That’s the second attempt at a Caramel Amber Ale. The first attempt, it looked awesome at first but it went all wrong. And we didn’t know it, but it was hosed from the start.

There was an error with the grain bill.

We didn’t too much care for over-citrusy notes from the hops in the wort.

And it was our first fermentation in the newly converted chest freezer-to-fermenter and the airlock dried after a long weekend away and compromised the beer.

The second attempt? Beautiful.

We used a St. Arnold Amber clone, Wyeast #1968, with a pound of homemade caramel syrup. We ended up with a beautiful 8% beer. The color is a gorgeous red-amber and those deep raisin, fig, and caramelized sugars come through at the end of the first sip.

And just like that, we have a new favorite home brew.

Yule Shoot Your Eye Out, the season offering from local brewery Karbach Brewing Company.

Trying to narrow down your “must brew” list to a single beer for your next project is quite possibly one of the most awesome first world problems that a guy and a girl with an empty keg and a free Sunday afternoon can face.

With our “big beer” Christmas brew in secondary promising a 9+% ABV, we were looking for a two-glass school-night easy-drinking brew. We’re big fans of amber and red ales. Our 29 Ale was a red/amber ale that was as easy to drink as it was beautiful to look at. Enter the Caramel Amber Ale.

You whip up a specialized caramel syrup, pushing it just to the verge of burning. What you get is a gorgeous deep amber-colored caramel full of complex flavors that range from raisins to toasted caramel. There’s a lot going on, it’s sweet and sophisticated. And it’s very exciting.

So we added that beautiful, amazing caramel near the end of the boil. Right now, the brew is still in primary but will be ready before Christmas. And we can’t wait.

Ever been in Texas at Thanksgiving time? This is what it usually looks like.

Assuming you’re transferring beer to your keg and trying to watch football through the window because your toddler wants to paint outside (whose kid is this, again?), all while digging through the garage and bathroom trying to find the last of the sunblock.

And that strong ale spiked with bourbon-soaked oak chips and vanilla bean will be ready for drinking this weekend!

Cranberry sauce couldn’t be any easier to make – a handful of ingredients go into a pan, simmer for ~20 minutes, and… done! Admittedly, this does take about 19 1/2 minutes longer using a can opener but I think it’s totally worth it.

Since the two kids who’ll be sitting around our table at Thanksgiving this year couldn’t care less about cranberries, we’re serving a grown-up cranberry sauce infused with some of our homemade port. The sweetness and dark berry notes from the port are a nice match to the tart cranberries.

And bonus. Any leftover cranberry sauce can be used to make brownies.

Cranberry-Port Sauce

Port wine infuses this grown-up twist on cranberry sauce.

Ingredients

• 12 oz bag fresh cranberries (thawed, if frozen)
• 1/2 cup ruby port
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 small orange
• 1/4 cup sugar

Instructions

1. Place the cranberries in a medium sauce pan.
2. Add the port, water, 2 Tbsp sugar, and salt.
3. Using a vegetable peeler, remove two 3-inch strips of orange peel and add to the sauce pan.
4. Juice the orange and add the juice to the sauce pan.
5. Bring to a boil and reduce heat, simmering for 15-20 minutes, until most of the liquid has cooked away.
6. Taste for sweetness and add additional sugar, if necessary.
7. Let cool and serve cold or at room temp.
8. Leftovers will keep a couple of weeks in the fridge.

Notes

Yields: 8-10 servings

Adapted from Confections of a Foodie Bride, Inspired by The Way the Cookie Crumbles

Estimated time: 25 minutes