American ale spices in secondary?

Brewing an American ale recipe this weekend. Experimenting for a brew for my wedding. I want to make something that us drinkable, but yet had my own twist on it. I was thinking of adding some spices in secondary but not sure what.

Any suggestions?

Citrus zest (orange, lemon, lime, or grapefruit) can add a very summery characteristc to beer. What hops did you use, and how much? What characteristic are you trying to add to your beer? You need to know what you are trying to achieve, before trying to actually achieve it!

DrummerBoySeth said:

You need to know what you are trying to achieve, before trying to actually achieve it!

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++1++. Exactly what I was going to say.

Pour yourself a beer, then add a twist of lemon or lime. How do you like it? Rogue makes a juniper pale ale, give that a try. If you like it, add juniper berries. There's a commercial example of a beer with chili, if that interests you - add a dash of Tabasco to your glass!

In one of his books, Charlie P. said that anything you could ever imagine adding to your beer, has already been tried - plus some things you couldn't imagine! Just make sure you're going to like it first!

Iam using cascade hops, but Iam open to anything. I Just like seeing options.

Juniper sounds good though!

Not to mention cherry, apricot, ginger, vanilla, coffee, chocolate, maple syrup, licorice, blueberry, spruce tips, etc etc etc.

Not all at once though.

Cascade lends itself to a orange/grapefruit addition. Thats at least what I do, but as many pointed out, this is what I am after in terms of taste. I have used allspice before as well, give it an interesting kick.

I added a few oranges, limes, and lemon that I peeled and threw in the secondary. The beer is a little bitter. Is there anything I can do to make it a little smoother?

dhoyt714 said:

I added a few oranges, limes, and lemon that I peeled and threw in the secondary. The beer is a little bitter. Is there anything I can do to make it a little smoother?

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Leave the bottles in a warm closet for one month and try another one. It is possible that the bitterness will fade somewhat over time. We would need to know the full recipe to know if the bittering addition was out of balance, or if the added bitterness comes from the fruit.

New Brewer Here,

Is there a way to determine how much of something to add? And should citrus peels be dried or fresh when adding them to stage 2?

jdcaddie said:

New Brewer Here,

Is there a way to determine how much of something to add? And should citrus peels be dried or fresh when adding them to stage 2?

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Either dried or fresh can be used. As for amounts, I would check the recipe databases for ideas as to how much to use. It seems like most recipes call for between 0.5 to 1 ounce of orange peel. I recently made a saison that used 0.75 ounce of Sweet orange peel in 5 gallons. The flavor was there, but not overpowering.