I like trying to brew weird stuff. This one is called Waes Haeil!! Which is Middle English for “Be Well.” It became the modern English word wassail, which means a celebratory drink made with spices and usually wine or beer. So, i was going to try brewing one. This is what i was thinking for a 5 gallon batch.
OG: 1.095
FG: 1.021
ABV: 10%
IBU: 7.8
Grain Bill
Munich II – 3 lbs
Crisp English Crystal 65 – 1 lb
Special B – 1/2 lb
Roast Barley – 1/2 lb
Light LME - 8 lbs
Light DME – 1 lb (for the starter)
Hops
UK Golding 1 oz (30 min from end)
And here is the weird part:
Carmalized Granny Smith apples (2)
Cinnamon Stick 1/2
Nutmeg (not sure how much)
Cloves (not sure again)
Yeast: WLP060 American Ale Blend (not sure on this).
What do you all think? Have you tried something like this before and if so what tips do you have?
I might go a little lighter on the roasted barley, maybe 4 oz. I just put a fruit stout in primary that had 4 oz each of roasted barley, de-bittered black malt, & extra dark (160L) crystal. Tastes fantastic so far. I also like an Irish ale yeast (Wyeast 1084) for this kind of recipe.
Looks really tasty! Special B is also a bit much – take 'er down to more like 0.25 lb. Also I personally would use more apples, or I might use cider as part of the brewing liquid instead of water. I do this with my harvest apple ale – about half the “water” is actually fresh pressed apple cider. Yum. You wouldn’t need to use that much, but consider the idea of it.
Where I come from in the UK, wassail is associated with cider. This might be because I live in the West Country and cider is the ‘national drink’, but we have festivals that revolve around it that happen in the spring. Traditionally, some cider is poured at the base of trees in order to ensure a good harvest that year.
I guess the apple in your recipe reflects the cider aspect.
I will take into heart your suggestions and give this one a shot this week probably.
[quote]Where I come from in the UK, wassail is associated with cider. This might be because I live in the West Country and cider is the ‘national drink’, but we have festivals that revolve around it that happen in the spring. Traditionally, some cider is poured at the base of trees in order to ensure a good harvest that year.
[/quote]
This is very interesting, thanks. My friend’s family is Scottish and he said his uncle made it with whiskey and apples.
No, no, no, wassail is an old nautical term from back in the day when ocean-going ships first converted from wind power to steam,
“Hey mate, that’s a fine looking steamship you crew on!”
I gave this a shot yesterday and decided to add a touch of allspice to it (3 seeds, crushed). It smelled wonderful while boiling. The fermenting is going strong and i will update this post with details from the fermentation and tasting.
Okay, so out of the secondary this is pretty interesting. Sour apple in the nose with the spices coming out first in the taste (warm). It is good but odd. It will take some getting used to.
Okay, here is what i went with for my 5 gallon batch:
OG: 1.093
FG: 1.023
ABV: 9.5%
Mash
Weyermann Munich 1 - 3 lbs
Crisp Crystal 55-70L - 1 lb
Belgian Castle Special B - .25 lb
British Crisp Roast Barley - .25 lb
Light LME - 8 lbs
Light DME - 1 lb (for the starter)
Yeast: WLP - 005 British Ale
Hops:
UK Golding - 1 oz - 30 min from end
Other stuff:
6 Granny Smith apples, sliced up and carmalized over medium high heat.
1 thing of nutmeg (is it a seed?) which was about 1/4 oz crushed.
1 Cinnamon stick, about 1/8 oz, crushed
3 seeds of Allspice, crushed
Mashed in the general neighborhood of 150. Fermented about 70 degrees.
Tasting Notes at bottling
The cinnamon is the first thing you taste followed by a hint of nutmeg then an aftertaste of sour apple. The dark color (33 SRM) is enough to balance out the spices with maltiness. I get no hops from this, which is good since it is not what i was going for. In the aroma the cinnamon comes out first as well, with a hit of apple in the background. At first i didn’t like this beer but now it is growing on me. What’s interesting is that i had a Sam Adams’ Winter Lager (while watching Harry Potter) and i could detect the spices in there as well, albeit less so. Wæs Hæil! is a Xmas ale so the spice and apple make sense.
I am curious how this will age. I intend to leave most of the bottles until Xmas. Luckily i had about 64 oz from the secondary left over, so i poured it in a mug and am drinking it now
