Spiced Blonde doesn't disappoint

I tasted a bottle of the Spiced Blonde the other night and I wasn't disappointed. It seems a bit drier than the previous versions I've brewed this past summer and it seems to have a little more heat in the finish from the black pepper, but it's still young (only 12 days in the bottle.) I've brewed this batch for a tasting party and I'm glad that it seems to have turned out so well.

Here is the recipe for my stronng spiced Belgian-style winter brew; a.k.a., Santa's Little Helper, as promised.

Santa's Little Helper

A ProMash Recipe Report

BJCP Style and Style Guidelines
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18-D Strong Belgian Ale, Belgian Strong Dark Ale

Min OG: 1.065 Max OG: 1.098
Min IBU: 25 Max IBU: 40
Min Clr: 7 Max Clr: 20 Color in SRM, Lovibond

Recipe Specifics
----------------

Batch Size (Gal):5.00
Wort Size (Gal): 2.50
Total Grain (Lbs): 11.05
Anticipated OG: 1.063
Plato: 15.36
Anticipated SRM: 15.8
Anticipated IBU: 38.5
Brewhouse Efficiency: 50 %
Wort Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Grain/Extract/Sugar
--------------------------
3.30 lbs. Muntons LME
2.00 lbs. Corn Sugar
1.00 lbs. Crystal 80L
1.00 lbs. Flaked Soft White Wheat
1.00 lbs. Munich Malt(light)
1.00 lbs. Vienna Malt
1.00 lbs. Wheat Malt
0.75 lbs. Crystal 120L

Potential represented as SG per pound per gallon.


Hops
-------------------------
1.00 oz. Spalter Spalt 4.75A (First Wort)
0.50 oz. Perle 8.25AA for 60 min.
0.50 oz. Spalter Spalt 4.75AA for 60 min.


Extras
-----------------
1.00 Oz Ginger Root 15 Min.
0.33 Oz Coriander Seed 5 Min.(boil)
0.33 Oz Coriander Seed 15 Min.(boil)
0.75 Oz Sweet Orange Peel 5 Min.(boil)
0.33 Oz Cardamom Seed 5 Min.(boil)


Yeast
-----

White Labs WLP400 Belgian Wit Ale

Santa Needs Helpers

It's Thursday night, it's raining and I just finished up bottling a batch of strong brew. I found a use for my vial of White Labs 400 (Wit) and seventeen days ago I brewed a partial mash recipe with five kinds of grain, fortified with a 3.3 pound can of Munton's Light Malt Extract. I used the rest of my German hops; Perle and Spalt, along with some spices such as cardamom, sweet orange peel and coriander. I'm calling it Santa's Little Helper. What I've got so far is a strong light brown ale with a big caramel malt presence, some complex esters and phenols, along with a fairly bitter finish -- the makings of a fairly complex brew. The esters are completely different that what I thought I'd get; mostly caramel, a bit of sugary-vanilla and a hint of leather in the nose. The tartness that I expected is also missing, perhaps due to the elevated fermentation temps of around 83-85 degrees F. Overall, I'm pretty pleased with batch so far. I'll be posting the recipe when I get a chance, but for now it's sleepy time. I love homebrewing, but bottling can be exhausting.