Late additions in secondary

[DocsTonics]

I've got my first brew (pumpkin ale) sitting the secondary. It's been in there for two weeks. Is it too late to make some additions, like cinnamon sticks, vanilla, or nutmeg? If I were to add something, how much longer should I leave it in the secondary before bottling? Beer looks and smells pretty great right now. Not sure if I should try and kick it up a notch or call it good for a first brew and move on to the next brew. Thoughts?

 

[BlackGoat]

personally, I would just leave it alone for your first brew and keep it simple. That said, its fine to add in spices to the secondary. You can add everything then let it sit for a bit, and take some samples after a week or so to see if its picking up the flavor that you're after. Once it reaches a point where you are happy with the samples, then you can bottle per the normal procedure.

 

[VikingChrisColby]

You can easily make an alcohol (vodka) extract of the spices and bump up the spicing if you want. Let the spices sit in vodka for a few days, figure out how much of the extract to add to your batch (do small mixing trials) and then add it. You shouldn't need any extra conditioning time if you stir the extract in well. (Don't stir so vigorously that you aerate the batch, though.)


Chris Colby
Editor
beerandwinejournal.com