I have a recipe for a Christmas ale that I’m going to be making this month, and I’m looking for suggestions on which yeast to use. The ingredient list is:
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
I’m wondering which of the various Belgian ale yeasts would likely work best for a Christmas ale. Also, are there any replacements to the above list of ingredients you’d recommend (Belgian malt, for example; Northern Brewer didn’t stock Belgian malts the last time I made this)? I made this three years ago using a Trappist ale yeast (I think…), and it came out very nice.
The yeasts I’m trying to decide between are:
Wyeast:
1388 Belgian Strong Ale.
1762 Belgian Abbey II.
3787 Trappist High Gravity.
Sorry! Not experianced enough to help out, but it sounds real good. I just boiled up a batch of Aussie Light Ale last night. Should start to see some fermentation tonight or tommorrow.
How long are you fermenting your recipe?
I am limited to Ales right now, due to temp. issues. Too lazy to go buy a dedicated fridge for lagers. Its okay. I like ales!
It’ll be in the primary until the krausen falls, and then probably in secondary for a month. I’m kinda lazy about bottling times (one reason why I have four carboys full of two-year-old mead in the basement…), but I’ve found that most beers can sit in secondary for a month without bad stuff happening.
Belgian Strong Ale. If it doesn’t work well, I’ll just have to try, try again.
Grey: The deal with belgian yeast/ales is that they ferment at a noticeably higher temperature than normal yeast. Typical ale temps would be 55-70 degrees, and if you used them when the temperature was much higher than that, you’d get a lot of off flavors, like spicy, cinnamon, rubbery, clove, or banana-like flavors.
Belgian yeasts usually start at 70 degrees, and some of them work well up to 85 degrees. They also develop a lot of off flavors, like spicy, cinnamon, rubbery, clove, or banana-like flavors. But in a good way. :dubious:
Anyway, it works. I chose Belgian yeast rather than straight ale yeast because it’s 70 degrees in my basement now, and for the month and a half (at least) that this will be in the carboys, it’ll probably go up to 75-80 degrees, depending on how hot it gets outside.
The other option would be to make it as a high-gravity lager in my lagering fridge, but I’ve already got some pilsner working in there…
Okay, I’m actually just getting back into homebrewing after a two-year hiatus, so I’ve forgotten a bunch of stuff. What’s the cutoff for “high gravity?” I thought 10 pounds of extract was pretty heavy stuff–the last batch came out to 7% alcohol…
For me the choice of which yeast to use has much less to do with how much grain or malt I am using as how I want my final product to taste. More robust yeast gives a drier, warmer, more alcoholic flavor. IMHO you don’t want something like that with a Christmas Ale that has a list of ingredients like Ethilrist’s because it’ll ride roughshod over the more subtle and complex flavors. You want some sweetness to come through along with the spiciness.
OTOH, if you want something that is going to warm you up on a cold winter’s night, high-gravity would be the way to go.
Ain’t that the bitch part about homebrewing? You’ll just have drink all that beer and start over! Work, work, work! Its a sacrafice, but somebody’s gotta do it!
Beer is God’s way of telling us he loves us and wants us to be happy.
3522 Belgian Ardennes yeast
One of many great beer yeasts to produce classic Belgian ales. Phenolics develop with increased fermentation temperatures, mild fruitiness and complex spicy character. Flocculation high; apparent attenuation 72-76%. (65-85º F)
