Too many cloves

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Elahrairah

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I am so upset right now. I tried to do something different and I bought a pack of mixed spices at my LHBS. I added them to an Oktoberfest extract and started fermentation. 2 weeks later and I take a small taste sample and I can barely drink it, the clove flavor is so powerful, it's unacceptable (well, I'll still drink it because I won't waste any and also so I never forget this mistake again, but it won't be a party hit for sure).

So any antidotes out there (ie. very salty pretzels)?

Thanks.
 
A couple things come to mind. I haven't used cloves before, but perhaps it will mellow with time. You could let it rest in a secondary for a while.

Second, quickly make another batch of the same beer but without the spices, and blend it with this batch. This effectively cuts your spices in half.
 
blending is a good idea 'cause it will NOT mellow with time. The 2nd thing i ever brewed was 5 gallons apple cider from fresh pressed apples. I made the same mistake, a little def goes a long way. I still have 3-4 1 litre bottles left and it has not gotten better with age: its now 8 years old. It did pack quite a punch tho
 
I wouldn't make another batch to blend with it. What would you have then? 10 gallons of clove-y beer. Make your next batch something you want to drink & consider it a lesson learned.
 
cloves do go along way - also consider the yeast you used....what you might think is the cloves could also have come from the yeast (well only made the clove taste even stronger)

German yeasts with higher temps on there own have given me a hint of clove without one spec of clove in it....
 
How much clove did you use?
I just brewed a small 1Gallon batch of brown ale to experiment with clove-flavour. I used one. Will that be too much?

Edit: Old post...
 
How much clove did you use?
I just brewed a small 1Gallon batch of brown ale to experiment with clove-flavour. I used one. Will that be too much?

Edit: Old post...

It may be, i know some people use 2-3 for a 5 gallon batch.

I think you should be ok though, the issue is when people throw cloves in by the palm full...some poor bastard here did it to his 6+ month old Apple cider...threw a "small palm full" which i can only assume is 5-10 cloves...totally ruined.

Be super careful using spices! Things like clover wont really ever age out...things like Vanilla do go away over time.
 
You can try letting it sit for 6 months... I have made that mistake of using too much clove (I use ground clove) and it actually made my tongue numb... One method that some use, is to make a spice tea out of a shot or two of liquor and measured spices, and then at bottling time add some of the spiced liquor (leaving the actual spice behind), taste it, and then add more. I am about to make a batch shortly and I will be doing this.
 

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