herbs/spices in beer

[Zambi]

Just curious
Is anyone using them and for what type of beer?
And how and when do you add them?

I just made 2 batches with kveik
First one (still conditioning) is a wheat beer to which I added bruised lemongrass stalks at 30 minutes and crushed coriander and kaffir lime peel at 15 minutes. I added them to the hop spider, so all got removed when cooling started

Second one is a blonde (in fermenter) with torn kaffir lime leaves at 30 min, crushed coriander and lemon peel at 15.
Again added to hop spider

 

[Zefram]

I've used crushed coriander in a witbier. Added to the hop spider the last 5 minutes and it came out tasty.

I've not used lime, but I do use fresh lemon with a summer pale recipe. I cut the lemon into wheels and cut away the flesh and pith. Just drop the remaining peel rings in the last 5 minutes (they are easy to fish out).

I have some darker ale recipes that use things like nutmeg, clove, cinnamon, allspice, and dried orange peel. I treat those like hops... various additions at 60, 30, 10, etc. to the hop spider. It seems like you get some spice flavor from the longer times and then the aroma with the shorter times. I've heard others say an extended boil can pull out harsher flavors, but I've not noticed that myself (it could be the darker style masks that though).

 

[Minbari]

I have added things to the boil and in the fermentor. I use a small stainless mesh dry hop tube to do it.

My Octoberfest has some cinnamon and coriander in it.

 

[Sandy Feet]

I just did a pumpkin beer, so yes.
With spices, you need to be very careful about overpowering the beer. I only added 1tsp of pumpkin pie spice for 5 gallons of beer. I added it at flameout so it would be sanitized, and at the same time, it would not be boiled out.

 

[GFHomebrew]

Great thread Zambezi!

I'm curious as well.

Guess it depends on the spice or herbs your adding weather they need to be boiled to release their flavour compounds or oils or if their delecate aromas and flavours similar to hops to add them flame out or dry hop.

That's where I go when adding fruit or herbs spices. Mostly flame out with just a steep all wrapped up in a dry hop bag.
But I've found the dry hop is best for preserving them aromas best but can be tricky with sanitation and introducing bacteria on the product as opposed to flame out where the hot wort sanitizes the herb/spice additions.

 

[TetersMillBrewing]

My Octoberfest has some cinnamon and coriander in it.

Oktoberfest with cinnamon, interesting. Curious as to how it change the flavor?

 

[Minbari]

Oktoberfest with cinnamon, interesting. Curious as to how it change the flavor?

its not alot, 1/2 stick in 5 gallons.(dry hop style) the marzen has a nice caramel flavor and this just adds to it. the coriander balances it too, gives it a spice to compliment the cinnamon.

overall, I really like it. second year I have made it, although I cut the cinnamon in 1/2 this time. everyone that has tried it liked it.

 

[Ward Chillington]

Hops are herbs....just saying....

I have a lavender beer recipe kicking round that Wifey keeps telling me to brew....Vanilla in porter is OK but basically....I like beer flavored beer!

 

[GFHomebrew]

Hops are herbs....just saying....

I have a lavender beer recipe kicking round that Wifey keeps telling me to brew....

Ohh lavender beer oh do tell Ward?

 

[Ward Chillington]

Ohh lavender beer oh do tell Ward?

here ya go...from Brooklyn Brew Shop...you'll have to do the conversions

9# Belgian pils
2# Carapils
1/2# Aromatic
1.25 oz Styrian Golding
1/3 cup of lavender flowers
3/4# clear Belgian Candi Sugar
Belgian ale or Safale S33

Now the authors have the mash and sparge schedule for a five gallon batch as 3 1/4 gallons to mash at 152° and 5 gallons sparge at 170° and a 1 hour boil.
The hop and flower schedule is 1 oz of the golding at boil then a teaspoon of the lavender at 30 minutes and the last of the hops at 55. At flame out, add the rest of the flowers and the candi sugar then stir to dissolve. Chill and pitch at 70°.

 

[GFHomebrew]

here ya go...from Brooklyn Brew Shop...you'll have to do the conversions

9# Belgian pils
2# Carapils
1/2# Aromatic
1.25 oz Styrian Golding
1/3 cup of lavender flowers
3/4# clear Belgian Candi Sugar
Belgian ale or Safale S33

Now the authors have the mash and sparge schedule for a five gallon batch as 3 1/4 gallons to mash at 152° and 5 gallons sparge at 170° and a 1 hour boil.
The hop and flower schedule is 1 oz of the golding at boil then a teaspoon of the lavender at 30 minutes and the last of the hops at 55. At flame out, add the rest of the flowers and the candi sugar then stir to dissolve. Chill and pitch at 70°.

Along the lines of what I was imagining with that lite grist 1/3 cup gives me a good idea of how much if i ever feel the call for lavender beer infusion .

The guys from Clawhammer recently brewed a lavender beer

.

 

[west1m]

First Foo Foo coffee now Foo Foo beer!
What next!

 

[Minbari]

First Foo Foo coffee now Foo Foo beer!
What next!

I think foo foo beer has been around longer than coffee, lol

 

[Sandy Feet]

Everything other than Bud, Coors, and Miller is probably foo foo in one way or another They just made garbage, mass produced beers in this country for too long. Now people are going back to the roots as well as playing with new hops, new yeasts, and new ingredients. If I didn't want to play around with different recipes, I would have never started homebrewing.

 

[Sandy Feet]

I also keep forgetting how grateful I am for some really good craft breweries that have popped up around town. Not only has drinking their beer opened my eyes to some new things, but some of the professional brewers have given me some helpful tips for my homebrew.
Some of them are making lots of crazy, foo foo sweet stuff too, but that is ok. It makes the wife want to join me drinking beer.