# Looking for a Christmas/Winter ale recipe



## welly2 (10/5/16)

I'm going for a Christmas in July do in July (believe it or not) and so wanted to knock up a winter ale to take with me. Does anyone have any suggestions? I did find this:

http://byo.com/hops/item/2258-winter-seasonal-beers (about half way down) which does sound bloody good so if nothing else, I'll be putting that together this weekend.


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## peekaboo_jones (10/5/16)

Great idea, extract or all grain?


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## welly2 (11/5/16)

It'd be all grain


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## RobinHood (11/5/16)

This one caught my eye recently, but haven’t brewed it so I can’t say if it’s any good:-
Wicked Winter Warmer
http://store.coopers.com.au/recipes/index/view/id/99/
Or there is:-
http://store.coopers.com.au/recipes/index/view/id/69/
BUT they are Extract.
Cheers,


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## sp0rk (11/5/16)

My Baltic Porter is a great winter warmer and has done fairly well in a few comps
One of the blokes from Black Hops thought it was a little thin from the candi sugar addition, but from talking to my Russian relatives, over there they are slightly thinner than most other porters

*Pearler Polish Porter* (Baltic Porter)

Original Gravity (OG): 1.071 (°P): 17.3
Final Gravity (FG): 1.014 (°P): 3.6
Alcohol (ABV): 7.40 %
Colour (SRM): 27.1 (EBC): 53.4
Bitterness (IBU): 32.1 (Average - No Chill Adjusted)

74.63% Pale Ale Malt
14.93% Candi Sugar, Amber
7.46% Munich I
1.49% Black Malt
1.49% Chocolate

1.6 g/L Perle (7.1% Alpha) @ 60 Minutes (Boil)
1.1 g/L Hallertau Tradition (3.5% Alpha) @ 0 Minutes (Boil)
1.1 g/L Hallertau Tradition (3.5% Alpha) @ 0 Days (Dry Hop)


Single step Infusion at 66°C for 60 Minutes. Boil for 60 Minutes

Fermented at 15°C with Wyeast 2112 - California Lager


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## Danscraftbeer (11/5/16)

Just days ago I tried the 1st bottle of a Barley Wine I made. Don't know if its comp worthy but its smooth, sweet for my palate. I think its FG = ~1.018 and 13.5% ABV. Its a nice warmer that's for sure. It has a Caramel maltyness that may not be advised for BW in comp standards but I think it suits beautifully. Cant post recipe, at work atm.


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## mr_wibble (13/5/16)

In my limited experience (we do an xmas beer ever year), the spices need a while to mellow out, so brew ASAP.

But you wouldn't have a whole lot of time for ageing anyway.

What about Tony's Rum Oaked Porter - http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/66550-no-chill-cube-oaking/page-2#entry943450

The rum-soaked oak chips might give it a bit of xmas-ism, and (I'm guessing) perhaps a bit of quasi-aged roundness.
And i think maybe adding just a little brown sugar to up the gravity without making it cloying, and some xmas spices: cinnamon, clove, ginger, etc.

(FWIW, my palette is very sensitive to cloves. So I go easy on them, otherwise it dominates easily.)


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## mofox1 (13/5/16)

I do a spiced dark ale with star anise, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg & all-spice. Comes out at xmas... err, and most of the rest of the year too. 

I'd recommend just 1 star per 23L batch (in the boil and tossed in the fermenter). I used 2 stars one time and it took ~4 - 5 months for it to mellow out.

Recipe uses coopers aust. stout can, and other extracts (wheat & dark) + brown sugar for this recipe, with Fuggles as the extra hops, yet to convert it over to all grain (although I mightn't bother as it works just fine as extract).


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## sp0rk (14/10/16)

Digging this one up
I've been asked to do a Christmas Ale for a friend's xmas party on December 8th
I'm currently looking at this recipe from BYO, any suggestions otherwise?
Will probably use Wyeast 1728 Scottish Ale for it, I'll top crop some from a batch of Stu's Pillar Red I'm putting down this weekend.

Lyle's Golden Syrup comes in 454g cans, I'm thinking I'll just use 250g of CSR Golden Syrup
Crystal and Choc will be JW (I think)

*Holiday Prowler — Gordon Strong
(5 gallon/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.058 FG = 1.014
IBU = 19 ABV = 5.8%*
Best of Show, Ohio State Fair 1997 
(90 entries)

Ingredients
9.5 lbs. (4.3 kg) Crisp Maris Otter malt
0.75 lb. (0.34 kg) Scotmalt crystal malt (40 °L)
0.25 lb. (0.11 kg) Crisp chocolate malt
1.5 lbs. (0.68 kg) clover honey
½ can Lyle’s Golden Syrup
¼ cup blackstrap molasses
6.1 AAU Goldings hops (60 mins)
 (1 oz./28 g of 6.1% alpha acids)
1.0 oz. (28 g) Fuggles hops (5 mins) 
Spices: 4 cinnamon sticks, 1 nutmeg 
 seed, 1 vanilla bean, 7 allspice 
 berries, 1.5 tsp. whole cloves, 8 
 coriander seeds, 2 nectarine peels
White Labs WLP002 (English Ale) yeast 

Step by Step
Old ale base. Mash grains at 158 °F (70 °C). 90 minute boil. Steep spices (chopped up) in tight mesh bag at knockout for 10 minutes, remove, then chill rapidly. Ferment at 68 °F (20 °C). Prime with muscavado sugar and cask-condition.


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## ShonkytonkBrewer (31/7/18)

sp0rk said:


> Digging this one up
> I've been asked to do a Christmas Ale for a friend's xmas party on December 8th
> I'm currently looking at this recipe from BYO, any suggestions otherwise?
> Will probably use Wyeast 1728 Scottish Ale for it, I'll top crop some from a batch of Stu's Pillar Red I'm putting down this weekend.
> ...


@sp0rk how did this go.

I'm fermenting the same recipe at the moment.

My OG was a bit better higher than expected at 1.062.

It seems to be finished at 1.021 instead of the redirected 1.015

It still tastes pretty sweet but was mashed at 70 and a few other adjuncts that will have some residual sweetness.

I'd be interested to know if you found the finished beer to be be pretty sweet?


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## [email protected]_dan (1/8/18)

Check out recent Chop & Brew episode Belgian Abbey Style Christmas Ale Episode 86
http://chopandbrew.com/episodes/belgian-abbey-style-christmas-ale/


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## Schikitar (1/8/18)

Looks like this thread has been necro'd but how about the Black Hops Eggnog Stout (I haven't tried it but am curious)!







*Grain:*

UK Maris Otter Pale – 75%
Flaked Barley – 12.5%
UK Roasted Barley – 3.1%
UK Chocolate – 6.3%
UK Black Patent – 3.1%
*Hops:*

60min – Super Alpha – 0.75g/L
Whirlpool – East Kent Goldings – 0.75g/L
*Spicing Dry Hop Addition:*

Infuse the ingredients below into some brandy for at least 1 week.
Cinnamon
Nutmeg
Vanilla Bean
*Yeast: US 04

https://blackhops.com.au/eggnog-stout/ *


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## Ronwales (1/8/18)

Schikitar said:


> Looks like this thread has been necro'd but how about the Black Hops Eggnog Stout (I haven't tried it but am curious)!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Sounds delicious


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## sp0rk (7/8/18)

ShonkytonkBrewer said:


> @sp0rk how did this go.
> 
> I'm fermenting the same recipe at the moment.
> 
> ...


It went alright, ended fairly sweet
Got a few comments at a few comps saying too much ginger, despite there being no ginger
It took a LONG time to age and come really good
Dunno if I'd make it again, it's a lot of spices that need to be balanced well


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## ShonkytonkBrewer (13/8/18)

sp0rk said:


> It went alright, ended fairly sweet
> Got a few comments at a few comps saying too much ginger, despite there being no ginger
> It took a LONG time to age and come really good
> Dunno if I'd make it again, it's a lot of spices that need to be balanced well


Thanks for the update...

Ive actually brewed it for the Melbourne Brewers annual dinner which is this Friday. Do it wont have to much time to age - probably only 3-4 weeks in the keg. 

If it doesnt get finished at the dinner - I'll put the keg away till xmas which it should be a good amount of time.

Will let you know what feedback it gets from the dinner.


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## ShonkytonkBrewer (18/8/18)

Feedback was pretty good at the dinner. Cant say I spoke to everyone but those i did really liked it.

But is was served with dessert - so most were eight beers in by then. so judgement may have been impaired..

I know I was half cut by then...


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## Deepregret (31/8/18)

So reading this thread got me thinking...

I was thinking about doing a christmas beer this year, a spiced beer, quite strong etc, but then I thought.... What about an Australian style Christmas beer?
What flavours/characteristics would you put into an Aussie style christmas beer? Obviously in Australia Our chrismas' is HOT, beach/bbq kind of deal rather than cold and wintery.
So if you were to brew a "Special" Aussie christmas beer, how would you do it?


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