2 Row and Marris Otter...This will obviously be pretty tasty
Haven't used Northern Brewer hops yet, but Willamette and Mt Hood are nice and smooth...Sounds like a nice drinking beer, chap.

Great brew day. Temps and gravity were dead on and I was done and cleaned up in just over 5 hrs. Already seeing Krausen after 3ish hours.

Just mashed in on this...Can't wait till Christmas!!!!!

Pere Noel Christmas Ale
Method: BIAB
Style: Belgian Specialty Ale
Boil Time: 75 min
Batch Size: 1.5 gallons
Boil Size: 2.25 gallons
Efficiency: 70%
Source: Pap Don Brewers

Original Gravity:
1.095

Final Gravity:
1.024

ABV (standard):
9.36%

IBU (tinseth):
21.89

SRM (morey):
23.46

Fermentables
Amount Fermentable PPG °L Bill %
4.1 lb Pale Ale 38 3.4 78.4%
0.32 lb Munich Light 37 6 6.1%
0.16 lb CaraMunich 33 50 3.1%
0.11 lb Biscuit 35 23 2.1%
0.11 lb Special B 34 115 2.1%
0.11 lb Wheat Malt 37 2 2.1%
0.16 lb Cane Sugar 46 0 3.1%
0.16 lb Belgian Candi Sugar - Dark 38 275 3.1%

Hops
Amount Variety Time AA Type Use
0.18 oz Perle 75 min 8.2 Pellet Boil
0.15 oz Domestic Hallertau 25 min 3.9 Pellet Boil

Mash Steps
Amount Description Type Temp Time
9 qt BIAB Infusion 152 F 90 min

Other Ingredients
Amount Name Time Type Use
1 each Whirlfloc 15 min Fining Boil
0.02 oz Yeast Nutrient 10 min Other Boil
0.15 lb Raisins- Organic No Sugar Added 5 min Flavor Boil
1 each Cinnamon Stick (1.5 inches long) 5 min Spice Boil
1 each Allspice berry (crushed) 5 min Spice Boil
1 each Nutmeg (dash) 5 min Spice Boil

Yeast
Wyeast - Belgian Ale 1214
Attenuation (avg):
75%
Flocculation:
Med-Low
Optimum Temperature:
68°F - 78°F
Starter:
No

Notes
Mash at 152 for 90 min.

Boil 75 Min adding hops, misc, and dark candi sugar per above (sugar @ 10 min).

Leave cinnamon stick in fermenter during primary.

Ferment at 68 for first 3 days.

After 3 days and krausen has started to fall, dissolve 0.16 lb Cane Sugar into boiling water, cool to 70, and add to the fermenter.

Ferment at 70 for next 4 days.

Ferment at room temp for remainder.

Plan is to leave in primary for 6 weeks and then check FG. If reached and stable, bottle (no cold crash necessary)and then let carb up for about 5 weeks or so. Then, store in a cool basement to let age until Winter/Holidays.

That looks delicious. I've been contemplating an X-Mas brew. I think I might go with an Imperial Stout and age on oak. Might still be a little green at X-mas though.

I hit 75% efficiency so my SG was 1.101, which is by far the biggest beer I've made thusfar. The sample I tasted was OUTSTANDING. I'm worried though because my 2 Wyeast smack packs never swelled. The date on them were 6/19/12, so the yeast is obviously young and healthy. I noticed that the first nutrient pack inside my first Wyeast pack didn't pop. I pitched it anyway without the nutrient. The 2nd pack did pop, but didn't inflate. I pitched 1/4 of that pack...No signs of fermentation yet 6 hours later. I realize it's still early but I'm worried.

With 1.101, you will need a lot of health yeast. That does not sound good. Do you have a LHBS nearby? Get two packets of dry yeast and dump it in their. A packet of 05 is usually only like $2.50.

+1 for pitching the dry yeast. Given your batch size the 2 smack packs should have been plenty but non-activated is worrisome. I always prefer the WLP vials to the smack packs, if they're available.

She's been bubbling away since late night Saturday. I think I'm good. I read that Wyeast 1214 is a slow starter, so looks like it just took it's time getting there, but it should be good now.

Only time and a gravity reading will tell.

You definitely would want to let your initial yeast finish out first.

I've been brewing quite some time (10+ years, off and on, and have recently been brewing like a banshee), and I've never done anything smaller than a 5 gallon batch. I've recently been scaling things up to 6 gallon partial-mash brews since I just built an awesome keg system (I should post some pics). Anyways, it seems that a lot of people in this thread brew up really small batches...which I found interesting. Any reason a lot of you prefer these tiny batches? Are they just to experiment with different beers? Tell me about the process...

I'll brew some 3 gallon (2.5 into fermenter) batches if it's a really big beer (1.095 OG or higher) or if it's a recipe/style I'm not sure about. For the most part I do a 7 gallon boil with 5.5 - 5.7 going into the fermenter depending on trub losses and evaporation..

I see...are you just using a standard fermentation vessel for that, or do you have a smaller container? I would be interested in doing some experimentation with smaller batches, especially with leftover ingredients.

I'm generally just OK trying different things in full batches. I have a really nice ESB on tap at the moment, as well as a "house ale". A friend and I are going to use the house ale as a template for experimentation, and to enable us to buy base ingredients in bulk. First thing I'm going to do is run through a bunch of differnet hops (I used Cascade for the first run) and make notes.

I currently have an oak-aged IPA, a Vanilla Stout (first time using the vanilla, and the samples I've tried so far are jaw droppingly good), and a California Common (Anchor Steam, basically) at various stages of fermentation...I'm working on establishing a 6 keg rotation, so I've been brewing like crazy.

I have a pair of 3 Gallon carboys for the small batches. I think better bottles are also available in 3 gallon size. I use 6.5 gallon buckets for primaries and have a 6 gallon and two five gallon carboys for secondaries. I haven't started kegging yet.

I love a goos ESB. British beers in general are some of my faves. I brew the ESB from Brewing Classic Styles a few times and I brew a decent Nut Brown as well.

I really don't understand this. The cost of ingrediants from 3 to 5 gallon recipe is minimal at best and it takes the same amount of time. At any chance I get, I try to brew 10 gall instead of 5 now just because I get more yeild over the same amount of time even if it is a new or large beer. I just age the larger beers.

I do smaller batches of higher gravity beers so my mash tun isn't filled to the brim. I find it hard to get decent efficiency with that deep a grain bed. I also like being to start with smaller batches if I'm not sure of a recipe. I can think of a few duds where I was glad not to have to drink a second case of something harsh or thin or whatever.

Yeah, that makes sense. A buddy of mine brewed a lemon coriander weiss, and I'm thinking it would have been much better as a 2 gallon batch as opposed to 5. Now he wants to try a habanero mango brew...not sure about that one.

I brewed a smoked habanero amber that turned out pretty nice. Mostly smoke with a hint of the spice was a good balance.

I'm not sure about the mango addition.

He says the recipe is very well reviewed on some website he was looking at, but I just don't see that as a flavor I want to have for a full 5 gallons.

So, I've been doing strictly partial mash brews of late. Any real advantage to going all grain? I realize I'd need some extra equipment, but I'm having a hard time seeing any major advantage to taking that next step. I know you can control more, but...

Cost (once your mashtun is paid for), freshness, taste, variety of base malts is greater, and as you mentioned, control.

All that said, I still do some extract batches, like my hefe. Most of the flavor is from the yeast and it's proper temp so I save time and use an LME/DME combo.

so are you bottling when you get done or putting it in growlers?