Ginger Schminger

This was a brew designed for the holidays. I wanted something kind of full and comlex.
I got it in spades. This batch came out kind of rough at first but after about a month
in the bottle, it mellowed greatly. Fill your mouth, swallow slowly savoring the very
full body and then breathe through your nose for a circus of flavors and aroma.

Brewer:	Greg Gazda		Email:	betsy@inwave.com
Beer:	Ginger Schminger		Style:	Sweet Stout
Type:	Extract w/grain		Size:	5 gallons
Color:	123 HCU (~40 SRM)		Bitterness:	14 IBU
OG:	1.053		FG:	1.012
Alcohol:	5.2% v/v (4.1% w/w)
Water:	I used bottled spring water so the mineral content is unknown. No additions.
Grain:	.5 lb. British crystal 50-60L .5 lb. British chocolate .25 lb. British black patent .25 lb. Roasted barley
Steep:	Steeped all crushed grains in a muslin bag in 2 gallons of cold water. The heat is applied and grains yanked at around 190°.
Boil:	60 minutes	SG 1.132	2 gallons
	6.6 lb. Amber malt extract
	At the beginning of the boil, I added the malt extract and 4 oz. of freshly grated ginger root. After 50 minutes of boil I added 2 tablespoons of Starbucks Kahawa coffee, 1 oz. of crushed coriander seeds and 3 crushed cloves of cloves?.
Hops:	1.5 oz. Cascade (6% AA, 60 min.) .5 oz. Cascade (6% AA, 2 min.) 1 oz. Willamette (4.8% AA, 2 min.)
Yeast:	1 package of Whitbread Ale yeast (dry) right from the foil to the carboy. Pitched at 70°.
Log:	This thing fermented forever. I kind of lost count but there was activity in the primary for over 3 weeks. I fially racked it to a secondary and it took off again! I finally bottled I think after a month and a half.
Carbonation:	I added the standard 3/4 cup of corn sugar for priming before bottling.
Tasting:	OK, here's what I would do differently. The hops definately needs some work. Its bitter enough but I think I would go a little more with the aroma on the next batch. Possibly dry hop with some Cascade or Fuggles. Also, I gotta figure out somehow to increase the head. It was there but didn't last very long. There is a definite hint of ALCOHOL in this brew. Dont feed to young children or the faint of heart.

Recipe posted 02/21/98.