Christmas Ale Beer Kit

Your Label Peelers Christmas Ale Original Beer Kit never sits on a shelf. Your grains are crushed to order. Your ingredients are packed fresh and you don't pay for a flashy box. It's all about providing you with the freshest ingredients for you to make your best beer.

Your Label Peelers Original Christmas Ale Beer Kit is a dark amber color with a light tan head. It has a nose of pine and bready malts with a hint of nutmeg and ginger. Its full-bodied flavor has a balance of sweet caramel malts, spicy hops, and a subtle hint of cinnamon and nutmeg. The finish is smooth and slightly sweet, making it your ideal holiday companion.

• OG: 1.075-1.090
• FG: 1.014-1.022
• ABV: 8-9%

INGREDIENTS

• 9 lbs Amber DME
• 0.5 lb Chocolate Malt
• 1 lb 80L Crystal Malt
• 1 lb Dark Candi Sugar
• 1 oz Columbus (BITTERING 60 minutes)
• 1 oz Cascade (BITTERING 60 minutes)
• 1 oz Cascade (AROMA 10 minutes)
• Âœ oz Ginger
• 1 oz Sweet Orange Peel
• 1 oz Cinnamon Sticks
• 1 tsp Cardamom Seeds
• 2 tsp Allspice
• Safbrew S-33 Dry Yeast
• 5 oz Corn Sugar (Priming)
• 1 tsp Irish Moss (Optional for clarity: Not included)

INSTRUCTIONS

Put all grains in grain bag. Add 2 gallons of cold water to boiling pot and slowly bring water to 160 degrees and let steep for 20-30 minutes. Remove grains from pot and sparge (pour water through grain bag) with warm water. Bring to a near boil, remove pot from heat and add malt extracts and Candi Sugar. When wort starts to boil, add bittering hops and boil for 40 minutes. Add all spices. Boil 5 minutes and then add 1 tsp of the Optional Irish Moss. Boil 5 minutes and add aroma hops. Finish 1 hour boil and let sit covered for about 5 to10 minutes to allow the spices extra time to steep. If using an Ice Break to cool wort, put pot of wort in sink or bin of ice and water and bring temperature down to about 100 to 120 degrees. Transfer wort into primary leaving the spices behind and top off with cold water to bring volume to 5.5 gallons. Ensure that wort is below 72 degrees and then pitch yeast and mix well. Ferment in primary for 5 to 7 days depending on ambient temperatures. After the Krausen (foam at the top of the fermenting brew) drops, transfer to 5 gallon glass carboy and condition for 2 to 4 weeks and check specific gravity just to be sure the beer is done fermenting. Bottle with 5 ounces of priming sugar. Enjoy!

Beer Making Equipment Kits

If you are making a beer kit for the first time, an equipment kit is a great and low-stress way to get all the equipment you need to make your Christmas Ale. 

This Brewer's Best Equipment Kit is top of the line and comes complete for a beginner brewer.

• Equipment kit includes: 
• 6.5 Gallon "Ale Pail" Primary Fermenter with Grommeted Lid 
• 6.5 Gallon "Ale Pail" Bottling Bucket with Spigot 
• Easy Clean No-Rinse Cleanser 
• Auto-Siphon 
• 5 Gallon Glass Carboy 
• Plastic Paddle
• Carboy Brush
• Hydrometer
• Liquid Crystal Thermometer
• Bottle Brush
• Black Beauty Capper
• Econolock
• Drilled Bung
• Lab Thermometer
• Bottle Filler
• Siphon Hose with Shut-off Clamp
• IO-Star
• 20 qt. Brew Pot
• Equipment Instructions

Sanitizer and Spray Bottle

Good sanitation practices are absolutely fundamental to good beer making. Five Star San is the premier sanitizer you will need to make your Christmas Ale beer kit. A great practice for extra protection is to have a spray bottle filled with sanitizing solution so you can re-sanitize everything that touches or goes near your beer. Sanitation is much more difficult with beer than wine because beer has a higher pH. Wine's high acidity makes bacterial infection less likely but with beer, one small mishap can cost you your batch. 

Bottles

When your Christmas Ale is done, you will need bottles. This standard 12 ounce bottle is a good choice. You will need 54 for a 5 gallon batch. Bottles do not come with caps.

Carboys   

The 5 gallon carboy pictured here is the standard size for any beer kit. If you have never worked with a carboy, it is important to know they should not be moved full without a carboy handle or a carrier. 

Brew Pots

The pot pictured is an 8 gallon pot that is perfect for any beer kit or a standard 5 gallon batch. 

Wort Chillers and Thermometers

Wort Chillers and Thermometers are long term investments. It is important to chill your Christmas Ale wort quickly. The quicker you chill it the stronger the cold break will be. You also need a good thermometer that reads fast temperature fluctuations.  

Siphons

Auto-siphons are a great luxury item to have in your brew equipment. Once you have one you will never go without it again. Don't forget to use a heavy duty sanitizer to clean it since you don't want to replace it as often as hoses. A good sanitizer for that job is Five Star San. 

Fermenters

The fermenter pictured here is standard for a 5 gallon beer kit.

Hoses

 Many people reuse their hoses for far too long. Replacing your hoses often or even using as single use items is highly recommended with beer making. Hoses are very hard to clean and beer is very susceptible to bacterial infection. You do not want to risk losing your Christmas Ale over a few feet of unsanitary hose. 

Funnels

Pouring your wort into a carboy can be tricky. Use a big funnel made just for the job. They even have different mesh screens to remove particles. 

Airlocks

It is recommended to replace airlocks often. Because they never physically touch the beer, the sanitation risk is too often overlooked. Bacteria can spread without physical contact in a closed environment and plastic stubbornly harbors bacteria.   

Stoppers and Bungs 

Bungs and stoppers should also be periodically replaced. They can dry out and harbor bacteria. 

 Carboy Brush

Keeping your carboy clean before and after use is key to avoid bacterial infection in your beer. A carboy brush is a great tool to get into those nooks and crannies. 

Stainless Steel Carboy and Bottle Washer

Stainless Steel Carboy and Bottle Washer is a convenient way of cleaning your bottles and/or carboys.  This high quality tool will come in handy.  Hooks up straight to your faucet with the bottle washer adapter (#4804) and puts out plenty of pressure to clean those stubborn stains from beer bottles that have been sitting around. 

Capper

When you bottle your Christmas Ale, you will need to cap your bottles. This capper is inexpensive, easy to use and does not require attaching to a counter. It has a magnet to hold the cap in place.  

 DID YOU KNOW

Farmhouse ale is an ancient European tradition where farmers brewed beer from their own grain.