I added caramel to my secondary...actual caramel

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Moody_Copperpot

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I brewed an AG pumpkin ale inspired by Souther Tier's amazing Pumking. When I transferred to the secondary I added one dash of cinnamon too many because it needed a little something. It still tastes awesome, but it’s not Pumking because the cinnamon is a bit to prevelant. I decided I would toy around with the batch a bit, just for fun. I wanted a bit more of a caramel flavor to shine through…so I used some squeezable caramel ice cream topping. Not a ton, maybe a tablespoon or a tad more. I added it and shook the carboy up after replacing the airlock. We’ll see how it turns out. I scoured HBT to see if anyone had tried this before, but I didn’t come up with any answers. I’ve seen people adding honey to the secondary, so I figured it’s essentially the same idea. We’ll see in about a week!
 
I did the same thing with a 3 gallon batch of cider but I put more than half of the contents into the carboy. it built up on the bottom just like a yeast cake, turned out to be the best cider I ever tasted
 
Well I didn't "shake it" as much as I swirled it around. I didn't realize that was a no-no. So when spices or anything is added to the secondary, you shouldn't do anything to get them mixed in?
 
a gentle swirling is usually ok. shaking or splashing will introduce oxygen to your beer which you don't want
 
Well I didn't "shake it" as much as I swirled it around. I didn't realize that was a no-no. So when spices or anything is added to the secondary, you shouldn't do anything to get them mixed in?

Typically, when adding something to secondary, most people will put the addition into the carboy then rack the beer on top. The turbulence created by racking will mix everything pretty well. But time and diffusion would do the same thing even without mixing initially.
 
That's what I do too, but I took a sample and decided that it still "needed something", which is when I added the caramel. I swirled the carboy to get it mixed in, but I definitely did not shake it.
 
Well I didn't "shake it" as much as I swirled it around. I didn't realize that was a no-no. So when spices or anything is added to the secondary, you shouldn't do anything to get them mixed in?

You should be fine unless you are planning to age this beer. In homebrew set-ups, most beers get some degree of oxygenation, but it usually has minimal or no effect in beers consumed within a couple of months after.
 
I would worry about there being perservatives in the ice cream topping and that might inhibit any yeast activity that might be going on, or possibly carbonation when the time comes for that. You would think that a tablespoon isn't that much, but alot of the food we eat is way loaded up on these preservatives and a little can go a long way.

Just a thought, you might not have any problems at all...or there might not be any preservatives in the stuff you used. I bring it up because its a common occurance on this forum....someone asks why their beer fermentation has stalled and it turns out they were "experimenting" and added something funky "just for fun" and it turns out they just dropped a crap-load of perservatives in their beer.
 
Phew! As for aging, I'm not doing it. This one is going right into the keg. I DID have an issue with a beer I bottled where it got this off flavor after a month and a half, and I'm certain that is why. It was a holiday ale, and I added a second addition of spices to the secondary after my sample was taken.
As for this beer, i think the fermentation should be okay, it had been in the secondary for about 5 days after a good 18 days in the primary. We shall see, however!
Good to know about the preservatives. I didn't think of that. Generally I don't add crazy stuff to my beers (other than this time) but that's good info in case I do get the urge.
 
Pumking. Great beer. My brother just moved and ended up not too far from Southern Tier so when he visits he brings some of their beer our stores haven't gotten hold of.

Hope it turns out for ya!:mug:
 
Pumking is so damn good, I bought a few cases this year. Pricey, but worth it. I still have two left that I'm holding on to until the spring or summer...if I can make it!
Hopefully this beer turns out though, that would definitely help quell the urge to drink my two last reserves.
 
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