Cinnamon in secondary?

[kblankenship11]

I'm starting to think of my Fall recipes and I'm thinking of adding some spices to them. I want to add cinnamon, nutmeg or a similar spice but I"m not sure what quantity to use. Has anyone added cinnamon or a similar spice to their secondary with success? If so what quantity would be good for a 5 gallon batch?

 

[Firebat138]

we add one small cinn stick to our pumpkin kegs... half a stick wasnt enough and two is too many. perfect...

 

[bdh]

I'd agree with the 1 stick - about 1 teaspoon if you're using ground cinnamon. I did 2 teaspoons one time and it was overwhelming.

 

[kblankenship11]

Wow, 2 teaspoons can be overwhelming! Glad I asked before I tried... Thanks for the info!

 

[bdh]

I guess I should qualify my earlier post by saying the same beer also had some allspice and nutmeg in it, but not as much. It was drinkable, but definitely more spice flavor than I was going for. Since then I've come to the conclusion that dried spices go a long way in beer.

 

[MisterTipsy]

I add 2 tablespoons of cinnamon in the boil for a stout I make. You can taste the cinnamon, but it isn't a cinnamon bomb. I probably lose some in the yeast cake. It's the only spice in the brew.

Allspice and nutmeg are stronger than cinnamon.

 

[bdh]

I add 2 tablespoons of cinnamon in the boil for a stout I make

How long do you boil the cinnamon for? I could see a lot of the flavor getting blown off during the boil. It could have been the allspice and nutmeg that were making things spicy, but I put tiny amounts of those in (4 allspice kernels and 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg).

 

[MisterTipsy]

5 minutes

 

[MisterTipsy]

Another variable to consider is there are different types of cinnamon. The most common is from Sri Lanka. I use a different species of cinnamon grown in Vietnam. It might not be as potent as the standard cinnamon. I remember liking it better than standard cinnamon a few years ago and have been using it exclusively since then.

 

[kblankenship11]

I add 2 tablespoons of cinnamon in the boil for a stout I make. You can taste the cinnamon, but it isn't a cinnamon bomb. I probably lose some in the yeast cake. It's the only spice in the brew.

Allspice and nutmeg are stronger than cinnamon.

Tipsy have you ever added it to the secondary? I'm wondering what the common methodology is for adding spices; whether it be in the boil or conditioning in the secondary.

 

[MisterTipsy]

You can do either method. I'm not sure which method is most common. I suppose some spices/herbs would be "better" in the boil like rosemary perhaps.

I haven't put cinnamon in the secondary, but I have put other powders like ginger and cocoa in the secondary with good results. I just dump it right in there with no attempt to sanitize the powder. I rely on the booze in the secondary to prevent infection. I've added spices at bottling too. All methods seem to work fine.

I think you will get a good result with cinnamon in the secondary. If you're worried about the using the "correct" amount, start with a smaller amount in the secondary and see if you need to add more at bottling.