X-Mas Lager 2026
Every year since I started homebrewing (way back in 2009), I've brewed an X-Mas Ale to have around the holidays.
The base beer is usually a very similar "Winter Warmer", and I'd add various ingredients to make it more of a "Holiday" Beer.
Over the years, I added wood spirals, vanilla, cherry pomegranate, chocolate, peppermint, peanut butter, hazelnut, cherry, and many other flavorings.
The past couple years, I've used this as an excuse to get some of the bigger Roll-a-Style (https://blog.ericshepard.com/search/label/Roll-a-Style) beers checked off.
In 2026, I unofficially called it "Year of the Lager", and I thought I'd mix up the recipe just a bit with lager fermentation. The base beer is similar to most previous years, although a little smaller than the usual abv.
Here is my recipe.
| X-Mas Lager 2026 --- Batch 1 (401) |
| Style | Winter Seasonal Beer | Batch Size | 5.50 gal | |||
| Type | All Grain | Boil Size | 6.60 gal | |||
| Brewhouse Efficiency | 65.00 | Boil Time | 60 minutes |
Recipe Characteristics
| Recipe Gravity | 1.057 SG | Estimated FG | 1.013 SG | ||||
| Recipe Bitterness | 31.8 IBUs (Rager) | Alcohol by Volume | 5.8 % | ||||
| BU : GU | 0.556 | ||||||
| Recipe Color | 15.1 SRM |
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| Measured OG: | Measured FG: | ||||||
| ADF: | Measured ABV: |
Ingredients
| Amt | Name | Type | # | %/IBU | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7.59 gal | Denver, Colorado | Water | 1 | - | - |
| 5.00 g | Calcium Chloride (Mash) | Water Agent | 2 | - | - |
| 3.00 g | Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate) (Mash) | Water Agent | 3 | - | - |
| 1.00 tsp | Lactic Acid (Mash) | Water Agent | 4 | - | - |
| 11 lbs | Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) | Grain | 5 | 82.1 % | 0.86 gal |
| 1 lbs 8.0 oz | Munich 10L (Proximity) (10.0 SRM) | Grain | 6 | 11.2 % | 0.12 gal |
| 4.0 oz | Caramel/Crystal Malt -120L (120.0 SRM) | Grain | 7 | 1.9 % | 0.02 gal |
| 4.0 oz | Crystal 40L (Proximity) (40.0 SRM) | Grain | 8 | 1.9 % | 0.02 gal |
| 4.0 oz | Crystal 60L (Proximity) (60.0 SRM) | Grain | 9 | 1.9 % | 0.02 gal |
| 2.4 oz | Midnight Wheat Malt (550.0 SRM) | Grain | 10 | 1.1 % | 0.01 gal |
| 1.000 oz | Magnum [11.50 %] - Boil 60.0 min | Hop | 11 | 31.8 IBUs | - |
| 1.00 Items | Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 mins) | Fining | 12 | - | - |
| 2.00 oz | Coriander Seed (Boil 5.0 mins) | Spice | 13 | - | - |
| 1.0 pkg | Saflager Lager (DCL/Fermentis #W-34/70) [50.28 ml] | Yeast | 14 | - | - |
Mash Profile
| Name | Description | Step Temperature | Step Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saccharification | Add 30.33 qt of water at 159.8 F | 152.0 F | 45 min |
| Heat | Heat to 158.0 F over 10 min | 158.0 F | 15 min |
| Mash Out | Heat to 170.0 F over 7 min | 170.0 F | 10 min |
If steeping, remove grains, and prepare to boil wort
Recipe Notes
Water salts bring Denver water profile (as defined by BeerSmith) to
Ca=103,Mg=8,Na=21,SO4=109,Cl=107,HCO3=104
Acid addition to bring expected mash pH to 5.4
Mash as instructed.
60 minute boil making additions as instructed in recipe.
Cool wort to as close to 55F as possible. Add to fermenter. Aerate wort and pitch yeast.
Ferment below 60F for one week or so. Then let fermentation temperature go where it want to.
After 2 weeks of fermentation, keg.
Brewing Record
| Brew Date: | Strike Temp: | |||||
| Mash Temps: | ||||||
| Pre-boil OG | (1.052 SG) | Pre-boil Vol | (6.60 gal) | |||
| Actual Mash Efficiency | Pitch Temp | |||||
| Fermentation | ||||||
| Day 1: | ||||||
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