Lemongrass Secondary Addition?

[tdp11182]

One of my favorite beers is Magic Hat's Circus Boy - simple hefeweizen with lemongrass.

I have never tried using lemongrass (being a chef I love cooking with it at least) - read up a lot about adding at end of boil and then in the secondary but so many different ways ie: boiling, chopping, blending, whole stalks etc... and I'm just looking about how I should go about doing this. I was planning on only secondary but wasn't sure about how to add.

Any help is appreciated!

Thanks!

Tim

 

[Bithead]

I did a butternut lemongrass blond back in the fall. Didn't want to be bothered preparing fresh and I understand you can get vegetal flavors using too much and too long in the secondary. I used dried, about 3 grams at the end of the boil and 3 grams dry grass for 7 days. I thought dried spices and the like were more potent than fresh. Couldn't really find the lemongrass.

 

[beergolf]

I did a lemongrass/ ginger saison. I added it at 10 minutes. I used 2 stalks finely chopped in a hop bag. I got very slight lemon flavor so if I was going to do it again i probably would use 4 stalks. Of course it all depends on just how fresh the lemongrass is.

I add spices to my beers like how I cook. If the flavor is too strong then it is too much. It is best to err on the side of too little rather than too much.

You could add some at 10 minutes, taste it afteer it has fermented out. If it is not enough, dry lemongrass with some more.

 

[Epimetheus]

I always associate lemongrass with Thai cooking. It just begs for the beer name "Thai One On"

 

[tdp11182]

Awesome.... And will name something along those lines lol.... Think ill try secondary chopped in bag first then next time some at the end of the boil see the difference!

 

[Calichusetts]

I bruised the lemongrass (bent and made cuts but not chopped) and add it at flameout (with a 10 minute steep) for my lemon wheat last summer. Just pair it with lemon-type hops and your good to go.