First Holiday Brew

Brewed my first Holiday batch. 3 gallons, basic brown ale. Added 5 cinnamon sticks and 1/4 cup of whole cloves to the boil. My question is this...

I pitched wyeast 1084 (irish ale) and the fermentation isn't very vigorous. I am hoping I missed the crausen. Has anyone had slow ferment due to the spices?

I can't say that I've had slow or low fermentations because of a particular ingredient but I can tell you this: the absence of an observed krausen is in NO WAY an indication of a problem. The only way to measure the success or failure of a fermentation is with a hydrometer. I've had plenty of tepid fermentations fool me and ferment right down to (or below) my target terminal gravity. I wait two weeks and then take a measurement - haven't had a wort yet that refused to become beer.

Thank,mj. I ended up letting it sit for 3 weeks. It was stuck at 1.030ish. I wasn't really crazy about the flavor I experienced from the thief. Decided to pitch some harvested SA05. Quiet fermentation started up again and has leveled out around 1.015 for potential 9%. The flavor is much better with the additional yeast activity. Going to let it clean up until the weekend and bottle. Happy Holidays!