Julebryg Recipe

Apr 26, 2017

Julebryg (20 Litres)

The story goes that the first Julebryg (Christmas Brew), made by Carlsminde Brewery in 1958, was a traditional strong ale. Vikings were known to brew a high-powered beer-like drink to get them through the dark winter months. The popularity of this seasonal beer prompted other breweries to follow in the years after, and the “J-Dag” (J Day) tradition, on the first Friday of November, was born! Apparently, every Danish brewery has at least one Christmas Beer (BJCP Style Guidelines - 21.B). Many variants use a blend of malted barley, wheat, specialty malts with the traditional hints of caramel, anise, liquorice root, vanilla and cinnamon. Some brews have more exotic additions, such as apricot, chocolate, honey, coriander, oranges or cardamom. Don’t be afraid to personalise the recipe by tweaking the spices as you desire. Any Christmas pudding spice or fruit may work in this brew. Ferment with ale, lager yeast or a blend. You may want to make it with a long term view for tasting on the first Friday of November next year or any Friday at 8:59pm!

Ingredients

1.7kg Coopers brew can of your choice, Note: Choose a brew with the colour, flavour and bitterness in mind.
1.5kg Amber Malt Extract
250g Brown Sugar
1 star anise
1 vanilla bean pod
2 cinnamon sticks
2 tbsp coriander seeds
20g Saaz Hop Pellets
One sachet of S-33 yeast + yeast supplied with the brew can
Dextrose Corn Sugar or Carbonation Drops

Features:

Colour: Amber
Body: Heavy
Bitterness: Medium
Approx. Alcohol Level: 6% ABV
Naturally Carbonated: Natural

Instructions:

STEP 1: Mix

Simmer spices, hops and brown sugar for 15mins in 2 litres of water. Remove from the heat and steep for a further 30mins then strain into the FV. Mix in the brew can and Amber Malt. Add cool water to the 20 litre mark and stir vigorously. Add the yeast and fit the lid.

STEP 2: Brew

Try to ferment as close to 21C as possible. Fermentation has finished once the specific gravity is stable over 2 days.

STEP 3: Bottle

We recommend the use of PET bottles or reusable glass bottles designed for storing beer.

Priming

Bottle the brew with a priming rate of 8g per litre (2 carbonation drops per 750ml bottle).

STEP 4: Enjoy!

Store the bottles at or above 18C for at least two weeks to allow the secondary fermentation to take place. Some of the flavours and aromas may seem a bit weird when the beer is young but, given time, they should meld together nicely. Be mindful that bitterness softens in the bottle over time. Expect the alcohol content to be around 6% ABV.