First of all lets look at some typical spices. Ginger, orange peel, cinnamon, allspice, clove, nutmeg are a few of the spices that are used in holiday ales. Generally speaking you want to add these spices at the end of the boil and turn off the heat allowing the spices to stew in the hot wort with the lid on for about ten minutes. Then remove the spices or strain them out. It often helps to put the spices in a cheesecloth bag. If the spices are ground don’t worry about removing them. Cinnamon is a pretty safe spice to use as it does not overpower a beer as readily as something like cloves. Generally you can use from 1-4 teaspoons of cinnamon but if used with allspice use less as allspice has cinnamon flavor as well. Allspice is a distinct spice, however, it tastes like clove, cinnamon and nutmeg rolled into one. This one can be used alone at 1-4 teaspoons as well. Nutmeg is pretty potent and I can only recommend it be used in ½ teaspoon increments. Whole cloves are another strong one and only a few will contribute lots of flavor. Nutmeg, clove, cinnamon can be used together to give that pumpkin pie spice to a beer. I always think that a beer should be subtle on the spices. Start small and increase the spices on subsequent batches. Vanilla is also used either whole or ground. Ginger should only be used if you like the taste of ginger. This sounds obvious but many people have made ginger beer recipes and come to tell me they were disappointed in the taste and then when asked if they like ginger respond not really. Remember you are going to have 5 gallons of the stuff so don’t make a chilli pepper mint vanilla cardamom bog myrtle pale ale unless you really like drinking a whole lot of the stuff. Almost all spices if kept in teaspoon quantities are a pleasing addition to a holiday beer, just keep your sanity when you start to choose the spices.

Here is a side note on pumpkin beers. I have been making a spiced Thanksgiving beer for 4 years and started by using a 10 lb. pumpkin baked in the oven then mashed with my grains. Then I realised that the pumpkin was contributing to problems with my mash run-off and clarity but not adding to the taste of the beer. I was spicing the beer with cinnamon, nutmeg and clove and that was what was giving the beer its flavor, not the pumpkin. If you think about it pumpkin does not have that much flavor by itself, it’s a squash! If you must use it gut it then bake it in the oven at 350 till soft then scoop out the meat and mash it with some 2-row. Don’t just boil it like many recipes tell you to do. It is not hops its squash!

Now for what you have all been waiting for the recipes!

14 lbs. Pale malt extract

1 lb. Brown sugar

½ 80 L Crystal

½ 135-165 L L Crystal

¼ Special Roast

1 lb. Caramunich

2 oz. Chocolate Malt

2 oz. Chinnok hops Boil 60 minutes

1 oz. Centennial hops Boil 60 minutes

1 oz. Centennial hops last minute

2 oz. Mt. Hood hops last minute

California Ale Yeast

12 lbs. Pale Malt extract

½ Roasted Barley

½ Chocolate Malt

½ Black Patent

¼ Special "B"

1 lb. 135-165 L Crystal Malt

2 oz. Nugget Boil 60 minutes

1 oz. Kent Golding last 10 minutes

1 oz. Kent Golding last minute

Irish Ale Yeast

8 lbs. Pale Malt Extract

1 lb. 60 L Crystal Malt

½ Lb. 40 L Crystal Malt

1 ½ oz. Northern Brewer Boil 60 Minutes

½ oz. Northern Brewer Boil 10 Minutes

1 oz. Northern Brewer Boil last minute

San Francisco Lager Yeast

4 lbs. Amber Malt Extract

4 lbs. Pale Malt Extract

½ lb. 40 L Crystal Malt

½ lb. Victory

1 oz. Willamette boil 60 Minutes

1 oz Willamette last 20 minutes

3 teaspoons Cinnamon stew 10 minutes no applied heat with lid on at end of boil

½ teaspoon Nutmeg stew 10 minutes no applied heat with lid on at end of boil

6 whole cloves stew 10 minutes no applied heat with lid on at end of boil (strain out)

1 teaspoon allspice stew 10 minutes no applied heat with lid on at end of boil

English Ale Yeast

New Products include the Phils Phaucet adapter which we have had before but recently restocked. This adapts a chrome beer faucet to attach directly to your keg out fitting. The new carbonator cap is back and redesigned. This allows you to snap on your Co2 directly to a soda bottle to carbonate or preserve your beer. The counterphil is back at $49.95. This is a counterpressure bottle filler with a simple one lever operation.

We have not stopped carrying bulk malt it has been moved and we now dispense it through our 4 taps in the Southwest corner of the store by our book shelves. We still carry Alexander’s wheat malt, pale malt , amber malt and dark malt as well as orange blossom honey and local mountain flower honey.

Remember if your currently out of homebrew and you need beer we can supply you with ½ gallon and 1 gallon jugs, 5 gallon soda kegs and regular 15.5 gallon kegs of our beer BALLAST POINT. Currently on the bar in the back we are tasting Belgian White, Yellowtail Pale Ale, Copper Ale, and nitrogen dispensed Porter. Be on the look out for Navigator Barley Wine.