Brew #12: Bailee's Winter Warmer, December 7, 2014

This was an impulse buy.  I went to Bailee's for yeast and I left with this house brand winter warmer kit too.

Recipe
Batch Size: 5 gal
Boil Size: 3 gal
Target OG: 1.060-1.065
Target FG: 1.014-1.018
Style: Specialty/Spiced Beer
Recipe Type: Extract with specialty grains
Boil Time: 60 minutes

Water:
Acadia bottled spring water

Specialty Grains:
??? Only Bob and Bailee know.  And one of them is a dog.

Fermentables:
3.3 lbs light LME
3.3 lbs amber LME.
1 lb amber DME
1 lb corn sugar

Hops:
1 oz East Kent Goldings (pellets) @ 60 min.
1 oz Fuggles (pellets) @ 10 min.

Other:
Mystery spice pack (appears to be orange peel, cinnamon, nutmeg) @ 15 min.
1 whirlfloc tab @ 15 min.
2 whole vanilla beans in secondary for 1 week before bottling

Yeast:
2 packs Danstar Nottingham dry yeast

Brewing Notes
12/7/14 - Brew Day:

• Sanitized (star san) my cold side equipment in the big mouth bubbler primary.
• Heated 3 gal water to 110 F in 5 gallon economy stainless kettle on the stovetop.
• Steeped specialty grains in muslin bag as the temperature rose to 155F, then held at 155 for 20 more minutes.
• Removed the grain bag and held it above the kettle to drain.
• Brought to boil
• Removed kettle from the burner.
• Added all fermentables and stirred well
• Returned to boil, set timer for 60 minutes and added:
  1oz Goldings @ 60 min.
  Spice pack @ 15 min.
  Whirlfloc @ 15 min.
  1oz Fuggles @ 10 min.
  All hops were in a nylon mesh bag.
• Moved kettle to the ice bath in the sink to chilled to 100 F
• Added 2 gal of pre-chilled water to the kettle to bring temperature to 72F
• Siphoned to BMB, then added more room temperature water until I had 5 Gallons.
• Took an OG reading of 1.062, corrected to 1.064.
• During chilling, I re-hydrated both packs of yeast in about 8 oz of 85 degree water.  This was in a 2 cup measuring cup, which was needed because it nearly foamed over.
• Put the BMB in the beer corner of the dining room.

12/7 - 12/16/2014 - Primary Fermentation:
Nothing of note during primary.  Racked to 5 gal glass carboy on 12/16.  Gravity was 1.014

12/16-12/23/2014 - Secondary Fermentation:
Conditioned for 1 week on the 2 vanilla beans.

12/23/2014 - Bottling:
Bottled per our standard practice with 5oz of corn sugar boiled in 2 c water to prime. FG was 1.014 (6.6% abv)

??? - First Taste:
No date or notes.  I know these drank quickly and easily last winter.