I am brewing my first batch and I was thinking of adding stuff like lemon or herbs to make the flavor different. Is this a good idea and at what stage can I do this? Pluse any suggustions on what to add?
Adding thing to make flavor
- Thread starter Jbird
- Start date
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What type of beer are you brewing? Is this from a kit? What size is your batch? These are things to consider when wanting to add anything extra to your beer.
I wouldn't make any changes on the first batch. You won't know whether you made a mistake in your process or if you chose the wrong ingredients to add and their flavor didn't fit in with the beer.
I've done quite a few brews and the ones I was most tempted to dump were the ones with fruit additions. I've choked them down but I wonder why I tried such a foolish thing as to add that particular fruit.
When you have your 20th or so brew behind you, then think about adding fruit. Then forget it and just concentrate on making the best beer you can.
I've done quite a few brews and the ones I was most tempted to dump were the ones with fruit additions. I've choked them down but I wonder why I tried such a foolish thing as to add that particular fruit.
When you have your 20th or so brew behind you, then think about adding fruit. Then forget it and just concentrate on making the best beer you can.
^this. just learn and enjoy the process before you go throwing things into a kit. once ya get the process down, work on formulating a recipe, based on known guidelines, that you would enjoy. then try changing one variable, such as adding a spice to the boil. kits are made from known recipes and will make good beer if you brew and ferment properly. those are the important things to learn before you start designing beers on your own.
btw, congrats on joining the obsession!!!
ABrewingApe
Well-Known Member
Pff, I say caution is overrated. If you want to dump some herbs or fruit in, why not? 20 brews before you dare to experiment is horseradish.
A few (very) rough guidelines, based on a 5-gallon batch size:
Fruit usually goes in late. Ferment your wort, rack it to a secondary fermenter, and add the fruit there. This is especially true for soft fruit like berries, apricots, peaches, and so on. Don't forget to cook the fruit. (and depending on the fruit, bothering with the secondary may be overkill. Do a little more research here on your particular fruit before you brew.)
Citrus is an exception to this...citrus peels of all sorts are centuries-old proven favorites. An ounce or two of them can go in with the boil.
You can use nearly anything in your spice cabinet, but woody/seedy things like coriander, juniper, licorice, and peppercorn need to go into the boil early. Most other leafy or ground herbs like ginger, mint, lavender, cinnamon, sage, etc. should go in with about 5 minutes left. Start with about a teaspoon per herb and adjust. I use a lot more than that.
As far as I'm concerned, putting weird stuff in your brew and seeing how it works out is one of the best parts. Rarely it's terrible, but more usually it's all right or even super-tasty. You'll never know until you give it a whirl. Don't forget that "weird stuff in my beer", until pretty recently in the history of beermaking, was just called "beer".
A few (very) rough guidelines, based on a 5-gallon batch size:
Fruit usually goes in late. Ferment your wort, rack it to a secondary fermenter, and add the fruit there. This is especially true for soft fruit like berries, apricots, peaches, and so on. Don't forget to cook the fruit. (and depending on the fruit, bothering with the secondary may be overkill. Do a little more research here on your particular fruit before you brew.)
Citrus is an exception to this...citrus peels of all sorts are centuries-old proven favorites. An ounce or two of them can go in with the boil.
You can use nearly anything in your spice cabinet, but woody/seedy things like coriander, juniper, licorice, and peppercorn need to go into the boil early. Most other leafy or ground herbs like ginger, mint, lavender, cinnamon, sage, etc. should go in with about 5 minutes left. Start with about a teaspoon per herb and adjust. I use a lot more than that.
As far as I'm concerned, putting weird stuff in your brew and seeing how it works out is one of the best parts. Rarely it's terrible, but more usually it's all right or even super-tasty. You'll never know until you give it a whirl. Don't forget that "weird stuff in my beer", until pretty recently in the history of beermaking, was just called "beer".
i stand by learning how to brew being more important than jumping in and tweaking recipes. it's not caution, it's learning a process before you try and change said process. to each their own, but i'd make sure i knew how to drive a car before i entered a NASCAR race. (horrible analogy i know, but it applies)
ABrewingApe
Well-Known Member
It's also a realization, which can be made even before your first beer, that the chemistry and process of beer is pretty damn forgiving and gives you a wide field for experimentation. Most adjuncts even have tried-and-true amounts and instructions, if the brewer doesn't feel like being the first to go down a particular road.
(and we're not even touching on the much-loved types of beer, like heather ale and witbier and such, that depend on adding things to make flavor. A beginner can make those easily. The difference between a witbier's orange peel and putting lemon peel into an IPA is trivial.)
(and we're not even touching on the much-loved types of beer, like heather ale and witbier and such, that depend on adding things to make flavor. A beginner can make those easily. The difference between a witbier's orange peel and putting lemon peel into an IPA is trivial.)
Please come help me drink up a raspberry red that I made from a tried and true recipe with real raspberries that I picked. This is as close to a dumper as I have made.
What a way to turn off a new brewer, make a dumper for the first batch and never try again.
william_shakes_beer
Well-Known Member
To the OP: at whatever time you choose to add flavoring adjuncts, try browsing through the recipie forum to see how to handle your particular addition, whether to add to boil, flameout, primary, secondary, terciary, bottling bucket, and whether to put in whole, chopped, ground, minced, diced, peeled, or mashed. Its a place to start, and *presumably* those recipies are tested and founds to be tasty by at least one member.
I wanted to add lemon to a batch or lime, my wife likes bud light lime, so I wanted to make something like that. I think i my just have to try it and see how it truns out. Right now I am on my first batch EVER so I will just start by lerning how to craft a good beer. Thanks for the ideas.
