Secret Santa Recipes 2021

[Alastair70]

Thanks to @Chippy_Tea for the idea for this.
A lot of reviews are coming in now, along with recipe requests.
When both your beers have featured, post the recipe or a link to a brew day thread and tag your recipients if you want to share your recipe.
Merry Christmas.

 

[Northern_Brewer]

Might also be an idea to link to any reviews in the main SS21 thread so people can get an idea of what they taste like?

https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/threads/secret-santa-review-thread-2021.97328/

 

[UKSkydiver]

Phoni Gran Replica Brewday / recipe link

Review by @The-Engineer-That-Brews

Review by @Cwrw666

 

[starseeker]

Oatmeal Stout by Greg Hughes
pale malt 4.2 kg
rolled oats 250g
medium crystal malt 200g
chocolate malt 160g
roasted barley 70g
mash time 1hour @ 67deg C
Hops
Challenger, 39g at start of boil
Challenger ,16g at turn off
Golding , 16g at turn off
Target Gravity ,OG 1049 FG 1014
I got ,OG 1048 FG 1020
Yeast, Lalbrew Windsor

Review by @ Samale

 

[moto748]

What's the nominal batch size there, starseeker?

 

[starseeker]

What's the nominal batch size there, starseeker?

Sorry, 23L

 

[samale]

Oatmeal Stout by Greg Hughes
pale malt 4.2 kg
rolled oats 250g
medium crystal malt 200g
chocolate malt 160g
roasted barley 70g
mash time 1hour @ 67deg C
Hops
Challenger, 39g at start of boil
Challenger ,16g at turn off
Golding , 16g at turn off
Target Gravity ,OG 1049 FG 1014
I got ,OG 1048 FG 1020
Yeast, Lalbrew Windsor

Review by @ Samale

I am no expert but the % of oats is on the low side. I have just been looking online at different recipes and reviews. Most seem to have the oats at 10%

 

[starseeker]

I am no expert but the % of oats is on the low side. I have just been looking online at different recipes and reviews. Most seem to have the oats at 10%

I think you have hit the nail on the head here ,i think i might add 10 to 12 percent oats and also do a separate short mash for these first , I should of researched a bit more really ,rather than just following the book recipe .

 

[Alastair70]

The Windsor yeast is another thing I‘d consider changing, I’ve never seen it finish much below 1.020 and I haven’t enjoyed the couple of brews I‘ve used it for.
I’ll usually go with S-04 or M-15 Empire Ale as a dry alternative for stouts to my preferred option, WLP004.

 

[moto748]

I am also trying to perfect an oatmeal stout recipe. Perhaps unsurprisingly, I just checked the last brew I made, and the malt bill is pretty much the same, although the proportions slightly different. My oat quantity was only slightly more than starseeker's at 276 g (proportioned). I tend to agree I might up the amount a bit further. Another option I've considered is, I have a bag of those 'naked' oats in the cupboard; I might try them and see what they bring to the party.

My default stout yeast is US -05.

 

[Nottsbeer]

The recipe for the Trappist style brew I sent to @jceg316 and @Hazelwood Brewery was (this is the beer I entered into the Oct(?) dark beer comp and came joint 2nd):

The recipe I used was - for a 13.5L brew (though I was 0.5L short at the end):
3.8KG M.O
428g Crystal 60
229g Brown malt
53g Dark English Crystal (added at 10 min during boil)
53g D-90 candi syrup

18g Challenger @ 60min
17g Challenger @ 20min
17g EKG @ 5 min

Protofloc - 0.5 tab @ 15 min

Yeast - Nottingham
O.G. target was 1.072 (my reading was 1.072-4, I found it hard to read the hydrometer)
F.G is 1.018.
7.1% ABV

The info in my brewday thread is at Notts beers days

Hazelwood, I was going to ask you about changing the "after taste" of this beer. I think it maybe what you noted as clove...the slightly overpowering taste you get on this. I'm chuffed others like it, but I'd like to reduce the kick a little. Having looked at the recipe, could you point me in the direction of where the clove taste comes from? I find this kick is getting stronger as the beer matures, thus I'd like to make it a bit smoother. Unfortunately I can't quite describe the after taste (or maybe the second taste?).

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

The recipe for the Trappist style brew I sent to @jceg316 and @Hazelwood Brewery was (this is the beer I entered into the Oct(?) dark beer comp and came joint 2nd):

The recipe I used was - for a 13.5L brew (though I was 0.5L short at the end):
3.8KG M.O
428g Crystal 60
229g Brown malt
53g Dark English Crystal (added at 10 min during boil)
53g D-90 candi syrup

18g Challenger @ 60min
17g Challenger @ 20min
17g EKG @ 5 min

Protofloc - 0.5 tab @ 15 min

Yeast - Nottingham
O.G. target was 1.072 (my reading was 1.072-4, I found it hard to read the hydrometer)
F.G is 1.018.
7.1% ABV

The info in my brewday thread is at Notts beers days

Hazelwood, I was going to ask you about changing the "after taste" of this beer. I think it maybe what you noted as clove...the slightly overpowering taste you get on this. I'm chuffed others like it, but I'd like to reduce the kick a little. Having looked at the recipe, could you point me in the direction of where the clove taste comes from? I find this kick is getting stronger as the beer matures, thus I'd like to make it a bit smoother. Unfortunately I can't quite describe the after taste (or maybe the second taste?).

I got no overpowering taste at all and thought the clove was only a hint. Clove is normally a phenolic flavour that comes from fermentation. I don’t think Nottingham is known for producing clove phenols in the normal course of events but I believe it can do if fermented at too warm a temperature. I don’t use Nottingham though so maybe someone else on the forum can confirm or correct me?

 

[Northern_Brewer]

could you point me in the direction of where the clove taste comes from? I find this kick is getting stronger as the beer matures

Clove is typically 4-vinyl guaiacol (4-VG), produced by yeast with particular genes from ferulic acid in the grist.

Since Notty doesn't have those genes, it probably means you've got a mild infection with wild yeast.

 

[moto748]

Y'know, sometimes, on this forum, I think, that is TMI!

 

[Nottsbeer]

I got no overpowering taste at all and thought the clove was only a hint. Clove is normally a phenolic flavour that comes from fermentation. I don’t think Nottingham is known for producing clove phenols in the normal course of events but I believe it can do if fermented at too warm a temperature. I don’t use Nottingham though so maybe someone else on the forum can confirm or correct me?

Clove is typically 4-vinyl guaiacol (4-VG), produced by yeast with particular genes from ferulic acid in the grist.

Since Notty doesn't have those genes, it probably means you've got a mild infection with wild yeast.

Thx for your thoughts. Maybe the clove is not what I'm tasting. I'll just have to drink the rest of my batch and try and pin point the taste I'm not too keen on and experiment on tweaking the recipe...not a bad project for the new year .

 

[Subtle Duck]

Review by @Alastair70
Review by @The-Engineer-That-Brews

Carb was 1.8 volumes

 

[Alastair70]

Weizenbock brew day

Review by @pmh

Review by @sdt7618

This was my first attempt at a Weizenbock. I'm brewing this one again in a couple of months. I'll be dropping the 62C step and increasing the 68C step to 60 minutes next time round.

 

[Dads_Ale]

Recipe for one of the Secret Santa beers

Floodscross Orange Gose (5.1%):

My first foray into a sour type beer.
For those that aren't familiar with the style here is a brief description:
'If you want a jumping-off point for this style, start with Berliner Weisse. Both are low-ABV wheat-heavy beers with minimal hopping and tartness. Gose is a distinct animal, though. It has its own lengthy history, originating in small towns along the Gose river and produced in quantity in brew houses in Leipzig. The origin of the saltiness is a matter of some debate - some say that it was a result of slightly brackish well water, others that it was added for flavor - but in any case it's a defining feature of the style. Likewise, many Gose breweries in and around Leipzig don't add coriander, though I recommend it.'

Anyway on to the recipe..

This is for 32litres into the FV

Lager water profile

Pilsner malt - 3kg
Wheat malt - 3kg
Rice Hulls - 300g
Carapills - 750g

Mash at 67c for 60mins

Boil for 15 mins with the following additions,
Huell Melon hops (pellet) - 40g for 15mins
Pink Himalayan salt - 17g for 10 mins
Cracked Coriander seed - 22g for 10mins

Chill to 21c and add 2 packs of CML Sour 3.5 yeast (rehydrated)

Ferment at 21c and keep an eye on the PH. The idea is to pitch another yeast when the PH has dropped to around 3.5. This will stop the souring process and continue the fermentation.
In my case the PH got to about 3.7 with a gravity of 1016 so I added some US05 at this point and fermentation carried on until it reached 1013.

The beer was then racked into 2 corny kegs (one 19l and one 10l). At this point I thought it might be nice to add some flavouring to the 10l keg just as an experiment (this wasn't part of the original recipe).
I had a couple of packs of dried orange peel that needed using up so I added 40g to the small keg.

After leaving a week or so it was time to try the two versions. Whilst the one without the orange was nice, essentially a sour wheat beer, I felt the orange version was much better.

 

[Begbie]

Santa-COS (Chocolate Oatmeal Stout) reviewed by @Cptn_Needa and @chrisb8

I'd appreciate any feedback, particularly on the thin mouthfeel experienced and what could be done to improve it. I modified and scaled down a recipe that I found online somewhere, possibly TMM. Thanks in advance for any comments.

10L Batch in Klarstein Maischfest, brewed 15/10/21 and bottled 29/10/21
2620g grain bill
90min mash @ 64degC (should have been 60mins but got waylaid!),
60min boil
SG=1045, FG=1010

1700g Crisp Maltings Finest Maris Otter
200g Crisp Maltings Flaked Torrified Oats
140g Crisp Maltings Crystal Extra Dark
140g Thomas Fawcett Pale Chocolate Malt
140g Crisp Maltings Torrified Wheat
80g Weyermann Carafa Special Type 1
80g Crisp Maltings Crystal Dark
80g Weyermann Chocolate Wheat
60g Simpsons Brown Malt

9g Magnum pellets @ 60mins
50g Cacao Nibs @ 60mins
4g Sorachi pellets @ 30mins
Irish Moss @ 15mins
Chilled using the stainless steel chiller coil
S-04 yeast pitched at 24degC
50g Cacao Nibs added to FV after 4 days

Fermentation temperature fluctuated between 18 and 22 degrees as I have no means of temp control. Fermentation was a total of 14 days, then batch primed with 55g of brown sugar dissolved in 200ml cooled boiled water to give approx 2 vols CO2. A further 2 weeks at room temp to carbonate then in the loft at Scottish November temperatures to condition.

 

[Oneflewover]

Santa-COS (Chocolate Oatmeal Stout) reviewed by @Cptn_Needa and @chrisb8

I'd appreciate any feedback, particularly on the thin mouthfeel experienced and what could be done to improve it. I modified and scaled down a recipe that I found online somewhere, possibly TMM. Thanks in advance for any comments.

10L Batch in Klarstein Maischfest, brewed 15/10/21 and bottled 29/10/21
2620g grain bill
90min mash @ 64degC (should have been 60mins but got waylaid!),
60min boil
SG=1045, FG=1010

1700g Crisp Maltings Finest Maris Otter
200g Crisp Maltings Flaked Torrified Oats
140g Crisp Maltings Crystal Extra Dark
140g Thomas Fawcett Pale Chocolate Malt
140g Crisp Maltings Torrified Wheat
80g Weyermann Carafa Special Type 1
80g Crisp Maltings Crystal Dark
80g Weyermann Chocolate Wheat
60g Simpsons Brown Malt

9g Magnum pellets @ 60mins
50g Cacao Nibs @ 60mins
4g Sorachi pellets @ 30mins
Irish Moss @ 15mins
Chilled using the stainless steel chiller coil
S-04 yeast pitched at 24degC
50g Cacao Nibs added to FV after 4 days

Fermentation temperature fluctuated between 18 and 22 degrees as I have no means of temp control. Fermentation was a total of 14 days, then batch primed with 55g of brown sugar dissolved in 200ml cooled boiled water to give approx 2 vols CO2. A further 2 weeks at room temp to carbonate then in the loft at Scottish November temperatures to condition.

Morning
- up the mash temp to 67 / 68
- increase % of oats in the grist a bit
- use a less attenuative yeast