Adding Spices: Secondary or Bottling Bucket?

[Ballardinho]

Hoppy Friday, everyone...

So, I am about to rack my first extract pumpkin ale this weekend. I tasted the sample today and, while decent and the perfect orange-ish color I was going for, I think I would like to add more spice. I really want to know this is a Pumpkin Ale when I drink it.

So, my plan is to make a tea with a cup of water and .5 tsp each of cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and clove. This is the same spice bill I added at 5 min on brew day.

Does this sound like a proper way to up the spice taste and aroma? Oh, and I don't really want to add vanilla as some do, as I plan to add vanilla to my Xmas Ale (I want the two ales to be somewhat unique in flavor).

The big question is...should this be added to the secondary fermenter or to the bottling bucket? Or, should I add to secondary with the thought that, if I still need more, I can then add to bottling bucket?

Thanks, all.

 

[dbball22]

I have the same question, as I have only added spices to the bottling bucket, not to the secondary.

To address a couple of your concerns, I have added a "spice tea" and also dry spice to the bottling bucket. I have had a couple of issues with this method.
1. The spices tend to settle quickly, so you need to make sure you gently stir the beer in the bottling bucket with a sanitized spoon every few bottles.
2. I used a "cinnamon plus" dry mix last time (about a tsp per 5 gallons) and this mixture contains dried orange peel, which is bigger than most dried powdered spices. This tended to clog my bottling wand (you shouldn't have this issue since it sounds like you are using only powered spices).

This time I have a tsp of the spice mix sitting in some vodka, and plan to strain this and either add the tincture to secondary some time before bottling, or directly to the bottling bucket, depending on the advice given here.

Also, with the spice tea; the longer you boil, the more aroma compounds you will drive off, so keep that in mind.

Not trying to highjack the thread, as my question is almost the same as the Ballardinho.

Do you get the same spice profile from adding spices to the fermenter a few days before bottling, allowing the spices to flocc out vs. adding at bottling time?

 

[Ballardinho]

So, here's what I decided to do....

Made a tea with another 1/2 tsp each of nutmeg, allspice and cinnamon...mixed with a cup and half of water. Brought to boil, cooled, added to secondary and racked on top of that.

Will taste prior to bottling and can always add more. I will let you know how it turns out.

Side note....lost about a gallon to pumpkin sludge/Trub!

 

[dbball22]

When do you plan on bottling? You'll have to report back as to whether you feel the spice aroma and flavor hangs around or diminishes.


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[enkamania]

I do a spice addition at flame out and also after about a week of fermentation.

 

[Ballardinho]

Will do!

 

[dbball22]

I do a spice addition at flame out and also after about a week of fermentation.

Do you add the dry spices straight to your fermenter? Does your method tend to retain a lot of the spice aroma once you bottle?


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[dbball22]

Sorry for the double post. Not sure how to delete this reply.

 

[william_shakes_beer]

I do a spice addition at flame out and also after about a week of fermentation.

Do you filter your wort dropping from the BK to the fermenter or pour everything in?

 

[enkamania]

I pour it all in