smokingpanda wrote:Hello all,

I am new to this site, and just discovered it from going to my local Brewing Supply store's website (Kirks Brewing).
Welcome! Happy to have you here!

I have a few questions about a beer that I would like to try for the holidays, but have a few concerns.
I have looked online for a nice looking holiday beer to try, and found a recipe. I have three questions regarding it, before I buy the necessary ingredients.

1) If I use German Northern Brewer Hops versus Northern Brewer Hops, is it going to significantly alter the taste?
Nope. I doubt there is a huge difference between the German and American versions of Northern Brewer hops. Even if you used a completely different cultivar of hop, the difference would be minimal, since you are boiling them for 45 minutes. The late Cascade hop addition is going to be the dominant hops flavor in the beer.

2) It doesn't specify how much Ale Yeast to use or what kind/brand. I am pretty new to homebrewing, and any direction/advice would be greatly appreciated.
I'd recommend Danstar Nottingham or SafAle US-05 for dry yeast, and WLP001 or Wyeast 1056 for liquid yeast. These are fairly neutral yeast, and should let the spices and specialty malts shine through. I would really recommend the dry yeast for ease of use. 1 package should do the trick nicely!

3) Do you think this beer will be worthwhile? Any good? Any suggestions?
Looks tasty as hell to me! My only suggestion would be to send me a 6 pack ! The teaspoon of whole cloves seems like a lot to me, but I'll let someone who's had more experience with spiced holiday beers give their opinion on that.

4) As of right now, I am ordering my supplies through midwest supplies. Are there any other good online supply stores out there?
Northernbrewer.com and Morebeer.com are the ones that come to mind immediately.

I have posted the recipe below. Thank you for your replies.

Dave

By Phoebe Couch
SIze: 4 Gallons
Ingredients:

* 4 1/4 pounds, Austrialian light extract malt (liquid)
* 1/2 pound, crystal malt
* 1/4 pound, chocolate malt
* 1/8 pound, flaked barley
* 1/2 cup, brown sugar
* 2 1/2 ounces, Northern brewer hops
* 1/2 cinnamon stick
* 1 teaspoon, whole clove
* 1 ounce, cascade (finishing)
* Ale yeast

Procedure:
Add all the grain and malt into the water and boil. After it starts to boil,remove the grain bag and add Northern brewer and spices. After about 45 minutes, turn off heat, add the Cascade. After 20 minutes, filter into carboy. Pitch yeast when cool. Clarify and bottle in a week.
Specifics: * Primary Ferment: 1 week