Christmas Ale is not a complicated beer to brew, but it rewards attention to detail. Pale Malt forms the base of the mash here, and Challenger 7% carries the hop character through to the glass.
Recipe at a Glance
Recipe at a Glance
| Style | Christmas Ale |
| Batch Size | 5 gallons (19L) |
| Boil Time | 60-90 minutes |
| Original Gravity | 1.060-1.080 |
| Final Gravity | 1.014-1.020 |
| ABV | 6.5-8.5% |
| IBU | 20-35 |
| SRM | 12-25 (amber to brown) |
| Difficulty | Intermediate to Advanced |
Brew Day, Step by Step
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1
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Mash · ~60 min Mash the grain bill, led by Pale Malt, at a steady temperature to build the fermentable sugars this style needs. Sparge slowly so you do not lose efficiency. |
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2
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Boil · ~60-90 min Bring the wort to a boil and work through the hop schedule, starting with Challenger 7%. This is also where you will add any fining agent for a clearer finished beer. |
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3
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Ferment · 22C (72F) Pitch Wyeast 1028 London Ale once the wort has cooled to fermentation temperature and hold it steady. Primary fermentation is the most active week, do not rush it. |
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4
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Condition · 8 weeks at 12C (54F) Rack to secondary (or leave in primary if your recipe calls for it) and let the beer round out at a cool, steady temperature. This step does more for the final flavor than people expect. |
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5
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Package · 1 day, then wait Bottle or keg once gravity has held steady for a few days in a row. Give it time to carbonate and, for bigger styles, additional time to mellow before your first taste. |
That’s the shape of brew day and the weeks after it. For the exact grain bill, hop schedule, and full step-by-step instructions with amounts, use the recipe card below.
What You Will Need
Sourcing your own ingredients locally is always fine, but if you want to skip a homebrew store trip, here is what’s in stock in our shop right now:
- Base and specialty grain: Grains & Adjuncts (e.g. Briess 2- Row Brewers Malt 1.8L – 10 lb)
- Bittering and aroma hops: Brewing Hops (e.g. Amarillo Pellet Hops 3 oz)
- Yeast: Brewing Yeast (e.g. Voss Kveik Ale Yeast – 11 g (Pack of 5))
- Secondary fermenter for conditioning: Fermenters & Carboys (e.g. FastRack Drilled Rubber Stopper (#10-3 Pieces))
- Priming sugar for bottling: Priming Sugar (e.g. Brewmaster – AD310 Corn Sugar (lb))
- General kit and tools: Homebrew Equipment (e.g. 12.5Ft. Wort Chiller with Copper Coil)
- Pour it right when it’s ready: a tulip glass shows off the color and holds the aroma better than a straight pint glass
Serve It Right
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A Christmas Ale is best served in a snifter or mug, it fits the body and carbonation of this style better than a straight pint glass. Here is one from our shop: |
Ingredients & Gear for This Batch
Grain / Adjuncts |
Hops |
Yeast |
Fermenter |
Priming Sugar |
Equipment Northern Brewer Homebrewing Starter Kit w/Equipment, Chinook IPA |
Full Recipe: Grain Bill, Hops, and Instructions
Christmas Ale
Equipment
- 1 Large brew kettle (at least 10-gallon capacity)
- 1 Mash tun (insulated cooler or dedicated mash tun)
- 1 Stainless steel mesh grain bag
- 1 Burner (propane or natural gas)
- 1 Immersion chiller or counterflow chiller
- 1 Fermenter (glass carboy or plastic bucket)
- 1 Airlock and stopper
- 1 Transfer tubing (food-grade plastic or silicone)
- 1 Bottling bucket with spigot
- 1 Bottles or kegging equipment
- 1 Hydrometer and test jar
- 1 Thermometer
- 1 Scale
- 1 Stirring spoon or mash paddle
- 1 Sanitizer solution (such as Star San)
- 1 Cleaning solution (such as PBW or OxiClean)
Ingredients
For the Mash – Liquor 14 Litres (24½ Pints) – Mash Time 1 hr – Temperature 67°c/149 °F
- 9.11 lb Pale Malt Quantity 4.4kg
- 1.2 lb Biscuit Malt Quantity 500g
- 12 oz Caramunich I Quantity 350g
- 10½ oz Medium Crystal Malth Quantity 300g
- 3½ oz Torrified Wheat Malth Quantity 100g
- 3½ oz Carafa Special I Malth Quantity 100g
For the Boil – 27 Litres (47½ Pints) – Boil Time 1 hr – 10 mins
- ⅔ oz (Hops) Challenger 7% When to add – At start of boil (IBU 13.2)
- 1 oz (Hops) Styrian Golding 4.5% When to add – For last 15 mins of boil (IBU 5.9)
- 1 oz (Hops) Styrian Golding 4.5% When to add – At turn off (IBU 0.0)
- 1 tsp Protofloc Other – When to add – For last 15 mins of boil
- ⅓ oz Star Anise Other – When to add – For last 10 mins of
- 2 Sticks Cinnamon Sticks Other – When to add – For last 10 mins of
- 1 tsp Ground Nutmeg Other – When to add – For last 10 mins of
- 1.2 lb Light Candi Crystals Other – When to add – For last 5 mins of
To Ferment – 22°C (72°F) – Conditioning 8 weeks at 12°C (54°F)
- 1 Wyeast 1028 London Ale
Instructions
- Heat 14 litres (24½ pints) of liquor to 67°C/149°F in a mash tun.
- Add the Pale Malt, Biscuit Malt, Caramunich I, Medium Crystal Malt, Torrified Wheat Malt, and Carafa Special I Malt to the mash tun.
- Stir the grains to ensure they are evenly distributed in the mash tun.
- Mash for 1 hour at 67°C/149°F.
- After the mash is complete, begin the sparge process to extract the wort.
- Collect 27 litres (47½ pints) of wort in a brew kettle.
- Bring the wort to a boil.
- Add ⅔ oz of Challenger Hops at the start of the boil.
- Add 1 tsp of Protofloc for the last 15 minutes of the boil.
- Add 1 oz of Styrian Golding Hops for the last 15 minutes of the boil.
- Add ⅓ oz of Star Anise, 2 sticks of Cinnamon, and 1 tsp of Ground Nutmeg for the last 10 minutes of the boil.
- Add 1.2 lb of Light Candi Crystals for the last 5 minutes of the boil.
- After boiling for 1 hour and 10 minutes, turn off the heat and add 1 oz of Styrian Golding Hops.
- Chill the wort to 22°C (72°F) and transfer it to a sanitized fermenter.
- Pitch the Wyeast 1028 London Ale yeast into the fermenter.
- Ferment for 28 days at 22°C (72°F).
- After fermentation is complete, condition the beer for 8 weeks at 12°C (54°F).
- Bottle or keg the beer and enjoy!
Get the fermentation temperature right on Christmas Ale and most of the rest of the process takes care of itself.
What Makes Christmas Ale the Style It Is
There is nothing exotic about the roots of Christmas Ale, it grew out of practical brewing choices, local ingredients, and the tastes of the people drinking it.
What you get in the glass is a beer that leans on pale malt and challenger 7%, with a finish shaped by Wyeast 1028 London Ale. Get the fermentation temperature right and the rest of the process is mostly patience.
Style Characteristics at a Glance
- ABV: 6.5-8.5%
- Bitterness: 20-35 IBU
- Color: 12-25 (amber to brown)
- Serving temp: 50-55F (10-13C)
- Glassware: a snifter or mug
- Food pairings: roast turkey, spiced desserts, aged cheese
Common Questions
Can I scale this recipe up or down?
Yes, the grain bill and hop schedule scale linearly with batch size. Just make sure your equipment, mash tun and boil kettle both, can actually handle the volume you are scaling to.
What is the biggest mistake homebrewers make with this style?
Rushing the schedule. Pulling a beer off yeast too early or skipping conditioning time is the most common way to shortchange a recipe like this one.
Can I substitute a different yeast strain?
You can, but expect the flavor profile to shift. Stick close to the same yeast family (English ale, American ale, Belgian, lager, etc.) if you want a result close to what this recipe is aiming for.
Keep Exploring
Once you have this one down, here are a few more homebrew recipes worth trying next:
Browse the full homebrew recipe collection for more styles, or if you are just getting into the hobby, start with one of our homebrewing starter kits for new brewers.
This recipe is for adults of legal drinking age. Please brew and drink responsibly, and always sanitize your equipment thoroughly to avoid infection.
