X-Mas Ale 2020
Brewed: 11/07/2020 Kegged: 11/21/2020
Every year since I started home-brewing (way back in 2009), I've brewed an X-Mas Ale to have around the holidays. Over the years, they have been very similar base beers. They range in color from a darker amber ale to a dark brown ale. They range in ABV from around 5.5% to over 8.3%. Most have had non-traditional beer flavoring. A couple have simply been base beers. I've added Cherries, Honey, Almond Extract, Vanilla Extract, and Ground Cloves. I've added Cinnamon, and Apple Pie Spice. I've added Hazelnut Extract, Peppermint Extract, Blueberry Extract. One beer was Peanut Butter flavored. One had white chocolate flavoring. I even made a smoked X-Mas Ale. 2020, I asked my wife (aka the SheppyBrew Beer Model) what she would like the X-Mas Beer to be. She told me her favorite was the chocolate peppermint flavored X-Mas Ales.
Looking through my LBS website, I saw they had Chocolate flavoring. They also had "Peppermint Leaves". I decided to go with the "Happy Wife. Happy Life" philosophy, and go with the chocolate peppermint flavoring with these ingredients. I designed the beer to hit 7.2% abv. A little darker than 2019, but certainly not as dark as some of the X-Mas Ales over the years.
I brewed this later in the year than I probably should have, so it won't be ready by thanksgiving, but should be a great beer to enjoy over the winter holidays.
X-Mas Ale 2020 --- Batch 1 (272) |
Style |
|
Winter Seasonal Beer |
|
Batch Size |
|
6.00 gal |
Type |
|
All Grain |
|
Boil Size |
|
7.09 gal |
Brewhouse Efficiency |
|
70.00 |
|
Boil Time |
|
60 minutes | Recipe Characteristics
Recipe Gravity |
|
1.069 SG |
|
Estimated FG |
|
1.017 SG |
Recipe Bitterness |
|
33.5 IBUs (Rager) |
|
Alcohol by Volume |
|
6.9 % |
BU : GU |
|
0.488 |
|
|
|
|
Recipe Color |
|
19.2 SRM |
|
|
|
|
Measured OG: |
|
1.067 |
|
Measured FG: |
|
1.014 |
ADF: |
|
79 |
|
Measured ABV: |
|
7 | Ingredients
Ingredients
Amt |
Name |
Type |
# |
%/IBU |
Volume |
8.29 gal |
Denver, Colorado |
Water |
1 |
- |
- |
10.00 g |
Calcium Chloride (Mash) |
Water Agent |
2 |
- |
- |
6.00 g |
Salt (Mash) |
Water Agent |
3 |
- |
- |
3.00 g |
Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate) (Mash) |
Water Agent |
4 |
- |
- |
13 lbs |
Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) |
Grain |
5 |
79.4 % |
1.02 gal |
2 lbs |
Munich Malt - 30L (30.0 SRM) |
Grain |
6 |
12.2 % |
0.16 gal |
8.0 oz |
Crystal, Dark (Simpsons) (80.0 SRM) |
Grain |
7 |
3.1 % |
0.04 gal |
8.0 oz |
Crystal, Medium (Simpsons) (55.0 SRM) |
Grain |
8 |
3.1 % |
0.04 gal |
4.0 oz |
Crystal, Extra Dark (Simpsons) (160.0 SRM) |
Grain |
9 |
1.5 % |
0.02 gal |
2.0 oz |
Midnight Wheat Malt (550.0 SRM) |
Grain |
10 |
0.8 % |
0.01 gal |
0.500 oz |
Magnum [11.20 %] - Boil 60.0 min |
Hop |
11 |
20.6 IBUs |
- |
0.500 oz |
Magnum [11.20 %] - Boil 35.0 min |
Hop |
12 |
12.9 IBUs |
- |
1.00 Items |
Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 10.0 mins) |
Fining |
13 |
- |
- |
1.00 tsp |
Yeast Nutrient (Boil 10.0 mins) |
Other |
14 |
- |
- |
1.0 pkg |
American Ale II (Wyeast Labs #1272) [124.21 ml] |
Yeast |
15 |
- |
- |
4.00 oz |
Chocolate Flavoring (Primary 10.0 days) |
Flavor |
16 |
- |
- |
1.00 oz |
Peppermint Leaves (Secondary 3.0 days) |
Flavor |
17 |
- |
- |
Mash Profile
Mash Steps
Name |
Description |
Step Temperature |
Step Time |
Saccharification |
Add 33.17 qt of water at 160.4 F |
152.0 F |
45 min |
Heat |
Heat to 160.0 F over 10 min |
160.0 F |
15 min |
Mash Out |
Heat to 170.0 F over 7 min |
170.0 F |
10 min | If steeping, remove grains,
and prepare to boil wort Recipe Notes Make starter a couple days
in advance of brew day. Water salts bring Denver water profile (as defined by
BeerSmith) to Ca=147,Mg=8,Na=101,SO4=107,Cl=313,HCO3=104 Mash as
instructed. 60 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. Add chocolate flavoring to primary. 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. After the initial fermentation is done, "dry
hop" peppermint leaves for a couple of days in primary fermentor.
Brewing Record
Brew Date: |
|
|
|
Strike Temp: |
|
|
Mash Temps: |
|
|
Pre-boil OG |
|
(1.061 SG) |
|
Pre-boil Vol |
|
(7.09 gal) |
Actual Mash Efficiency |
|
|
|
Pitch Temp |
|
|
Fermentation |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Day 1: |
Day ... |
Day ... |
Click here to see previous recipes
|