Infused vodka in secondary

[Festivus]

Hey guys, I brewed my christmas ale last weekend. I used the AHS christmas ale kit which included 1/2 oz of spices. I like Christmas beer to be pretty spicy so I do not know if this is enough. From reading a different recipe, I got the idea to put a cinnamon stick in some vodka, leave it there for 3-4 weeks, then dump it in the secondary to add some more spice/warmth to the beer. The actual cinnamon stick would not go into the secondary though. The beer started 1.050 and should end around 1.012 if that matters.

Question I have is do I really need to do this, or will the 1/2 ounce spice pack be enough? Also, I was thinking 1/2 cup of vodka. Will this kill off too much yeast to bottle carbonate? Is this just a bad idea all around?

Thanks.

 

[Choguy03]

I would think that 1/2 oz plus the stick would not be overwhelming. The 1/2 cup of vodka also will not hurt your yeast because once you rack to secondary the yeast is for the most part done doing its job. The tiny amount compared to 5 gallons will not hurt a thing.

 

[malkore]

I agree with Choguy...I see no potential for harm in this little experiment.

 

[Festivus]

Ok thanks guys!