Brewing ingredients spread out on a dark surface
The Full Recipe

Hearthside Holiday Ale

A 1-gallon all-grain BIAB holiday ale with warm spice notes. Perfect for your first brew or your fiftieth.

6.5% ABV
20 IBU
14 SRM (Color)
1.065 OG
1.012 FG

Ingredients

🌾 Grains (The Fermentables)

These provide the sugars that yeast will turn into alcohol, plus the color and body of your beer.

  • Maris Otter Pale Malt 2 lb
  • Crystal 60L 4 oz
  • Munich Malt 4 oz
  • Honey Malt 2 oz
💡
Why Maris Otter? It's a British pale malt with a slightly biscuity, rich character that works beautifully with holiday spices. You can substitute with regular 2-row pale malt if needed.

🌿 Hops (The Balance)

Just enough bitterness to balance the malt sweetness. We're not making an IPA here—the spices are the star.

  • East Kent Goldings (60 min) 0.5 oz
💡
Substitutions: Fuggle, Willamette, or any English-style hop will work. Look for something earthy and mild, not citrusy or piney.

🦠 Yeast (The Magic Makers)

These little guys eat sugar and make alcohol and CO2. We use a clean American yeast so it doesn't add competing flavors.

  • SafAle US-05 (or similar) ½ packet
💡
Alternatives: Fermentis S-04 (English character), Lallemand Nottingham, or any neutral ale yeast. For the Belgian variation, use Belgian Abbey yeast instead.

✨ Spices (The Holiday Part)

For the classic version. These go into your tincture, not directly into the beer. See Spices & Variations for other options.

  • Cinnamon Sticks 2 sticks
  • Whole Nutmeg (grated) ¼ nutmeg
  • Allspice Berries 4-6 berries
  • Vodka (for tincture) 4 oz
⚠️ The Tincture Method

Don't add spices during the boil! Make a tincture by soaking spices in vodka for 3-7 days, then add to taste after fermentation. This gives you total control. Learn more →

💧 Water

The biggest ingredient by volume. If your tap water tastes good, it's probably fine for brewing.

  • Mash Water 1.5 gal
  • Sparge Water (optional) 0.5 gal
💡
Water Tip: If your water has a strong chlorine smell, let it sit out overnight or use a Campden tablet to remove it. Chlorine can cause off-flavors.

🍬 Priming Sugar (For Carbonation)

Added at bottling time to give the yeast a final snack. They'll make the CO2 that carbonates your beer.

  • Corn Sugar (Dextrose) 0.8 oz
💡
Alternative: You can use regular table sugar—the difference is undetectable in the final beer. Just use 10% less by weight.

Equipment You'll Need

Good news: you probably own half of this already. The rest is affordable and reusable for future batches.

🍲

Large Stock Pot

At least 3 gallons. Bigger is better—you don't want boilovers.

👜

Grain Bag

A large mesh bag that fits inside your pot. This is the "bag" in BIAB.

🌡️

Thermometer

Digital is easiest. You need accurate temps for mashing.

🫙

Fermenter

1-gallon glass jug or small bucket with lid. Needs an airlock.

🔬

Hydrometer

Measures sugar content. Optional but helpful for knowing ABV.

🧴

Sanitizer

Star San is the standard. One bottle lasts forever.

🍾

Bottles & Caps

About 10 twelve-ounce bottles. Swing-top or pry-off caps.

🔧

Bottle Capper

If using pry-off bottles. Swing-tops don't need this.

📏

Auto-Siphon

Makes transferring beer much easier and cleaner.

Full Equipment Guide with Buying Tips

The Process at a Glance

Week Before
Make Your Tincture
Soak spices in vodka. Let sit 3-7 days.
Brew Day (3-4 hours)
Mash → Boil → Chill → Pitch
The hands-on part. Make your wort and add yeast.
Week 1-2
Fermentation
Yeast does its thing. You just wait and watch bubbles.
Day 14
Add Tincture & Bottle
Taste and add spices. Then bottle with priming sugar.
Week 3-4
Carbonation
Bottles condition at room temp. CO2 builds up.
Day 28+
Drink! 🎉
Chill, pour, enjoy. You made beer!
Start Brew Day →

What to Expect

Flavor Profile

This beer hits like a warm hug. The Maris Otter base gives you a biscuity, lightly caramel backbone. Crystal malt adds a touch of toffee sweetness. Munich brings some bread crust character.

On top of that foundation, the spices add subtle warmth—cinnamon up front, nutmeg in the middle, allspice lingering at the end. It's festive but not overpowering. You can drink more than one without your taste buds staging a protest.

The bitterness is low, just enough to keep it from being cloying. The finish is clean and dry-ish, with that spice warmth fading gently.

Best Served

  • Temperature: Around 50°F (10°C) — cellar temp, not fridge cold
  • Glass: Tulip, goblet, or whatever you have
  • Pairings: Roast turkey, glazed ham, gingerbread, sharp cheddar, or just a cozy blanket

Ready to Brew?

Grab your ingredients and let's make some holiday magic.

Full Brew Day Guide Scale This Recipe Download Printable Version