Holiday Cheer VI

This month I brewed my annual holiday batch for my, well, holiday enjoyment. Although this was my sixth holiday batch, it’s the first one I’ve brewed in three years. I guess I needed a break to refocus my creative energies. I usually strive towards a brew similar to Harpoon’s Winter Warmer, which by the way is my all-time favorite beer, but put my own signature spin on it with some holiday extras. Enjoy!

Ingredients

Ingredient	Quantity
John Bull dark malt extract	3.5 lbs
John Bull light malt extract	3.5 lbs
Black patent malt	1/4 lb
Crushed crystal malt	1/2 lb
Crystal Malt	1/4 lb
Cascade hop pellets	2.0 oz
Saaz hop pellets (finishing)	1/2 oz
Crosby's molasses	1 cup
Ground cinnamon	1 tsp
Dried chile peppers	3
Unsweetened baker's chocolate	6 oz
Gypsum	2 tsp
Irish moss	1 tsp
Priming sugar	4 tbsp (1 tsp in each keg)
European liquid ale yeast	1 pkg (1 pt of water to 1/2 cup of light malt extract 8 hrs)
Corn sugar	1 lb (before pitched)

brewed:7/19/03

specific gravities:

Date	Specific Gravity	Temp	Specific Gravity @ 60
Start: 7/19/03	1.053	84 Farenheit	1.056
1st: 7/29/03	1.012	80 Farenheit	1.015
2nd: 8/3/03	1.012	78 Farenheit	1.014

Number Bottled: 2 - 5 litre kegs, 11 - 22oz bottles, 1 - 12oz bottle
Alcohol by Volume: approx. 5.5%

Directions:

Add the crushed crystal, black patent, and chocolate malts to 1 1/2 gallons of cold water

and bring to a boil. When the boiling commences remove the grains. Then combine all of the

ingredients (except the yeast, finishing hops, Irish moss, and corn sugar) and continue to boil

for 45 minutes. Add the Irish moss during the final 10 minutes and the finishing hops and corn sugar

during the final 2 minutes of boiling. Sparge the wort into your fermenter and cold water. Pitch the

yeast when cool. Bottle when fermentation is complete.

NEXT MONTH: A review of the Weizenbier I brewed back in April for my summer enjoyment. This came in at about 5% alcohol, so I’m looking forward to slicing up a lemon, kicking back and sipping this one.