"spicing up" a west coast pale ale

palmettobum · 10-26-2007, 07:22 PM

Greetings, about to boil up my third ever batch tonight, a WCPA, but looking for suggestions to make it a little more interesting. My first batch was an IPA that has finally spent 3 weeks in bottles, but it tastes more like a pale ale to me, so I was hoping to 'spice' this one up tonight so its not so similar. Xtract kits were all from abs.

Was thinking either spiced for the holidays, fruity, or possibly white chocolate. Right now I'm leaning towards about 3 lbs of blueberries in the secondary, but thats kind of expensive and I would really like to hear any other suggestions.

Thanks for any suggestions!

cheers, andy

Cheesefood · 10-26-2007, 07:25 PM

Which spiced or fruit beers have you enjoyed the most?

krispy d · 10-26-2007, 07:27 PM

Hey! funny bumping into you here... Glad to see you round these parts. You will like it here. Great advice ans some killer recipes. some of these guys brew a ton more than I could ever imagine and most people that I have met think I am obsessed.

Good luck with the APA. You already know how I feel so I won't chime in.

**the_bird** · 10-26-2007, 07:28 PM

You can get "spice" through means other than literal spices; certain varities of hops are described as being spicy, Saaz is one classic example but there are others. You can load up and do some big late hop additions to really bring out some fresh flavors and aromas from the hops, if you're looking to kick it in that direction.

Beerrific · 10-26-2007, 07:29 PM

Rye is also know for adding a spice to a beer. I have never used it though.

krispy d · 10-26-2007, 07:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beerrific

Rye is also know for adding a spice to a beer. I have never used it though.

MMmm love the rye! I might have to brew up a rye heff with corriander and orange peel. YUM!

palmettobum · 10-26-2007, 07:33 PM

I have not tasted any homebrewed fruit beers. Have tried great divide raspberry and thought that was ok. Never tried a blueberry actually. My brewing buddy did a 'novemberfest' with cinnamon and cloves i think, but that was an october base and that was pretty good. So to answer you question, not many. I guess I am even starting to wonder if an american pale ale is a good backbone for a spiced or fruity beer...?

**the_bird** · 10-26-2007, 07:33 PM

With rye malt, it needs to be mashed (not hard to do a partial mash); I'm not sure about flaked rye.

**the_bird** · 10-26-2007, 07:34 PM

Fruit beers typically have an American Wheat (pretty bland on its own) as the backbone. Spiced beers will often be darker and maltier.

palmettobum · 10-26-2007, 07:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by the_bird

You can get "spice" through means other than literal spices; certain varities of hops are described as being spicy, Saaz is one classic example but there are others. You can load up and do some big late hop additions to really bring out some fresh flavors and aromas from the hops, if you're looking to kick it in that direction.

Now I like the thought of that, although remember I am working with a basic extract kit. My first IPA did not involve dry hopping regrettably, but perhaps I could try it with this batch!? Any further advice on this would be welcomed.