Christmas Wheat Ale
The only beer supply store in Hawaiʻi, Hawaii Home Brew is closing at the end of the month. They're looking for a buyer to carry on the legacy, but just in case that doesn't happen seamlessly we decided it was time to get in another batch. This recipe, based loosely on tips from the owners of HHB, is just right for the winter: good body and seasonal spices.
Teaching brewing from the ground up is beyond the scope of today. If you've already brewed a batch or two, then this recipe is for you.
Christmas Wheat Ale
- 1 lb. Crystal Malt 10L
- 8 lbs. liquid wheat extract
- 1.5 oz German Hallertauer hops
- zest from 3 oranges
- 1 six inch cinnamon stick
- 1 T. whole coriander seeds
- 1 T. fresh ginger, grated
- 1/2 oz. German Hallertauer hops
- 1 lb. honey
- 2 pkgs. Muntons dry yeast
- 3/4 c. corn sugar
Crush the crystal malt and place in a big pot of cold water. Heat the mixture until just before it boils--don't let it boil yet--then remove the grain with a strainer. After the grains are out, boil the liquid then dump in the wheat extract. Bring to a boil again then start your timer. We want a sixty minute boil.
At the zero minute mark, add 1.5 oz of your hops. At 45 minutes, add all the spices. With five minutes remaining, add the final half ounce of hops. At sixty minutes, remove the mixture from the stove and add the honey. You now have wort.
Pour the wort into your fermenter and top with cold water to five gallons. Once the wort has cooled to 86 degrees, pitch the yeast. Original gravity should be 1.042, as measured by my trusty hydrometer. After the initial fermentation period of 2-3 days, rack to a glass carboy and allow secondary fermentation and settling to continue for another week. Rack back into the fermenter, stir in 3/4 cup corn sugar and bottle.
I may have started this batch too late. The hope is that it'll be fully matured in time to pass around as holiday cheer. We'll see.
this brew sounds festive, too bad your supply source is closing down.
This is great. I've got ingredients for an Imperial Stout, but I might do this first. It sounds tasty.
That does sound tasty. I'm interested to know how the spicing turns out, especially the aroma.
I've always heard that it's best to add spices at flame-out because the aromas are so volatile that any amount of boiling will drive them off.
My last spiced ale I used a slightly different technique. I soaked all the spices in vodka and different liqueurs for a few weeks, then I filtered them back out and added a few tablespoons at bottling. It worked pretty well and it allows you to adjust the spice to taste.
Kat- I bought supplies for another batch while I still could. Storing up for winter...
Mark- If you make a batch, let me know what you think.
Nathan- I'm still a couple days from bottling, but I'll let you know. My take on the spices is that it varies depending on which you use. Cinnamon and coriander are steeping spices. Like brewing tea, it takes time to tease out their goodness. I've never tried adding anything but sugars at bottling time; I'm too skittish about contamination.