Cardamom Saison?

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jlinz

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Have a split batch of saison. Thinking about doing something interesting to half the batch. I know coriander is common, but cardamom popped into my head. Anyone tried brewing with cardamom? What would be the best way to go about this?
 
I have a recipe for a Cardamom Ale that I haven't tried yet, but want to. It might be good for ideas or guidelines. It is in PDF format so PM me with an email address and I can send it.
 
Agreed - be careful with this awesome but potent stuff! The recipe I have advises three (green) pods, added at 30 minutes into a 60-minute boil.
 
I wonder what a cracked pod or two might do if introduced into the secondary. Also have blueberries I could add instead. Haven't decided yet.
 
The recipe I have don't specify cracked or not; however, I imagine that after 30 minutes of boiling, it probably (?) wouldn't matter much. If I had to guess, I would guess cracked.

Recipe advises a malty base, and that the cardamom "adds notes of rich citrus, blood oranges and Meyer Lemons." Special B malt is present in the grist, which "adds a hint of raisiny sweetness to the body." Recipe also states that using black pods rather than green will "give this beer a complex smokiness."
 
cardamom "adds notes of rich citrus, blood oranges and Meyer Lemons."

that is not how I would describe the flavor of cardamom because it leaves out the menthol/eucalyptus flavor than many could be quite sensitive to. It is indeed a "warm" spice, so I could see where citrus comes from. Personally, I would avoid doing it in the boil and go with cold application first, so that you don't ruin gallons of beer by accidentally overdoing it.

I do think it would go well in a saison
 
Some good points there. My only experience with it is in baking, using the ground stuff - and I've had a couple of chais.

Good stuff, and I can see it doing some nice things for beer.
 
let us know if you try this, I love cardamon but rarely use it, even when cooking. could be nice in a saison if you use a light hand I think.
 
let us know if you try this, I love cardamon but rarely use it, even when cooking. could be nice in a saison if you use a light hand I think.

Will definitely let you know if I do. Still tempted to throw 2 cracked pods in there after primary fermentation is over. Might test it by tasting a bit of cardamom with the other half of the batch first when bottling it.
 
I use cardamom in a Belgianish gruit ale. 10 seeds crushed in 5 gallons is just barely detectable. To really notice it, try 15-20 seeds in 5 gallons. A little goes a long way. I soak mine in an ounce of vodka overnight, then add just the flavored vodka on kegging/bottling day.

Enjoy. :mug:
 
I've used a few cracked pods in a patersbier. Crack the pods but don't crush the seeds.
 
That's way too much.

The difference might be that my recipe adds them halfway through the (60-minute) boil. Using them as you do, the circumstances might be different as you're doing the extract/tincture thing.

The only way to know for sure, of course, is for me to try the recipe, which I haven't yet done. If I do, I'll report back.
 
Experiment is on. I have two pods cracked (not smashed) sitting in a bit of rum. I will dump them into the fermenter today. I'll probably let them sit about 5 days. Also considering adding a bit of lemon zest to the tincture. Not sure about that though. The peel is waxy.
 
I read through Papazian's little section on spices. All he seems to say about cardamom is that it's a spice that intrigues him. He does say not to overdue spices in beer in general though. Also looks like he discusses them as additions to the boil.
 
For me, cardamom is more of a dark beer type spice - it's common in Turkish coffee, or dark rich cakes.

I wonder if a coffee cardamom porter would be good?
 
One of my best recipes is a Baltic Porter with anise and cardamom. People are right, though, it's pretty potent. Even with very dark malts and 8+% ABV, I believe my recipe uses 5g of whole cardamom pods, and 5g whole anise stars.
 
Takes a LOOOOONG time to age, though. At three months, it has a sharp, sweet root beer taste that I find unpleasant. By nine months it mellows to a subtle sweetness, and the chocolate malt comes out. It also calls for a small amount of smoked malt that blends nicely if you're patient.
 
One of my best recipes is a Baltic Porter with anise and cardamom. People are right, though, it's pretty potent. Even with very dark malts and 8+% ABV, I believe my recipe uses 5g of whole cardamom pods, and 5g whole anise stars.

sounds like a good beer to have during a Maine winter. I know that some days during a snowy winter, it's a weekend, there's too much snow outside, and I already have the wood stored. I'd like to give this recipe a shot as well
 
So apparently the anise and cardamom were even less than I remembered. I should have mentioned this is the one beer I still do from extract. I'm sure all-grain conversion wouldn't be too hard, but it would take up more kettle space than I've had til recently.

I've done a couple variants of this one, and it's pretty tolerant to any changes you might want to make, so feel free to tinker.

"Lawgiver" Baltic Porter by Bungalow Brewing. (Side note, this is called Lawgiver after Eric the Lawgiver, patron saint of Stockholm, Sweden. Anise and Cardamom are both pretty popular is Swedish cooking.)

Specialty grains: steep 30 min @ 150
8 oz Crystal 40
6 oz beechwood smoked
4 oz dark chocolate malt
4 oz roasted barley
2 oz carafa ii special

45 min boil:
3.3# Breiss Porter LME @45
3.3# Breiss Munich LME @45
3# Breiss Pilsen Light DME @45
1 oz Cluster @45
.5 oz Mt. Hood @15
.5 oz Mt. Hood @7
2 g Star Anise @ 7
2 g whole cardamom pods @7

Pitch dry Saflager s-23
Primary ~1 mo @50
Lager ~2 mo as close to 35 as possible. (I ferment in a non-controlled cellar, so I never get lower than mid-40s.)

Bottle condition 6 months if possible

My SG was 1.084, FG 1.022
I bottled this year's batch with 3.1oz dark candi sugar.
 
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