I am looking to add cinnamon and oak chips to cider in secondary fermentation for a week or so. I have not added spices before, so is there a concern with adding it straight in or do I need to sanitize the spices somehow? I can boil the spices but I'm concerned that it will pull a lot of the flavoring out in doing so. I also thought about baking them, but unsure if this actually accomplishes anything.
Cinnamon and Oak to Cider
- Thread starter Jared25
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No real concern. I have in the past done a quick star san soak but now just drop them right in. My belief is the alcohol takes care of anything that might be on them.
Golddiggie
Well-Known Member
Both batches of cider I made I simmered some cinnamon sticks (plus some cloves) in 1/2 gallon of cider that went into fermenter along with everything else. Came out great and no need to add something later.
Depending on the oak you use, a week might not give you all that much. Chips are fast, but lack character (IME). Cubes take months. Spirals are 6 weeks or less (6 weeks gives full extraction) and provide a good amount after just a few weeks. Of course, toast level also plays a part there for what you'll get. Plus the type of oak. French is different form American, which is different than Hungarian.
Depending on the oak you use, a week might not give you all that much. Chips are fast, but lack character (IME). Cubes take months. Spirals are 6 weeks or less (6 weeks gives full extraction) and provide a good amount after just a few weeks. Of course, toast level also plays a part there for what you'll get. Plus the type of oak. French is different form American, which is different than Hungarian.
I add oak chips to most of my ciders in the secondary. I sanitize them briefly with Kmeta first. I put in a small enough amount of chips so that I don't have to worry about over-oaking, and I leave them in for a month or so while bulk aging. Especially for cider made from grocery store apple juice, oak adds a complexity that improves the flavor.
I have not tried oak and cinnamon in the same batch. Test it out in different batches with one or the other, and both together, to see what you like.
I have not tried oak and cinnamon in the same batch. Test it out in different batches with one or the other, and both together, to see what you like.
jrgtr42
Well-Known Member
For my ciders I like soaking the oak chips (cubes mostly these days) in rum. It takes care of anything that may be in there and adds a little of the booze flavor in there. I personally don't care for whiskey / bourbon etc barrel aged.
|For the cinnamon I've added it straight in, but I got good results breaking it up and soaking it in vodka for a few weeks, then adding that to the cider at bottling time.
|For the cinnamon I've added it straight in, but I got good results breaking it up and soaking it in vodka for a few weeks, then adding that to the cider at bottling time.
madscientist451
Well-Known Member
I "sanitize" oak chips with Rebel Yell for a week or more, but you could use vodka for a more neutral effect.
