A while back, in anticipation of the Holiday season, I whipped up a Chocolate Raspberry Stout. Not sure why I consider this a “holiday” brew, but I do. Maybe 'cause the first one I did was around Christmas. Kinda “desserty” and something you drink after gormandizing on turkey.
Well, I cracked one open tonight and must report: Devine! Sublime in its flavor and aroma. No chocolate and no raspberry taste! But subtle hints in the moments after. Breath thru the nose and catch a subtle note, thats all. Nothing too strong or “cough syrupy”. An absolute delight! Big, thick head and smooth draw. Can’t believe I waited three years to do a second batch of this!
I mostly stick to big IPAs year round, but it’s always nice to have a fresh brew bottled around the holidays. I would like to add juniper berries and oak age some in the secondary. That seems Christmasy.
I did a Raspberry Imperial Stout a few years back that won a number of awards. You’ve nailed the key part - don’t over-use the flavorings. The end result must be subtle or it’s just frou-frou crap.
Back in the early mists of time when I used to bottle beer (and bottle condition), I used a bottle of Chambord Liqueur to prime a batch of stout. I had to fight to keep it away from my wife and her friends. I recommend the process to all of you.
I don’t have any beer in the carboys, just a couple of ciders from a friend’s apples. For fall and winter, my tastes shift away from IPAs to more malt-heavy beverages, as well as spicy Belgian ales. The last one I made for November was an improvised coffee porter with a good bit of tamarind syrup in it, and an ABV of about 6.5%. Turned out pretty good, although I’d want to get a bit more aggressive on the fruit component, and maybe shift it to something like black currants. Or I’ve long been meaning to do a coffee stout with cardamom, but haven’t gotten around to it yet. Hmm…
Last week we brewed a milk stout, big gravity beer with a good bit of lactose and candy sugar as well as the typical crystal and roasted malts. OG was 1.072. We’re planning to secondary with a vanilla bean and bourbon soaked oak chips. It’ll probably be a month or so in the secondary so doesn’t exactly count as a Christmas brew.
I haven’t brewed since the summer, but last year around this time I brewed a dark belgian ale. I put a little extra sugar in it, which was a bad idea. It’s taking longer than most belgians to be done. It still tasted pretty green in May, but was coming around in August. I may open one as an early Christmas present to myself to see if they’re finally done. Thanks for reminding me of them!
I have a friend who brews and made a Christmas beer several years ago. It was a dark beer and he added peppermint and essence of pine to it and it tasted just like a Christmas tree. I loved it, but I was the only one who did.
Tonight I tried my first bottle of a Holiday brew that my son and I made this past month. The hint of fruit and spice must be enjoyed as a taste sensation by itself. Not to be consumed with food or other drink. A taste that I can’t describe. Delicious!
A recipe which worked well for me a few years ago was a modified Winter Ale recipe from a book; I think it was Homebrew Favorites. The recipe called for 6 months of aging, and it was going to be 65-70 degrees in my basement in June, July & August, so I used a Belgian ale yeast and modified the malt & hops to more closely match a Belgian/German recipe than the one from the book:
Belgian Ale yeast (no idea what kind; my notes are in storage)
6.6 lb Bierkeller light malt extract
3.3 lb dry amber malt extract
½ lb chocolate malt
½ lb crystal malt, 80º Lovibond
1 oz. Tettnanger, 60 min
1 oz. E Kent Goldings, 10 min
1 lb clover honey, 15 min
½ c brown sugar, 15 min
½ c turbinado (raw) sugar), 15 min
6 oz grated ginger, 4 at 60 minutes, 2 at 15 min
4 tblsp orange peel, 15 min
4 sticks cinnamon, 15 min
2 ½ tsp cardamom, 15 min
1 ½ tsp allspice, 15 min
1 tsp cloves, 15 min
Times listed are “minutes remaining in the boil”, so 60 minutes is when it first starts to boil, 15 minutes is 45 minutes later.