Summit Gingerbread Ale (#9)

First time I’ve ever tried using spices in my beer!  Or really, anything other than grains, hops, water and a bit of whirlfloc.  This was a light-colored ale with autumn spices.  A bit different than a normal Christmas Ale because it is so light colored (but still full bodied).  Second time I’ve done both bottling and brewing on the same day.  The whole process is getting much easier, which keeps my stress levels down (it also helps to have a beer or two along the way).

 

BTW, batches #4 and #5 are both tasting great now.  Batch #5, which was my IPA attempt was much too bitter at first, but is really starting to age well now.  Everyone still like #4 the best, but I have high hopes for #6 – #8!

 

I’ve started to nail down the right amounts of water for my equipment.  Beer Smith is fantastic.  You can continually adjust the amounts left in the mash and boiler as you get more familiar with your equipment and it adjust the water and expected OG to match.  This is the second time I’ve hit the numbers for batch size, and this time I got my efficiency up to almost 70%, compared to 58% before.  Much better.  But really, who cares?  It just means that I need to add a bit more grain to the recipe to compensate for the lack of efficiency.

 

Type: All Grain	Date: 10/16/2010
Batch Size: 5.50 gal	Brewer: Daniel Wexler
Boil Size: 8.12 gal	Asst Brewer:
Boil Time: 60 min	Equipment: Wex Tahoe Brew System
Taste Rating(out of 50): 40.0	Brewhouse Efficiency: 68.00
Taste Notes: Good ginger and cinnamon notes on top of a moderately hopped american ale.
Ingredients
Amount Item Type % or IBU 8.50 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 65.38 % 2.50 lb Munich Malt (9.0 SRM) Grain 19.23 % 2.00 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt – 20L (20.0 SRM) Grain 15.38 % 1.00 oz Cascade [5.50 %] (60 min) Hops 17.2 IBU 1.00 oz Cascade [5.50 %] (20 min) Hops 10.4 IBU 1.00 oz Goldings, B.C. [5.00 %] (10 min) Hops 5.7 IBU 0.55 tbsp Nutmeg (Boil 5.0 min) Misc 0.75 oz Orange Peel, Sweet (Boil 5.0 min) Misc 1.00 tbsp Ginger Root (Boil 12.0 min) Misc 2.00 items Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 min) Misc 3.00 items Cinnamon Stick (Boil 5.0 min) Misc 5.00 items Clove, whole (Boil 5.0 min) Misc 1 Pkgs English Ale (White Labs #WLP002) Yeast-Ale
Beer Profile
Est Original Gravity: 1.058 SG	Measured Original Gravity: 1.055 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.019 SG	Measured Final Gravity: 1.012 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 5.13 %	Actual Alcohol by Vol: 5.61 %
Bitterness: 33.3 IBU	Calories: 244 cal/pint
Est Color: 9.3 SRM	Color: Color
Mash Profile
Mash Name: Single Infusion, Full Body, No Mash Out	Total Grain Weight: 13.00 lb
Sparge Water: 6.37 gal	Grain Temperature: 72.0 F
Sparge Temperature: 168.0 F	TunTemperature: 72.0 F
Adjust Temp for Equipment: TRUE	Mash PH: 5.4 PH
Single Infusion, Full Body, No Mash Out Step Time Name Description Step Temp 45 min Mash In Add 16.25 qt of water at 170.5 F 158.0 F
Mash Notes: Simple single infusion mash for use with most modern well modified grains (about 95% of the time).
Carbonation and Storage
Carbonation Type: Corn Sugar	Volumes of CO2: 2.4
Pressure/Weight: 4.2 oz	Carbonation Used: -
Keg/Bottling Temperature: 60.0 F	Age for: 28.0 days
Storage Temperature: 52.0 F
Notes
Mash temp way too low. Had to add 5 extra quarts at 172 to stablize at 156.
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