Christmas Ale C&Cs please

above all, be careful with cloves!!

[graysalchemy]

My advice would be to add the spices after fermentation . Put them in a little muslin bag suspended in the beer and taste daily until you get the desired spice. If you add to the boil and get it wrong you are left with 40 pints of un drinkable beer.

My other advice would be to swap the horrified devils toenail clipping wheat for wheat Malt much better flavour.

Secondly if it is a Christmas ale why is it only starting at 1046 , it's Christmas it should be at least 6%, that's the law for Christmas ales

You're right, I've been looking into it and think I may have to up it to 6-6.5%. I didn't want anything too strong hence trying to keep it at about 4.5%.

God point about adding after fermentation, I've had to chuck batches down the drain before and it is not a nice experience, don't want to have to do it again.

I assume you mean the torrified wheat, as I said I was going by ingredients that I have in stock, but will probably have a delivery between now and when I brew this so could add some wheat malt to that.

I soak my spices in vodka before adding the lot them to the fermenter. Then I do what Grey recommends with regular tasting.

I'd use up the torrified wheat if I was you. Grey hates the stuff but if you don't then why buy something else! Its just a personal taste thing!