Ginger in primary or secondary?

I am making a ginger apple cider. Plan on fermenting down to 1.009 or so then racking to secondary and cold crashing to stop fermentation. Would you add the ginger in the primary or secondary or some in both?

I've read in "The Complete Mead Maker" that certain spices can become really awful tasting flavors if taken up by the yeast and it was highly recommended by Ken Shramm that spices be added after primary has been finished.

That was kind of my thoughts. I just was reading some recipes that used it in the primary. Maybe ginger is not one that takes on a bad flavor because it seemed to taste good given the reviews. I agree tho that safer in secondary.

It also seems that aromatics, including hops and things like coconut additions tend to be carried of with co2, which percolates off heavy in primary. If your going for more 'aromatic' retention then put it in secondary. However certain flavors tend to be extracted better with longer contact time... So maybe it depends on the effect you're looking for as well. Flavor vs. aroma...

I've had good results making semi-dry and dry cider with around 1oz of shredded ginger per gallon in the primary. I'm accustomed to strong ginger flavors and enjoy chewing on candied ginger, making very strong ginger sodas, and drinking ginger teas. If you aren't a ginger fiend you might perfer to start with smaller amounts of ginger.

I'm not happy with my most recent batch which was made with ginger that was chopped with a blender, bottled at a FG of 1.010, and bottle carbonated. Much of the ginger wound up as foam that floated above the must and it is also too sweet.

I prefer to prepare my ginger by grating it with a course micro-plane or by using the Rotor Slicer/Shredder on our Kitchenaid if I need more than a couple of ounces.

Ginger in the primary, it is not one of those spices that turns out funny, like Renoun, we really like ginger, we use like a pound or more a gallon to make a cooking wine for merinades, drop a bottle into a Christmas punch and wham it really lights it up. Freezing it helps get more juice out before you dice it up. If you want to boost the flavor in the secondary you can freeze it, put big chunks one of the lemon juicers that squish the fruit and just press out some juice without adding sediment to your secondary. I know you dont want to use that much in a cider and have any hope of tasting the cider, we havent made a ginger cider, yet, I know its going to be good as long as you can keep the ginger in balance with the cider. WVMJ

If I just started it today is it too late to add the ginger now to primary?

farmskis said:

If I just started it today is it too late to add the ginger now to primary?

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I wouldn't think so. Your probably going to primary for 3 to 4 weeks I would assume. If it's fine to put in primary then it's really just about contact time to extract max flavor.

I am going to keep it in until the gravity is around 1.009. Then rack and cold crash in secondary to condition and age before finishing aging cold in a keg.

If I add it now and rack to secondary in a couple weeks should I add more ginger in secondary or will the flavor already have been picked up in the primary?

Dude, be ready to add more if you need it but you will have to taste how strong it is yourself, ginger is pretty strong and it not like its going to evaporate out overnight, if you need to add more freeze it and press out the juice so you wont be adding a bunch of bits and pieces you need to remove from the secondary. Good luck, WVMJ