Dark · BJCP 26D

Belgian Christmas Ale

Name: Belgian Christmas Ale
Yield: 20 L
Cuisine: Belgium
Ingredients: 3.95 kg Pilsner malt; 1.4 kg Munich malt; 0.85 kg Crystal 60L; 0.85 kg Brown malt; 0.1 kg Siro candi sẫm (D-90); 16 g Magnum; 20 g Northern Brewer; 15 g Perle; SafAle T-58

A strong 8.5% winter ale: thick creamy head, slightly spicy palate, light coffee and caramel aromas.

Caramel
Light coffee
Slightly spicy

Origin: BelgiumDifficulty: AdvancedReady in: 6 weeks❄ Needs chiller

Recipe source: Castle Malting® — Belgian Christmas Ale · view original ↗ (scaled to 20 L at 72% efficiency)

Against BJCP 26D guidelines

OG1.077

ABV8.3%

IBU28

SRM23.7

Stats calculated from ingredients (Tinseth · Morey) — real results depend on efficiency and water.

Choose your KRS brewer

40L brewer (B40)30 L in the kettle → ~24.5 L beer50L brewer (B50)45 L in the kettle → ~38.5 L beer70L brewer (B70)65 L in the kettle → ~56 L beer

Sized for the 50L brewer (B50): 45 L pre-boil, 90-minute boil (~4.5 L boil-off, ~2 L kettle and chiller loss) → about 38.5 L into the fermenter.

Brewhouse efficiency: 72%All-in-One brewers usually hit 68–75%. Use 70% for a first batch.

OG: 1.077
FG: 1.014
ABV: 8.3%
IBU: 28
SRM: 23.7
EBC: 47

Malt & sugar

Malt & sugar	Amount	Share
Pilsner malt	7.6 kg	55%
Munich malt	2.7 kg	20%
Crystal 60L	1.64 kg	12%
Brown malt	1.64 kg	12%
Siro candi sẫm (D-90)	0.19 kg	1%
Σ	13.77 kg

Hops

Hops	Amount	Use	Time
Magnum 13% AA	31 g	Boil	60 min
Northern Brewer 9% AA	39 g	Boil	10 min
Perle 7% AA	29 g	Boil	10 min

Yeast

SafAle T-58 · 4 pack(s) (11,5 g) · Ferment at 18–24°C

Water (estimate for an All-in-One brewer)

Total water: 57.2 L
Mash water: 35.9 L
Sparge water: 21.3 L
Pre-boil volume: 45 L

Estimated ingredient cost for this batch

Reference retail prices from ABV Beer Shop · 24/09/2026

Cost of what you use: ₫1,132,000
Retail purchase: ₫1,430,000
Per litre: ₫29,400
Per 330 ml glass / bottle: ₫9,700

Show cost per ingredient

Ingredient	Amount	Reference price	Cost of what you use	Retail purchase
Pilsner malt	7.6 kg	Weyermann Pilsner · ₫46,100/kg	₫350,360	₫368,800 (8 kg)
Munich malt	2.7 kg	Weyermann Munich I · ₫47,500/kg	₫128,250	₫142,500 (3 kg)
Crystal 60L	1.64 kg	Weyermann Caramunich III · ₫60,300/kg(equivalent)	₫98,892	₫120,600 (2 kg)
Brown malt	1.64 kg	Weyermann Abbey · ₫54,600/kg(equivalent)	₫89,544	₫109,200 (2 kg)
Magnum	31 g	Hallertau Magnum · ₫87,500/100 g	₫27,125	₫87,500 (1 × 100 g pack)
Northern Brewer	39 g	Hallertau Northern Brewer · ₫107,500/100 g	₫41,925	₫107,500 (1 × 100 g pack)
Perle	29 g	Hallertau Perle · ₫137,000/100 g	₫39,730	₫137,000 (1 × 100 g pack)
SafAle T-58	4 pack(s)	SafAle T-58 11,5 g · ₫89,100/pack	₫356,400	₫356,400 (4 pack(s))

Not included (buy elsewhere, no reference price): Siro candi sẫm (D-90).

Retail purchase rounds hops and spices up to 100 g packs and malt up to 0.5 kg — leftovers keep for the next batch. Excludes power, water, CO₂ and cleaning chemicals. Prices may change.

Mash

63°CBeta rest (drier beer)60 min
68°CMid saccharification rest15 min
72°CAlpha rest (iodine test)15 min
78°CMash-out2 min

Boil

Boil 90 minutes

Carbonation

2.7 vol CO₂

Fermentation

16°CPitch & primary fermentation2 days
22°CFree rise to finish5 days
8°CDrop to 8°C, settle / harvest yeast1 days
1°CCold conditioning5 days

Tips for success

Admiral and Brewers Gold replaced with Magnum and Northern Brewer; Café Light with brown malt.
Condition 3–4 more weeks before drinking.
Converted from Castle Malting's (Belgium) 100 L recipe — Château malts replaced with equivalents.