The holidays are just around the corner and if you’re like me, you already have family coming together…
I had to sneak out and make a quick video for this week’s newsletter… just a little review of the Christmas ale I brewed last year… (aged over a year now)
Well, it is indeed good and I suspect this beer will be gone before this video gets to you…
Just a couple notes before I head out and join the family…
One question I get when it comes to brewing seasonal beers like pumpkin beers for halloween and Winter beers for the holidays is how long in advance should I brew them??
When it comes to a Christmas ale, I found that the beer hit a good point right around the 8+ month…
When I first tried the beer, it was sweet (yet drinkable), spices showed up nicely, but the alcohol was a bit harsh…
You could pretty much smell the alcohol and although it wasn’t hot, it just wasn’t right…
With time however the alcohol became warming and smooth… and most importantly, the spices really blended in and a nutty pecan-like flavor showed up…
It truly made the beer taste like… ummm Christmas…
If I were to brew a Christmas beer again, I would probably brew it at the beginning of the year between January and April…
Cheers!
2 replies to "Christmas Ale Homebrew Review"
Hey Jorge…enjoy the videos! What differences do you think you’d get by aging the Christmas ale in bottles at room temperature rather than in a keg at kegerator temps? I’d NEVER be able to keep it around in a keg long enough to age it and I agree about not wanting to take up precious kegerator room if possible. Thanks!
@Jim – Great question… It really depends… Warmer temperatures make beer age faster… I live in Phx and temperatures over the summer average 114 – 116 °F and keeping the house below 78 °F gets expensive! So I worry about the beer aging prematurely and oxidation…
I know friends who live up north and their basements are usually below 70 °F year round so for them it’s not a problem (55 °F +/- 5 °F is usually the ideal temp to store and age)…