
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
Widmer Brothers Brewing Co.’s SnowPlow Milk Stout clone
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
Full Sail Brewing Co.’s Wassail clone
This deep mahogany winter warmer is a 13-time gold medal winner. It is available from October through December each year.
Recipe
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.
Recipe
Saint Arnold Christmas Ale clone
“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
Carolina Beer Co.’s Cottonwood Frostbite clone
“It is a hoppier beer, (but) is very drinkable and heavier for the season.” — head brewer, Nikki Koontz
Recipe
Big Sky Powder Hound clone
“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
Harpoon Winter Warmer clone
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
Highland Brewing Co.’s Highland Heather Ale clone
Heather (Calluna vulgaris) are evergreen branching shrubs. They can be found throughout Western Europe and in parts of northeastern North America and Siberia.
Recipe
St. Charles Smoked Beer
Ed Seaman • 2003 AHA Nationals Gold Medal Winner, Category 23: Smoke-Flavored Beer>
Recipe
California Common
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?
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
What is the proper way to force carbonate a keg of homebrew?
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
Home Lab Tests
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
Draftline Cleaner: Projects
The last link between you and your brew is your draft lines. Keep ’em clean with this simple, but highly useful, project.
Article
High Elevation Brewing
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.