Cheers to Puffer Jacket Snoopy

In a whirlwind of holiday spirit and Gen Z's powerful influence on trends, a Snoopy plushie donning a puffer jacket from CVS has captured hearts and created a festive frenzy. The toy became the unexpected hit of the 2023 holiday season, with its popularity exploding on social media platforms like TikTok, prompting sell-outs and a bustling resale market.

A craft beer bottle with a custom label featuring a cartoon beagle in a blue puffer coat and a striped green and yellow hat, sitting atop a snowy landscape. The beer is called 'Snoopy's Nutty Holiday Ale'. The bottle cap is red to match the festive theme. The label includes playful elements like snowflakes, a doghouse, and a small Christmas tree, with a color palette of red, green, blue, and white, to evoke a cozy, holiday feel.

Inspired by this warm wave of nostalgia and contemporary craze, I turned to ChatGPT to concoct a homebrew recipe that encapsulates the joy and uniqueness of Snoopy, the beloved Peanuts character. The result? Snoopy's Nutty Holiday Ale – a craft beer that's as quirky and delightful as the puffer-clad beagle himself.

The ale features a light malt base with hints of citrus and spice, nodding to the wintery vibe of Snoopy's new attire and the playful zest of the character. But the true twist lies in the nutty finish, achieved by incorporating peanut butter powder during the secondary fermentation, a nod to the dog's playful yet sophisticated persona.

To ensure the nutty profile was spot-on, I revisited my own expertise shared in a previous article where I discussed the ins and outs of brewing with PB2 and peanut butter extract. This past article explored the craft of achieving that rich, nutty character in beer, essential for bringing Snoopy's Nutty Holiday Ale to life.

As the Peanuts gang makes a comeback among a new generation and Snoopy plushies become a symbol of Gen Z's holiday spirit, this homebrew recipe is more than just a beverage. It's a celebration in a glass, a toasty salute to the enduring appeal of a classic character reimagined for today's world.

Cheers, and happy brewing! 🍻

🪄If you are interested in learning how to create unique beer lables like this Snoopy Puffer Jacket design using generative AI technology, make sure to check out Create Beer Labels Using ChatGPT and DALL·E 3 (homebrewing.ai)

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Snoopy's Nutty Holiday Ale

Batch Size: 5 gallons (19 liters)

Estimated OG (Original Gravity): 1.055

Estimated FG (Final Gravity): 1.012

Estimated ABV (Alcohol By Volume): 5.6%

IBU (Bitterness): 25EBC (Color): 15

Malt Bill:

• 9 lbs (4.08 kg) Pale Ale Malt

• 1 lb (0.45 kg) Wheat Malt

• 0.5 lbs (227 g) Carapils/Dextrine Malt

Hops:

• 1 oz (28 g) Cascade Hops at 60 minutes (for bitterness)

• 0.5 oz (14 g) Saaz Hops at 15 minutes (for flavor)

Specialty (Added at bottling):

• Peanut Butter Extract - to taste (recommended starting with 2 oz and adjust based on preference)

Yeast:

• 1 packet American Ale Yeast (e.g., Wyeast 1056, Safale US-05)

Brewing Process

• Mashing: Heat your water and mash the grains at 152°F (67°C) for 60 minutes. Perform a batch sparge with hot water (170°F/77°C).

• Boiling: Bring the wort to a boil and add the Cascade hops for bitterness. With 15 minutes left in the boil, add the Saaz hops for flavor.

• Fermentation: Cool the wort to fermentation temperature (68°F/20°C), transfer to fermenter, and pitch the yeast. Ferment for about two weeks.

• Flavoring and Bottling: After fermentation is complete and before bottling, add the peanut butter extract to the beer to achieve the desired peanut butter flavor.

• Conditioning: Bottle the beer with priming sugar and condition for at least two weeks before tasting.

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