Seasoning to Taste

[stlbasementbrewer]

Does anyone have any experience with post fermentation additions to alter flavors? I.E. Cofee, Sugar, Hop teas, Fruit etc...... Let me know what you've tried and what works and doesn't. I havn't had any real flavor problems. All of my beers have been pretty good, but I want to be able to get exactly what was in my mind when I wrote the recipe. I've been wanting to start fine tuning my finished product with a little more precision and less chance. Any help or war stories would be greatly appreciated.

 

[galensmitty]

I've brewed coffee stouts before where I pitch liquid espresso into the beer at the beginning of the secondary fermentation. I used 32 oz of cold espresso for ten gallons, and it turned out great, the coffee was not overpowering at all. As for fruits there is a great book called "Designing great beers" that has a whole section about how much you should use for certain fruits.
hope this helps

 

[Yuri_Rage]

Be EXTREMELY careful with spruce extract. I used 1 oz in a 10 gallon batch, per the directions on the bottle, and the flavor was overpowering. I think .25 oz would've been a better place to start.

For that matter, I think you ought to be careful when using any extract based flavorings. Start with a very small amount - you can always add more later.