Stirring spices into the bottling bucket?

[zinn]

I'm making a pumpkin spice ale.

Once the beer is done fermenting, I plan to siphon the beer into a bottling bucket. I will then add a spice "tea" mix (boiled spices plus vanilla extract). I plan to add a little bit at first, stir, and then taste it. If the beer needs more, I'll repeat.

Here's my question: I know stirring introduces oxygen and that's bad. So what do I do? Stir very gently? Add the spice tea and the priming sugar to the bottling bucket before I siphon the beer into the bucket and hope it mixes everything in the process?

Thanks for the help!

 

[Upstate12866]

Very careful stirring is an option, as is putting the first dose in before you add beer to the bucket. Not ideal but not the end of the world if you are careful.

One idea is to make a small sample of beer+spice tea then scale that up. Add tea to a quantity of beer that fits well into a gallon (16, 8 or 4 oz).

For instance, each gallon has *16* 8oz portions. If I have a 5.5 gal batch, and I like 1 oz added to my 8oz sample (total hypothetical), then I will need (1oz x 16 x 5.5=) 88 oz of tea. If I like 1tbsp of tea in my 8 oz sample, I need (15ml x 32 x 5.5 =) 2640 ml for the whole batch. (No idea how much makes sense for you as I've never done a pumpkin spiced beer like yours.)

If you sample first, you only have to stir or add one time, such as before you add beer to your bucket. Happy brewing!

 

[BlueHouseBrewhaus]

Upstate has the right idea. That method should get you close and then you can confirm and fine tune in the bottling bucket. One correction. There are 16 8oz portions (128 oz per gallon) so use 16 to scale up instead of 32. Let us know how it works out.

 

[Upstate12866]

Upstate has the right idea. That method should get you close and then you can confirm and fine tune in the bottling bucket. One correction. There are 16 8oz portions (128 oz per gallon) so use 16 to scale up instead of 32. Let us know how it works out.

Whoops, I'm glad I showed my work then. Good catch. Edited my original comment.

 

[Steveruch]

Stirring doesn't add oxygen, splashing does. I've been stirring in priming solution for over 20 years with no problem.

 

[odie]

I would add the spices at or near flame out. Or put them in a nylon stocking with a ping pong ball and float in the fermenter.

 

[zinn]

Very careful stirring is an option, as is putting the first dose in before you add beer to the bucket. Not ideal but not the end of the world if you are careful.

One idea is to make a small sample of beer+spice tea then scale that up. Add tea to a quantity of beer that fits well into a gallon (16, 8 or 4 oz).

For instance, each gallon has *16* 8oz portions. If I have a 5.5 gal batch, and I like 1 oz added to my 8oz sample (total hypothetical), then I will need (1oz x 16 x 5.5=) 88 oz of tea. If I like 1tbsp of tea in my 8 oz sample, I need (15ml x 32 x 5.5 =) 2640 ml for the whole batch. (No idea how much makes sense for you as I've never done a pumpkin spiced beer like yours.)

If you sample first, you only have to stir or add one time, such as before you add beer to your bucket. Happy brewing!

This all makes sense. Thanks for the help!