Brew classic styles with teaspoon?

I About a week ago brewed Jamils pumpkin spice ale which called for "tsp's" of various spices. This seemed like a very small amount at the time and I wondered if "tsp" was teaspoon or tablespoon. Either way a smell and taste of the primary showed ZERO aroma and taste of any spices whatsoever. Was my assumption of teaspoon wrong?

tsp = teaspoon
tbsp = tablespoon

I'd assume, though I've not seen that recipe, that teaspoon is correct. I brew my Pumpkin Porter each year and 1.5 tsp(teaspoons) of each spice is PLENTY, if not too much. Can you link to the recipe maybe?

^ yes.

I bet it'll come out just fine. Spices go a LOOONG way in a beer, you'd be surprised.

See, I have to disagree with the above. While I agree that it means teaspoon, I don't think that it's enough to be noticeable.

When I've done my pumpkin spice ale, I use a tablespoons of spices. I also add them at flameout, in secondary, AND at bottling time. I can never keep enough of the stuff around since my friends love it so much.

I guess it depends on what you're aiming for. I was going for something a little lighter than Southern Tiers Pumpking, but I still wanted it to have a lot of spices.

Hmmm... maybe it's my distaste for spicy beers then...

Pumpkin pie spices really come out after they've been in the bottle for 2-3 weeks. Teaspoons are the right measurement.

Thanks for the input. The recipe called for 1/2, 1/4 and 1/8th measurements of the typical pumpkin ale spices.

I will let it sit in primary for three more weeks and see where she's at and add another addition of spices if need be. Only thing is I didn't use pumpkin so the spices have to carry the beer. I'll probably need more.

Suthrncomfrt1884 said:

I was going for something a little lighter than Southern Tiers Pumpking, but I still wanted it to have a lot of spices.

Click to expand...

Ahhh, Pumpking. Awesome title for my upcoming Halloween-themed adult film. I might see if ST wants to do some product placement as well...

:cross:

HexKrak said:

Pumpkin pie spices really come out after they've been in the bottle for 2-3 weeks. Teaspoons are the right measurement.

Click to expand...

I've had the exact opposite happen. Whenever I use spices, they fade very quickly. They'll taste great for about 3-4 weeks, then they go downhill. I just tried one of my pumpkin ales from last october, and I could barely taste the spices.

Fresh pumpkin in the mash is definitely the key though...

Suthrncomfrt1884 said:

Fresh pumpkin in the mash is definitely the key though...

Click to expand...

Spice heavy or spice light, fresh pumpkin MAKES it.