When is a winter warmer not a winter warmer? When I forget to put the spices in that would make this beer a winter ale (cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and/or ginger).
Sigh. Ah well: Sometimes these things happen. I tried to make up for it by adding orange blossom tea in secondary, to add some complexity to what I was pretty sure was going to be an overly boozy tasting ale. It mostly worked!
There’s a strong caramel presence throughout the majority of this beer, with the orange blossom tea serving as a highlight until the end when the tea bitterness kicks in. It’s probable that this bitterness is combining with the hop bitterness but the dominant flavor is one that resembles black tea, along with a slightly oversweet maltiness. It’s not a terrible beer but it definitely tastes incomplete.
Brew Date: 11.11.13
Steeping Grains
3 lb C 80
3 lb Maris Otter
2 lb 2 row
Fermentables: 7 lb LME
Hops
.5 oz Nugget @ 60 (some in preboil)
.5 oz Millennium @ 60
.25 oz Mt Hood @ 30
.5 oz Palisade @20
.25 oz Palisade & Millennium @ 5
Yeast: Hopworks ale yeast (Wyeast 1811, I think).
OG: 1.092
FG: 1.03
Put into secondary: 11.22
Added some orange blossom tea (handful)
ABV: 8.4%
A pint for Dionysus 