Over the weekend I took part in my friend James’ extract amber ale brew. This was a pretty standard extract brew with a few exceptions: brewing a larger than normal batch (about 7 gallons when it’s all said and done) and splitting it into two different carboys for fermentation. The fun part comes during the yeast pitching and fermentation. James decided use two identical (maybe not truly identical, but for our purposes close enough) batches and ferment them with separate yeasts. The batches are currently bubbling away at a steady 68º and should be ready to bottle shortly!
Merry Christmas! We here at brew-colorado.com would like to wish you and your's a very merry Christmas! For this special day we are giving you a special beer, Santa Claus beer! With a target ABV of 14%, this is a strong beer perfect for the holiday season. A note to all, this particular brew takes a LONG time to come to fruition (it will be ready next year at Christmas time) so make sure to prepare before preparing your sanitizer! This is an extract brew, so it's do-able for the new home brewers to the advanced! We hope you have a great time this holiday season, and please drink responsibly!
Style Information
Name:
Santa Claus
Recipe Type:
extract
Category:
Strong lager
Type:
Lager
OG:
1.135 - 1.137
FG:
1.025 - 1.027
Grains & Extracts
| German dark crystal |
1 lb |
|
| Belgian Cara Munich |
6 oz |
|
| German Cara Vienne |
4 oc |
|
| Extra light dry malt extract |
13.33 lb |
|
| Cane sugar |
2 lb |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Hops
| Northern Brewer (pellets, bittering) |
1.00 |
10.4% |
10.4 |
0 min |
|
| Tettnager (pellets, flavor) |
1/2 oz |
0% |
0 |
45 min |
|
| Hallertauer Mittelfruh (pellets, aroma) |
1/2 oz |
0% |
0 |
58 min |
|
|
|
0% |
0 |
|
|
|
|
0% |
0 |
|
|
|
|
0% |
0 |
|
|
|
|
0% |
0 |
|
|
|
|
0% |
0 |
|
|
|
|
0% |
0 |
|
|
|
|
0% |
0 |
|
|
Adjuncts
| Irish moss |
Other |
Boil |
1 tsp |
45 min |
|
|
Fining |
Boil |
|
|
|
|
Fining |
Boil |
|
|
|
|
Fining |
Boil |
|
|
|
|
Fining |
Boil |
|
|
|
|
Fining |
Boil |
|
|
|
|
Fining |
Boil |
|
|
|
|
Fining |
Boil |
|
|
|
|
Fining |
Boil |
|
|
|
|
Fining |
Boil |
|
|
|
Yeasts
| White Lab: Super High Gravity Ale (WPL099) |
|
Ferments at 65 - 69 |
| Champagne |
|
Ferments at 65 |
| Danstar Windsor Ale |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mash Steps
|
Infusion |
|
|
|
Infusion |
|
|
|
Infusion |
|
|
|
Infusion |
|
|
|
Infusion |
|
|
|
Infusion |
|
|
|
Infusion |
|
|
|
Infusion |
|
|
|
Infusion |
|
|
|
Infusion |
|
|
Fermentation
|
7 days |
65 - 69 |
|
|
|
|
8 weeks |
65 - 69 |
|
|
|
|
Fermentation Completes |
65 |
|
|
Add Champagne yeast |
|
Three days before bottling |
65 |
|
|
Add Danstar Windsor yeast (or additional WPL099) for bottling |
Beer Recipes Plugin by Brad Ledbetter
This is a work in progress. We have kept the recipe simple so we can really taste the differences when we make a change to the recipe. This beer is named after my dog Spunkie who had to be put down recently.
Updates -
11/27/11 - The first batch used no starter. Fermented at 66° F for two weeks. Last 24 hours spent cooling to 54 degrees. Amazing clarity in beer when at warmer temperatures with great lacing and long lasting head. Good amber color. A touch high in hop character. Though sweet potato was evident (Two pounds added to mash, sliced into 3/4 inch slices and baked for 1 hour at 350° F) during mash and boil, no sweet potato smell or taste is obvious.
12/11/11 - Second batch brewed only two weeks later. Only real difference is we used a yeast starter in this batch and threw out the idea of this being a sweet potato beer. 1.54 quarts of starter were used with 4.62 oz of light DME and 1/4 tsp yeast nutrient; pitched after roughly 18 hours.
Style Information
Name:
Spunkie Amber
Recipe Type:
extract
Category:
American Amber Ale
Category Number:
10
Style Letter:
B
Style Guide:
BJCP
Type:
Ale
OG:
1.045 - 1.060
FG:
1.010 - 1.015
Bitternes:
25 - 40
Color:
10 - 17
Grains & Extracts
| Domestic 2-Row |
8lb |
|
| Crystal 60 |
1lb |
|
| Cara-Vienne |
1lb |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Hops
| Northern Brewer |
0.5 |
9.4% |
4.7 |
60 |
|
| Northern Brewer |
0.25 |
9.4% |
2.35 |
30 |
|
| Citra |
0.75 |
14.1% |
10.57 |
15 |
|
| Citra |
0.25 |
14.1% |
3.5 |
5 |
|
|
|
0% |
0 |
|
|
|
|
0% |
0 |
|
|
|
|
0% |
0 |
|
|
Adjuncts
|
Fining |
Boil |
|
|
|
|
Fining |
Boil |
|
|
|
|
Fining |
Boil |
|
|
|
|
Fining |
Boil |
|
|
|
|
Fining |
Boil |
|
|
|
Yeasts
| WYeast 1056 American Ale I |
1.54 quarts |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mash Steps
| Saccharification Rest |
Infusion |
60 |
152 |
| Mash-Out |
Infusion |
10 |
161 |
|
Infusion |
|
|
|
Infusion |
|
|
|
Infusion |
|
|
Boil
Amount:
6
Water Description:
Tap
Time:
75 minutes
Target Batch Size:
5
Profile
Estimated OG:
1.047
Estimated FG:
1.012
Estimated ABV:
4.58%
Actual OG:
1.047
Actual FG:
1.012
Actual ABV:
4.66%
Bitterness:
41.7 IBU
Estimated Color:
11.4 SRM
Carbonation:
2.0 volumes
Beer Recipes Plugin by Brad Ledbetter
