I am brewing now. It is a simple chocolate oat stout base with a ridiculous complex spice blend for Christmas.
8.5 pounds pale 2-row
1 pound chocolate malt
1 pound crystal 60l
1 pound toasted flaked oats
1/2 pound crystal 120l
1 ounce of Galen at 13 AA as first wort hops
Safale us-05
Spices will be added at 15
Cinnamon
Nutmeg
Ginger
Coriander
Sichuan peppercorn
Bay leaf
All Spice
Green cardamom
It is a lot of spice, absolutely, but the total amount is less than an ounce, in the neighborhood of a tablespoon. Complexity, yes, but by Christmas and after some oak beans soaked in rum, it should come together nicely. Time will tell.
Drinking my tart and fruity dunkelweizen while I work. Very intense flavor, like a hefeweizen that has gone in for weight training and a beard. Super good!
Update: bottling day came today! The body is just a little thinner than I would like, but it is still very rich and smooth. The sweetness comes through above the spices, and the oak dominates. In a month or so, I expect flavors to meld and develop better. A delicious sweet stout base, for sure that could benefit from a little more hops. This will be very enjoyable atsUmas.
