A Quick Heads Up....Xmas Beer 2015

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johnnyboy1965

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To make this beer you will need 6lbs of Xmas pudding. Go and check the supermarkets on Boxing Day as they will be very cheap. This is a two stage brew, and you will need the base Xmas Pudd "stock" before you begin.
This is the method for the stock:-
Take 6lbs of quality (quality? what goes in comes out) Xmas pudds, roughly chop them up and put in a saucepan and add 4li of water. Bring to the boil and simmer for a couple of hours. You will end up with what can only be described as "nice smelling sludge".
Pass this though a sieve to extract all the liquid, Now you need to extract all the liquid without smashing the fruit. This is beacause the seeds of the fruit get very bitter if you break them open. If you can rig up a system where the liquid drains slowly without forcing it through the sieve even better. I place my sludge in a muslin cloth and let it drain out slowly. This may take 7 days. Once the sludge is dry and you have collected the stock. You then need to boil it for a few minutes. This will do 2 things...sterilize it, and separate the suet from the stock. Put the stock into a airtight container and leave in the fridge for 2 days. At his stage you might get a film of aft on the top, this is good, it shows that the suet has separated from the stock. Throw this fat away. What you have now got is a liquid form of Xmas pudding. Now here is the beauty of this recipe...you can add it to any beer that you want to brew.
I suggest a ABV of 7% with a colour of 30 SRM/60EBC.
Hopping...not needed, you wont taste any hops, though a little bitterness will compliment the brew. 7g of Target at the start of a 60min boil, is quite nice.
This recipe might look a little complicated, but its not. Yes its time consuming.
Kit Brewers...2 cans of liquid malt extract (1 dark, 1 medium) and S04 yeast will do the trick, but what you need to do, is add 1 can of dark, then your stock, then the medium, to your required level.
Use your hydrometer to your preference.
Sorry, I know its long winded and hard to explain, but stick with the "stock" and you cant go wrong.
Best Wishes, any Q`s please feel free to ask
 
Not sure why the 2nd thread, but thanks :)

Why does it take a year? Do you bottle it and leave it to condition until next Christmas? I'd be worried leaving something that long that it might turn out to be spoiled after all that time and effort :)
 
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