Christmas Memories Ale

This is a 1999 BJCP style 22 beer.

Recipe: Spice Ale
Volume: 5 gallons
Dates:

Brew date: Dec 7, 2003
Transfer to secondary: Dec 12, 2003
Kegging: Dec 24, 2003
Bottle from Keg: Jan 24, 2003

Ingredients:

Water source: basement utility sink filtered dispenser
Yeast: White Labs WLP001 California Ale (pitchable vial)

Grain bill

	Potential sg pppg	Points per gal
6 lbs Briess pale 2-row malt 2 lbs Briess Munich malt 3/4 lb Briess caramel 60L malt 3/4 lb Briess Carapils malt	1.037 1.033 1.036 1.033	222.00 66.00 27.00 24.25
	Ideal: Pre-boil: Target:	339.25 339.25 339.25	/ 5 gal = 67.9 >>> 1.068 * 70% / 6 gal = 39.6 >>> 1.040 * 70% / 5 gal = 47.5 >>> 1.048

Hops

3/4 oz German Spalt Select hops - bittering - 5.6% avg alpha Utilization: 60 minutes @ 1.040 = 25.2%	*IBU = 0.75 5.6 * 25.2 * 0.75 / 5 = 15.9**
1/2 oz German Hallertaur Hersbrucker hops - flavor - 7% avg alpha Utilization: 20 minutes @ 1.040 = 15.3%	*IBU = 0.5 7 * 15.3 * 0.75 / 5 = 8.0**
1 oz German Hallertaur Mittlefrueh hops - aroma - 5.2% avg alpha Utilization: 5 minutes @ 1.040 = 5%	*IBU = 1 5.2 * 5 * 0.75 / 5 = 3.9**
	Total IBU = 28

Other

2 Ceylon cinnamon sticks
60 minutes 1 tsp whole cloves
10 minutes
2 tsp gypsum
60 minutes 2 tsp ground ginger
10 minutes
1/2 tsp Irish moss
20 minutes 1 tbsp dried orange peel
10 minutes

Activity Log

Yeast Starter:

About 24 hrs before brew, boiled 2 oz of pale malt extract in 20 oz of water in flask for 10 minutes. Cooled in cold water bath in small pot. Pitched vial of yeast and fitted stopper and airlock.

Mash/Lauter/Sparge:

Heated 4 gallons of water to 170 f and added grain. Mashed at 154 f for 30 minutes and tested positive for conversion. Heated while stirring to mash out at 170 f. Scooped into lauter tun, recirculating until relatively clear. Sparged with 170 f water until 5 1/2 gallons of runoff was obtained. Added 1 gallon of water to yield 6 1/2 gallons for boil.

Boil:

Boiled through first break then added bittering hops and cinnamon sticks. Boiled for 40 minutes then added flavoring hops and Irish Moss. Boiled for 10 more minutes then added ginger, cloves and orange peels. Boiled for 5 more minutes then added whole aroma hops in mesh bag. Boiled for 5 more minutes then turned off heat. Sanitized cooling coil in iodophor solution. Cooled to ~70 f with coil and siphoned to fermenter taking a reading of 1.050. Aerated by rocking carboy on folded towel and pitched yeast starter. Fitted with stopper and airlock and put on fermenting bench with new temperature controller set to 70 f.

Fermentation:

Observations of primary stage (7 PM start):

36 hours: 1/4 inch foam, 1 bubble per second
85 hours: 1/4 inch foam, 1 bubble every 87 seconds

Transferred to 5 gallon carboy and fitted stopper and airlock. Took specific gravity reading of 1.015.

Kegging/Bottling:

Siphoned a 2 liter bottle 4/5 full, squeezed the air out and forced carbonated. Took FG reading of 1.014 which puts the alcohol content at about 4.6% ABV. Siphoned remainder into 5 gallon soda keg and put under 30 lbs/sq in CO2 in fridge.

Bottled and capped 23 bottles from the keg using my new counter-pressure bottle filler. Used keg immediately out of fridge and chilled bottles.

See Christmas Memories labels here.

Results:

TBD

2 Ceylon cinnamon sticks 60 minutes	1 tsp whole cloves 10 minutes
2 tsp gypsum 60 minutes	2 tsp ground ginger 10 minutes
1/2 tsp Irish moss 20 minutes	1 tbsp dried orange peel 10 minutes