do powdered spices (pumpkin pie) added at bottling dissolve?

Hit all my #s and the color/clarity is perfect. Needs more spice flavor. Does adding at bottling settle out like yeast at the bottom of bottles or do they just float around?

Powdered spices will not dissolve. Ground cinnamon cloves and nutmeg are woodlike. I think powered spices would settle out but you would have to pour carefully or strain each bottle, there is a chance of disaster, 40 some bottles of chewy brew.

I would be inclined to use whole spices. Like 1-2 cloves and a half cinnamon stick per bottle, that way you wouldn't have to worry about sediment in your bottle. Also would look cool.

As long as it doesnt look dirty and you cant feel them in ur mouth... im cool with that.

The spices will make the beer appear dirty. I'm with Aquanator. Add a cinnamon stick and clove per bottle. It will look cool and gimmicky.

Make an extract of spices in vodka, strain, and add that?

Make a spice tea of sorts and add that.

Hello said:

Make a spice tea of sorts and add that.

Click to expand...

+1, getting them hot will extract flavor and sanitize them. Strain out the powder after if you can.

FRS said:

+1, getting them hot will extract flavor and sanitize them. Strain out the powder after if you can.

Click to expand...

Straining powder should be pretty easy using a coffee filter and a bowl.

I work in lab and have access to many micron sized filters. Sounds like a vodka bath and filter should work out just fine. I was just worried that the flavor would be held back with the spice in the filter. Wasnt sure if the " extract" idea was true like other additives like vanilla bean. Thanks guys.

I used ground cinnamon in a pumpkin beer once. Big mistake, a couple of months later and it still hadn't all settled out. It gave the beer a sort of unpleasant biting sharpness. Eventually I drank it all by blending it with another beer. I recommend whole cinnamon sticks instead.

I put my ground spices into a coffee filter and pour vodka through them. The flavor is very clean and very easy to dilute

Aquanator said:

I would be inclined to use whole spices. Like 1-2 cloves and a half cinnamon stick per bottle, that way you wouldn't have to worry about sediment in your bottle. Also would look cool.

Click to expand...

YIKES! do that only if you want beer that makes your tongue numb with clove flavor and nothing else. I'd add as a tincture, or make tea, or just simply add the spices and wait a few days for them to settle. They'll be pretty heavy by comparison and should settle out in a few days. Also a good tip is to add vanilla extract/vanilla bean as well, it will dial up the perception of the spices pretty significantly without being really noticeable in the right quantities. Please do yourself the favor and don't add 2 cloves per bottle unless you plan on aging the beer for a few years.

If you have been following the caramel apple cider thread, the recommendation I am following is to use cinnamon extract instead of ground cinnamon.

I agree with sanitizing the whole spices in a bowl with some vodka. Then put them in the bottles with a little bit of the spicy booze. Don't want to infect all that hard work.

Hello said:

Make a spice tea of sorts and add that.

Click to expand...

Do this! I did the exact thing about 2 weeks ago with my pumpkin ale. Boiled water about 2 oz of pumpkin pie spice and strained and added. Has the most amazing pumpkin pie aroma now.

RachmaelBenApplebaum said:

YIKES! do that only if you want beer that makes your tongue numb with clove flavor and nothing else. I'd add as a tincture, or make tea, or just simply add the spices and wait a few days for them to settle. They'll be pretty heavy by comparison and should settle out in a few days. Also a good tip is to add vanilla extract/vanilla bean as well, it will dial up the perception of the spices pretty significantly without being really noticeable in the right quantities. Please do yourself the favor and don't add 2 cloves per bottle unless you plan on aging the beer for a few years.

Click to expand...

Hey another Flagstoner! Just moved away from there so my wife could go to school in Boulder, I miss it.

Bottling with whole spices does in fact work. I Just tasted a bottle of a cranberry cider that I added a half stick of cinnamon and a clove to at bottling a month ago, great flavor and cool look. I wish made more for gifts. I did give them a 15 min soak in vodka prior to bottling.