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Winter Warmer Suggestions

Scott Ickes

Grandmaster Brewer
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My nephew wants to brew with me.  He wants to make a Winter Warmer.  He also wants it to be a Lager.  I do not have any recipes for a Winter Warmer Lager.  I'm going to buy the ingredients as a Christmas gift for him, so that I have something to wrap for Christmas Day.  He want's something strong, but lager style clean, with spices (such as Christmas type spices).

He is going to brew an Ale of some type with me in the near future.  I told him that I couldn't really brew the Winter Warmer until the temperatures drop enough that I'm guaranteed that I can hold lager fermentation temperatures in my garage.  I suggested we make the ale soon and wait until at least after Christmas to make the Winter Lager, when the weather tells us that we can make it happen.  This waiting was more of a ploy on my part to turn the Winter Warmer into a Christmas gift.

Any suggested recipes would be greatly appreciated. 
 
My first thought is a strong Oktoberfest with a healthy amount of Cocoa Nibs. Maybe some almond extract, too.

I'm not much for a lot of spices in a lager.
 
I'm not much for spices in a lager either.  But this is what he wants.  He and I make a lot of chocolate flavored beers already.  He's into the spiced type of beers.  Searching high and low for great spiced beers.  I'm pretty much committed to making a spiced high gravity lager type of beer on this one.  I'm just looking for the best recipe I can, so that it has the best chance for success.
 
Well, I've done some research and found that most spiced beers and winter warmers are ales.  Since I want a lager version, I looked for the flavor profile I wanted and settled on something similar to Great Lakes Brewings Christmas Ale.  I lived the first 38 years of my life in that area and always loved their beers.  I've seen nothing but good reviews on their Christmas Ale.  I did dial my version back a little bit so it won't be quite as winter warmer.  I also added in some allspice and changed the yeast to California Lager yeast.

Here is the recipe as it now stands.  Any feedback, thoughts and suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
 

Attachments

  • Spiced Christmas Lager.pdf
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Scott Ickes said:
Here is the recipe as it now stands.  Any feedback, thoughts and suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Hi Scott,
The recipe sounds great to me. I like your and your nephews ideas regarding lager style and clean Winter Warmer. I made a Christmas beer (Julebrygg) a couple of weeks ago based on the same ideas. We tested it yesterday evening with some male/female colleagues on a pre-Christmas dinner party. I got positive feedback and liked the beer myself: clean, dry (just some sweetness faraway) and with enough complexity.
The recipe is however on my other laptop at home. I will post the recipe this weekend as soon as I have access to the other laptop.
Regards,
Slurk
 
Thanks Slurk,
I've not used spices very much.  I used some clove and ginger once is all that I've done.

What are your thoughts on my spices?  Is it a good combination?  Are the amounts correct? Should I be putting some other spices in it?  Leave any out that I have in it?

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
 
I think the spices *might* be a little aggressive.

At least, based on this recipe from Ray Daniels:
http://www.homebrewersassociation.org/pages/community/blog/show?title=beer-recipe-of-the-week-gingerbread-ale
 
Scott Ickes said:
What are your thoughts on my spices?  Is it a good combination?  Are the amounts correct? Should I be putting some other spices in it?  Leave any out that I have in it? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

I think it is a good combination. If the amounts are correct is more difficult to say for me since I used tablespoons (standardized) for the ginger root and Cinnamon, used 10 cloves and 2 pieces of star anise etc. and boiled them perhaps in a different way than your recipe is indicating. Please have a look at my recipe.
What I know from this 20L brew (see the notes) and the positive feed back yesterday evening, is that I would reduce the grated Cinnamon from 5 tsp to 2-3 and the 10 cloves to 5-7. I would increase the amount of ginger root from 2.5 to 3-4 tsp.

What I learned from experience is not to boil spices during the wort boil but to add the spices as a "spice-tea" in the secondary. You have much better taste control since you can add the tea in small amounts and taste the beer.
This time I used orange marmalade in stead of dried curacao orange peel. To my opinion a much better taste.
The other thing you could consider is the use of vanilla and star anise (see recipe). I liked the taste and the flavour very much.

The recipe Brewfun posted looks also interesting and could give some guidelines as well.

A last thing from experience: while other spices slowly disappear, the taste and flavour of Cinnamon after a couple of months storing is nearly as strong as in the beginning . I followed my Christmas beer from 2012 over a period of 10 months and cinnamon still going strong :)

Good luck Scott!
Regards,
Slurk
 

Attachments

  • 2013 Slurk Christmas Beer (Julebrygg).bsmx
    29.5 KB · Views: 222
Thanks Brewfun!  You've given me some things to think about.  The spice amounts were from a clone of Great Lakes Brewings Christmas Ale.  The only thing I changed up was adding allspice to the recipe.  I used two tsp, because when searching winter warmers, 2 tsp allspice seemed to be the norm.  I actually had the gingerbread recipe in my ale list already.  I was planning on making it some day.  I had forgotten about it.  So, thanks for reminding me.

The recipe you posted looks like something I'd make, as it was formulated.  However, it's too low of gravity to be a winter warmer.  So, I'm thinking of working with both recipes and coming up with something in the 1.065 SG range.  Lightly hopped, but maybe a little more aggresively spiced than the Gingerbread recipe, but not as spiced as what I had.

I want to think this through really well.  Afterall, I am a recipe fudger!  I like to think them through a fiddle with them trying to get them to turn out like my minds vision wants them to turn out.
 
Wow!  Thanks Slurk.  I have even more to think about and more to fiddle with.  I'm in heaven now.

I might try and experiment.  Not for Christmas, but in Aprilish.  I might combine all three recipes and then average them out and see what comes of it.  Unless someone gives me another recipe to look at, which would be four recipes to combine and average out.  I've done this when I've played with different beers that I'd blended in a glass and liked the taste of when blended.  The recipes usually turn out well, if the blended beer tasted good.

 
You're welcome!

Please keep us updated by sending your thoughts/conclusions and the recipe of the final "blend".
R, Slurk
 
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