Winter Warmer Recipe Advice

[cherbhy]

Entertaining the idea of a few things in a winter warmer recipe, and I am interested in hearing your thoughts! Here's the list:

8-10 % Muscovado Brown Sugar (partially refined, more molasses-like that traditional brown)

8-10% Flaked oats (mouthfeel)

Specialty Malts: Special B, Crystal 40, Chocolate.

WLP013 London Ale

Spices: Vanilla Bean, Ceylon Cinnamon, Sweet Orange Peel, Fresh Grated Nutmeg... Anything else you might recommend? Or anything you'd suggest omitting?

 

[cannman]

Interesting... I'm in.

 

[giraffe]

Muscavado will add just a tiny bit of flavor. Not worth it really. If you are doing for a dark sugar taste add treacle (at a lower %) or invert 3. If you are just trying to lighten the body and have a bunch in the back of the cupboard you were never going to use, then sure.

A small amount of Dark crystal and a touch of chocolate malt can be nice. Special B isnt my favorite, id prefer an english 80-120L. but thats just preference.

What would be the purpose of c40?

Use restraint on the spices, english yeast and a quality base malt should carry the beer. Ive had too many winter warmers which are just a phenolic spice mess.

 

[TastyAdventure]

You'll be surprised at how little spices are needed for flavor. I wouldn't add more than 1 TEASPOON TOTAL of spices to a 5 gal batch

 

[cherbhy]

Muscavado will add just a tiny bit of flavor. Not worth it really. If you are doing for a dark sugar taste add treacle (at a lower %) or invert 3. If you are just trying to lighten the body and have a bunch in the back of the cupboard you were never going to use, then sure.



A small amount of Dark crystal and a touch of chocolate malt can be nice. Special B isnt my favorite, id prefer an english 80-120L. but thats just preference.



What would be the purpose of c40?



Use restraint on the spices, english yeast and a quality base malt should carry the beer. Ive had too many winter warmers which are just a phenolic spice mess.

Yeah I've never used muscovado before so I wasn't sure what to expect! You've used it? I read somewhere that it has a fairly large effect on flavor. Obviously experience trumps hearsay, I'd love to hear more about yours. I do not want to lighten the body too much, will all sugars do that? I was under the impression that only fully refined sugars had that effect.

I used special B in last year's Christmas ale (using jmo88's holly recipe), and liked it.

I thought crystal 40 would be a good choice because of how dark special b and chocolate are, I'd like to keep the color below 20. I also assumed that the dark brown sugar would lend some caramel flavor so I wouldn't want to overdo the caramel contribution of the crystal malts.

I'm still trying to decide how to spice. Last year I made a tea at bottling as recommended by jmo88 in his recipe. I found the fresh ginger too soapy and used Saigon cinnamon that was a bit hot on the tongue. I'm entertaining the idea of cardamom and clove. Clove and orange peel are a classic combination, and weyerbacher puts those spices in their imperial pumpkin which is expertly balanced.

I don't want to spice pre-fermentation, but tinctures seem like a lot of work. Any advice?


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[giraffe]

I used moscavado a long time ago when I was starting, I remember the taste being faint at best, but maybe someone else has more recent memory. Most sugars will dry out the beer compared to the same amount of gravity of wort from grain; it is almost always going to ferment more. The only thing unfermentable is just a bit of caramels. Sure straight sucrose will dry it out even more, but both are going to be drier than the equivlant amount of grain.

I always just use spices at the end of boil (and dont often use spices). I cant help there.

c40 will add mostly residual sweetness and body (and some caramel/toffee). A 1.080 beer or so will already have plenty of those from all the base malts. It depends really on how heavy or chewy the beer to be, and where you want the balance of the beer to be. In large beers I tend to err on the side of less to no crystal, your preferences may be different.

 

[cherbhy]

c40 will add mostly residual sweetness and body (and some caramel/toffee). A 1.080 beer or so will already have plenty of those from all the base malts. It depends really on how heavy or chewy the beer to be, and where you want the balance of the beer to be. In large beers I tend to err on the side of less to no crystal, your preferences may be different.

You're probably right about C40, what would you recommend (if anything) in its stead? Should I go darker with an 80 to get a more raisiny note (as Jamil describes it)?

 

[giraffe]

80L is certainly reasonable, and makes more sense.