Pre-bottle flavor questions

I'm a first-timer. My friend got me the basic brew kit from www.homebrewery.com with the traditional wheat beer kit.

Assuming the beer comes out ok.... that I didn't infect it, that I made it right etc. Is there anything I can add to individual bottles/vessels once I get to that stage to play with adding flavors?

Like, could I add some cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon/orange zest, lemon/orange peels... thinks like that directly to the bottles before capping them giving a slight flavor enhancement? or will this somehow effect the carbonation phase.

-cj

I doubt it would affect the carbonation at all, but it would definitely affect the flavor. If you want to experiment with spices or whatever, take a small, known amount of beer out, add a known amount (start small) spice(s) to that beer sample until you get a flavor you like and you could multiply it out to the full batch on how much of whatever spice(s) to add. Usually, spices are added during the last 15 minutes of the boil. Perhaps some better advice would be to add some bitter or sweet orange peel to your next batch that would require that addition (search this forum for a suitable recipe). I would opt not to add them at the bottling stage. It is difficult to get the correct amount.

I was thinking a small pinch to a few bottles, just so there's some different flavors of wheat beer. I'll wait and see till I actually get to that point (just started fermentation friday)

If you are not planning to do anything to sanitize the spices, it is more than likely HERE that you would infect your beer. adding them to the bottles.

It is very rare that you would find an experienced brewer who would do this, at this stage of the process. It is usually in the boil, in primary or in secondary that we add these sorts of things. Spices like you mention are traditionally added during the boil, to sanitize them as well as to let the heat of the boil release the flavor and aroma components.

And when we add things to the primary or secondary we usually take great pains to sanitize/steralize whatever we are adding, for example soaking oak chips in bourbon for a month to kill anything off, or to soak citris peel in vodka before adding it.

You will find that adding most things like spices directly to the bottle at bottling time are going to have little affect flavor wise in the beer, and more than likely would take away from the enjoyment to actually drinking the finished product, for example noone's really going to like spitting out a sliver of cinnamon, or a coriander seed when they are wanting to simply quaff their brew...and god forbid someone swallowed whatever it is that you think you want to add to the beer. That hint of coriander might be great in your wit, but it's going to be overwhelming if they bite down on it, it's no longer going to be subtle, and the drinker may find himself wanting to lick sandpaper to get the taste off of their tongue.

Save your experimenting of additives to where the rest of the brewing community adds them, in the boil, or in the primary/secondary, and leave it out of the bottle. It won't turn out like you hope it will, and you run the risk of doing more damage than good.

Besides, this won't be the first beer you brew, you don't have to do "everything" to it at once. Enjoy this first beer as is, and get to know more about brewing, learn what goes with what, and how, and develop your brewing skills/process, THEN you can start playing around, but from a basis of knowlege/understanding, and not from a place where you can drive a sliver of cinnamon bark down some poor soul's gullet.

Take a cue from commercial breweries...Have you ever seen a bottle of beer with cinnamon sticks or orange peels actually in the bottle when you pour it out? If it were worth doing either Budweiser OR Dogfish Head would already have it.

There's a lot of thing Budweiser isn't doing that would be worth doing But +1 to the fact that no ne wants a whole cinnamon stick at the bottom of the bottle, except for novelty pruposes.

jfr1111 said:

There's a lot of thing Budweiser isn't doing that would be worth doing But +1 to the fact that no ne wants a whole cinnamon stick at the bottom of the bottle, except for novelty pruposes.

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They and the other BMC folks have been ripping off craft brewers for the last few years as their sales dwindle (like Michelob "craft brews") as they continue to lose 20% of their sales a year, as well as doing horrid things like Bud Michelada with clam and tomato juice, so belive you me, if it were doable they would have done it......

Revvy said:

They and the other BMC folks have been ripping off craft brewers for the last few years as their sales dwindle (like Michelob "craft brews") as they continue to lose 20% of their sales a year, as well as doing horrid things like Bud Michelada with clam and tomato juice, so belive you me, if it were doable they would have done it......

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Actually, I have been drinking BMC with Clamato juice for over 25 years... They were our versions of "Bloody Marys" up in Minnesota on Sunday mornings after a rocking Saturday night...

Now, where is that Cribbage board???

Revvy said:

They and the other BMC folks have been ripping off craft brewers for the last few years as their sales dwindle (like Michelob "craft brews") as they continue to lose 20% of their sales a year, as well as doing horrid things like Bud Michelada with clam and tomato juice, so belive you me, if it were doable they would have done it......

Click to expand...

I was just saying that they could actually make a beer that taste like beer.

LaurieGator said:

Actually, I have been drinking BMC with Clamato juice for over 25 years... They were our versions of "Bloody Marys" up in Minnesota on Sunday mornings after a rocking Saturday night...

Now, where is that Cribbage board???

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Now, you're sounding more and more like a Yooper doncha know? Cribbage? You betcha, eh?

Anyway, you can do whatever you'd like to add flavors to your beer. Part of being able to brew means experimenting however you like. I think many of us that have brewed for a bit forget going through the "I can do this, or THIS!" stage of brewing.

There are some great recipes where people have added orange zest to wits, for example. I'm not a fan of "stuff" in my beer, whether it's coriander, fruit, spices, etc so I don't do this. I'm more of a traditional beer styles person, and love to experiment more with hopping rates and different malts. If you're the type that likes to see what cinnamon or vanilla will do to the taste of a beer, then you may enjoy the experiment. To be honest though, a solid basic good recipe usually makes better beer than experiments do.