X-Mas Ale 2024

Every year since I started homebrewing (way back in 2009), I've brewed an X-Mas Ale to have around the holidays.

The base beer was always a very similar "Winter Warmer", and I'd add various ingredients to make it more of a "Holiday" Beer.

Over the years, I added wood spirals, vanilla, cherry pomegranate, chocolate, peppermint, peanut butter, hazelnut, cherry, and many other flavorings.

When I started thinking about the 2024 X-Mas Ale, I had been doing the Roll-a-Style series of brews for over a year.

17A. British Strong Ale had been sitting on the list for quite some time, and at some point I wondered if I should just mark off that as a style that I had already brewed as one of my base-beer-only X-Mas Ales.

But ... I decided that this style wasn't exactly what I was brewing on the base beers.

I decided, though, that I would switch up the base a bit to make it match the "British Strong" a little closer, and make this new recipe the 2024 X-Mas ale.

This is the recipe I came up with.

It is lighter in color than most (maybe all) of my previous X-Mas Ales. It is maybe a little less malty and caramel. Less chocolate notes. Maybe a bit more dry. 

It turned out significantly less in ABV than planned and most (maybe all) of the previous X-Mas Ales.

Still a nice little holiday beer to enjoy during the 2024 holidays.

I brewed it at the 2024 "Learn to Homebrew Day" party we had. Some mistakes were made, but I think I got everything mostly in place. The original gravity turned out real low, but sometimes that just happens. (especially when I'm drinking and brewing with friends)

X-Mas Ale 2024 --- Batch 1 (365)

Style		British Strong Ale		Batch Size		5.50 gal
Type		All Grain		Boil Size		7.33 gal
Brewhouse Efficiency		70.00		Boil Time		40 minutes

Recipe Characteristics

Recipe Gravity		1.067 SG		Estimated FG		1.017 SG
Recipe Bitterness		39.8 IBUs (Rager)		Alcohol by Volume		6.7 %
BU : GU		0.590
Recipe Color		16.0 SRM		Color
Measured OG:		1.060		Measured FG:		1.014
ADF:		76		Measured ABV:		6.1

Ingredients

Ingredients

Amt	Name	Type	#	%/IBU	Volume
9.02 gal	Denver, Colorado	Water	1	-	-
4.00 g	Calcium Chloride (Mash)	Water Agent	2	-	-
2.00 g	Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate) (Mash)	Water Agent	3	-	-
1.00 tsp	Lactic Acid (Mash)	Water Agent	4	-	-
13 lbs	Pale Malt, Maris Otter (3.0 SRM)	Grain	5	92.0 %	1.02 gal
8.0 oz	Crystal, Light (Simpsons) (40.0 SRM)	Grain	6	3.5 %	0.04 gal
4.0 oz	Crystal, Extra Dark (Simpsons) (180.0 SRM)	Grain	7	1.8 %	0.02 gal
4.0 oz	Crystal, Medium (Simpsons) (70.0 SRM)	Grain	8	1.8 %	0.02 gal
2.0 oz	Chocolate (Crisp) (630.0 SRM)	Grain	9	0.9 %	0.01 gal
1.000 oz	Magnum [12.60 %] - Boil 40.0 min	Hop	10	36.0 IBUs	-
1.00 Items	Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 10.0 mins)	Fining	11	-	-
1.000 oz	Goldings, East Kent [5.00 %] - Boil 10.0 min	Hop	12	3.8 IBUs	-
1.00 tsp	Yeast Nutrient (Boil 10.0 mins)	Other	13	-	-
1.0 pkg	SafAle English Ale (DCL/Fermentis #S-04) [23.66 ml]	Yeast	14	-	-

Mash Profile

Mash Steps

Name	Description	Step Temperature	Step Time
Mash In	Add 17.66 qt of water at 163.7 F	152.0 F	60 min

Batch sparge with 2 steps (Drain mash tun , 4.61gal) of 168.0 F water

Recipe Notes
Prepare total volume of water with salts bring Denver water profile (as defined by BeerSmith) to
Ca=82,Mg=8,Na=21,SO4=87,Cl=86,HCO3=104
Acid addition to bring expected mash pH to 5.4
Mash as instructed. Batch sparge.
40 minute boil making additions as instructed in recipe.
Cool wort to as close to 60F as possible. Add to fermenter. Aerate wort and pitch yeast.
Ferment at 60F for 24 hours or so. Try to keep fermentation between 60 and 65 for a couple days, then let the temperature go where it want to.

Brewing Record

Brew Date:				Strike Temp:
Mash Temps:
Pre-boil OG		(1.058 SG)		Pre-boil Vol		(7.33 gal)
Actual Mash Efficiency				Pitch Temp
Fermentation
Day 1:
Day ...
Day ...