Batch 52: Christmas Tree Ale
     
 
 
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Original
Gravity
Final
Gravity
Alcohol
By Volume
Mash
Efficiency
Primary Secondary Keg
1.064 1.013 6.7 % 71 % 6 days 17 days 14 days

 

rewed on Sunday, September 6th, 2009
No yeast starter was needed since the Fermentis Safale US-05 dry yeast is being used. I used the motorized mill to double crush the grains to help improve my efficiency. The flame out hops used are whole hops from Freshops and all the others are pellets. The flame out hops I alowed to aroma hop steep for 10 min. before starting the chiller. The ambient temperature for fermentation is 70 F in the basement which is a bit warm but ferments quickly. The primary fermeter is a plastic bucket, and I'll wait only about a week before dry hopping in the secondary.

All Grain
5.50 gal Batch Size
7.00 gal Boil Size

 

Amount Item Price
14.00 lb Weyermann Pale Malt (2 Row) (2 L) $17.50
1.00 lb Muntons Crystal Malt - 150L (150 L) $1.55
1.00 oz Chinook Hops (12.60 %) at 60 min $1.70
0.50 oz Chinook Hops (12.60 %) at 30 min $0.85
0.50 oz Cascade Hops (5.90 %) at 7 days (Dry Hop) $0.80
0.50 oz Centennial Hops (8.70 %) at 7 days (Dry Hop) $0.80
1.00 oz Cascade Hops (5.50 %) at 0 min $1.60
1.00 tsp Irish Moss at 30.0 min $0.10
1 pkgs Fermentis Safale US-05 (US-05) $1.99
    $26.89

 

Time Step
2:00 PM Sanitized equipment
2:30 PM Heated 5.00 gal strike water to 190 F, preheated mash tun
2:55 PM Doughed in at 167 F, mashed at 154 F for 60 min, 154 F for 30 min, 152 F for 0 min
  Heated 3.50 gal sparge water to 190 F
3.55 PM Lautered 7 gal of wort, 1.040 @ 137 F = 1.055 SG, 71% Mash Efficiency
4:40 PM Boiled, added hops on schedule
5:50 PM Heat exchanger and wort wizard, cooled to 74 F
6:00 PM Pitched yeast, 1.062 @ 76 F = 1.064 OG (Estimate: 1.071 OG)
7:00 PM Cleaned equipment

 

acked to Secondary on Saturday, September 12th, 2009
After a quick primary of one week the Christmas Tree Ale was racked and dry hopped with pellets in the secondary. The fermenter is a glass carboy and it will be ready to keg in a couple weeks. Primary fermentation temperature was 70 F in the basement.

 

egged on Tuesday, September 29th, 2009
After two weeks dry hopping in the secondary fermenter the Christmas Tree Ale was racked into a 5-gallon keg. The keg is going straight into the kegerator at 40 F to carbonate at 12 PSI. The dry hops settled out well in the fermenter and the beer was very clear and appeared a nice amber color.

Measurements:
1.012 @ 68 F = 1.013 FG
6.7% ABV

 

asted on Tuesday, October 13th, 2009
This batch of Christmas Tree Ale has a piney aroma and strong bitterness from the hops and a dark amber color from the dark caramal malt. The taste is a sharp bitterness at first with a mellowing into more sublte fruity flavors. The flavor is not as clean becuase of the higher fermentation temperature with a bit of increased fruitiness imparted from the yeast. Looking forward to the real Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale coming out soon and doing another side by side tasting.