christmas ale

[Lee G]

i want to make a christmas ale to bottle in time for christmas. i have got some spices, some cinnamon sticks and was going to use some orange zest aswell, ive got no idea where to start with this so any advice would be great. do i throw all the ingredients in a pan with some water and boil them up or can i just put them in the fv also the beers ive got to use are a youngs mild and a youngs scottish heavy, which one would be best to use
thanks in advance
Lee

[wgardner]

I've just made a Hoegarrden clone, and the recipie contained the following process.

- Boil up the orange peel and crushed corriander seeds with some water for 15-20mins.
- Add this (still boiling) water to your wort (kit) in your FV - I passed it through a sieve.
- Continue to make kit as you normally would.

I must say though, the actualy flavour of the orange and corriander is quite week at the moment, so next time I'd consider boiling more for longer, or adding them into the FV.

Let me know what you end up doing.

Will

[Lee G]

thanks for that, i think i might try boiling it all up then adding it all to the fv without sieving

[haZe]

Beware of the pith!

[Lee G]

just an update.
my christmas ale is fermenting nicely, i made up the beer as normal ( youngs scottish heavy) then put 3 pints of it in a pan and warmed it up till it was just starting bubble with some cinnamon sticks, the zest of 3 oranges and a pack of mulled spices ( these were in individual tea bags so not too many bits in the beer) i let this simmer for about 20 mins then let it cool down then added the whole lot to the fv gave it a stir then sprinkled the yeast on and put the immersion heater in, this was on saturday when i made it and i checked it this morning and its got a nice thick frothy head on it and it smells like christmas in my shed
i just hope it tastes as good as it smells as this is the first time ive done anything different with a kit( usually make it as per instructions).
the only thing i need to think about now is the bottling without getting bits of orange zest in it, i had thought of cutting the corner off a tea bag, emptying it and puting the bag over the syphon but dont know if this will stop the yeast/sediment needed for secondary fermentation. anybody got any thoughts or advice on this please
Lee

[Lee G]

tried a couple of bottles at the weekend and they have no fizz, tastes nice enough but totally flat. for secondary fermentation i transfered from fv to another bucket with my bottling stick attached and i dissolved the sugar in a small amount of water and mixed it into the brew, then kept warm for 3 days before transfering to my shed to clear. anybody got any ideas why its flat.
thanks
Lee

[legion]

Maybe it needs some more time in the warm for secondary fermentation to complete, my second ever kit a coopers larger took weeks to become fizzy but it did eventually.

[barl_fire]

As a newbie I was wondering whether Christmas Ale kits get discounted by Home Brew supplies shops after Christmas or whether they're just stashed away till the following year? Being a tight-arse I was wondering if there's the potential to grab a new year bargain with a Christmas kit ?

[Lee G]

i brought some bottles back into the house to warm up again on the 22nd and have just tried one now and it is great, nice and tasty and fizzy.
thanks legion