Add spices during fermentation?

[UncaMarc]

I have several recipes for cider that have been working well. I was requested by a family member to try some fall spice flavors.

I visited my local spice merchant who mixes and grinds custom spices. I got some put together I like, put them in a sterilized muslin bag and put them in as I pitched the yeast.

I ferment for 14 day, rack, back sweeten and bottle immediately.

Wondering if the timing of the spice bags is right, wrong or .....wait and see?

 

[Xantus954]

You should be fine but taste the final product before you bottle it. If you feel it needs more spice, you can make a spice tea by steeping your spices in water and then adding that.

My experience with adding spices mainly to beers, is that primary fermentation will mute the spice flavors. I add a small amount of spices to end the of boils and then make a spice tea and add that at bottling/kegging to get the flavor profile where I want it.

 

[m_stodd]

The escaping CO2 might scrub out some aroma, but you can probably get that back letting spices sit in there after primary is done.

It's probably just trial in error to get the right balance of flavor and aroma.

 

[Bigsky406]

What kind of spices did you add and in what quantities? curious how this turns out.

 

[UncaMarc]

In one I added a special blend of "English Mulling Spices" it is fermenting nicely. One other batch I only added a lot of extra sweetener at the beginning, it is fermenting nicely. The other I made my own blend of crushed cinnamon stick, crushed nutmeg and crushed allspice. All are in muslin bags. The one with my own crushed spices isn't bubbling in the airlock at all. I opened the lid and took a peek. Lotsa foamy bubbles on surface, but certainly not the kind of activity I am used to seeing in my ciders. First time I measured yeast. Added 1 and 1/2 grams of Nottingham to each pail containing 1 and 1/2 gallons of juice.

Any ideas what is going on?