With the countdown to Christmas now in full effect, it’s time to brew those Christmas beers to help us get through the day. Our resident brewer ‘Samta’ has developed some classic recipes with a Christmas twist to be released each week during November.
This English style brown ale is modelled on gingerbread with dry ginger, bready flavours and aromas with a hint of chocolate that is backed up by a firm English hop bitterness and flavour. This is a perfect session ale for drinking all Christmas day.
Food parings: Gingerbread, Cake, Cookies and BBQ or Roast Meat
Ginger Bread Brown Ale
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Recipe:
- Batch size: 23L (fermenter volume)
- Mash: 60 Mins
- Boil: 60 Mins
- OG – 1.043
- FG – 1.011
- Colour – 34.5 EBC
- Bitterness – 22.1 IBU
- ABV – 4.2%
FERMENTABLES
| % | kg | Fermentable | ppg | EBC | Usage |
| 10% | 0.42 | Supernova Malt (Gladfield) | 37 | 113.3 | Mash |
| 2% | 0.08 | Gladfield Dark Chocolate Malt | 33 | 1300 | Mash |
| 10% | 0.42 | Gladfield Brown Malt | 34 | 178.1 | Mash |
| 5% | 0.21 | Gladfield Biscuit Malt | 35 | 60.1 | Mash |
| 2% | 0.08 | Caramel Malt – 120L (Briess) | 32.2 | 236.3 | Mash |
| 71% | 3 | Maris Otter Pale – UK | 38 | 6.5 | Mash |
MASH STEPS
| Name | Temp °C | Time min |
| Mash 1 | 68 | 60 |
| Mash Out | 75 | 10 |
Grain Substitutions
Supernova Malt : Crystal 60L
Chocolate, Brown, biscuit : local equivalents
HOPS
| g | Variety | Type | Usage | Time | AA | IBU |
| 37 | East Kent Goldings | Pellet | Boil | 60 min | 5.5 | 22.1 |
Hop Substitutions
East Kent Goldings : Goldings : English style hop due to the strong malt and ginger character affect is subtle
EXTRAS
| Amount | Unit | Name | Usage |
| 10 | g | Ginger Root (Fresh) | Flame Out |
Note: ginger is grated
YEAST
| Amount | Unit | Name | Attenuation % |
| 2 | Packets | Mangrove Jack’s Liberty Bell Ale M36 | 76 |
Yeast Substitutions
White Labs English Ale WLP002 or WLP007
Wyeast London Ale 1028
Safale US-04
Danstar Nottingham Ale
FERMENTATION STEPS
| Type | Temp °C | Time days |
| Fermentation 1 | 18 | 14 |
Beer Finings
For this recipe use your choice of beer finings, we tend to use Irish moss in the boil and if needed either gelatine or isinglass in the secondary.
Check out Part 3 for our Mint Chocolate Stout recipe
