I recently brewed a second batch of Christmas ale, which was spiced with cinnamon, ginger, clove and nutmeg. I put a bottle in the fridge last night and tried it, but only a small amount of spice came through in smell/taste. Then I decided to open a bottle that hadn't been chilled, and the spice character was much more present, especially the cinnamon and clove. Why does chilling reduce the perceptibility of the spice? It is something chemically related to …

I'd like to brew a pale ale with rosemary and am looking for the right technique. I've read various techniques from adding it late in the boil to adding it in the secondary. What technique have you had the best success with? How much should I use? Fresh or dried? When should I add it? How long should I leave it in for?

I just brewed a witbier. After tasting it out of the primary it doesn't quite have the taste I'm looking for. I'd like to add some orange and/or coriander to the secondary, but I'm not sure how long and how much of each would be within reason. I was thinking of adding about .5 oz of each, and leaving it in a hop bag for a few days. Does this sound acceptable?

I'm thinking of brewing a Saison and make it very fruity. I want to have grapefruit like aromas and flavor. I've been reading up and some people suggest using juice others recommend using zest. I have no experience with juicing or adding zest so I have a few questions: should I use juice or zest how much should I use? (fermenter size is 15l) in either case do I add it to the boil or to primary/secondary how do you …

I'm making a mint chocolate stout. I've made it before; I added 1.5 ounces of fresh spearmint to the last 10 or 15 minutes of the boil. It turned out alright, but it's not as strong as I'd like. The obvious answer would be to add more mint. But before I make it again, I'd like to utilize your collective experience. When is the best time to add mint without imparting off flavors? Should I add it to secondary? (Last …

I want to experiment a bit by adding spices - I'm thinking cinnamon and vanilla - to my beer, but wonder at which step is considered the best time to add it. Personal experience is very welcome. I assume adding it during mashing is out... I guess the obvious time would be during the boil (in "tea"-bags?) - but early or late? Or is it better to do it after the boil - during "mixing" - just to let the …

I'm making a witbier this weekend that calls for 1 tsp of coriander added to the boil at 2 minutes. I'm wondering if I should purchase seeds and grind them myself, or just buy a jar of ground coriander off the spice rack. Anyone have any experience they could share on which would be better? Thanks in advance!

I'm getting ready to make my first Saison (all grain). This will be the first beer I've made that uses any kind of spice. The recipe I'm using is for a 5g batch. I'll be making a 20g batch. The 5g recipe calls for adding 1oz of Bitter Orange. If I was just scaling the recipe up linearly I'd use 4oz. My gut tells me this might be too much. Should I follow my gut and use only 2oz or …

I have a can of this, but want to do something different with it and have it ready for the holidays. My first thought was pumpkin, but I couldn't figure out from reading how or when to put it in; and most people found it didn't change flavor at all, it's about the spices you add...again, not sure how much or when. I also read of people adding lactose and making a cream stout. Or oatmeal stout. Etc. Unfortunately searching …

I am planning on brewing a herb beer; Rooibos Honey Ale. Question one is: How can I estimate (ball park) the amount of herbs to use prior to brewing the beer? Should I make a tea and then calculate the ratio? Question two: Rooibos has a distinct aroma and taste, should I do 30 minute and flame-out additions, or just one at flame-out?

I've made a Witbier with tangerine peel and coriander. Though Randy Mosher's Radical Brewing suggests chamomile as a good "secret ingredient" for Witbiers, I didn't have any on hand when brewing, so i missed my chance to add it to the boil (and I've wondered how well the taste and aroma would persist anyway). So now i have a few options: Add it directly to the secondary (akin to dry hopping), maybe after a little boiling to avoid introducing bacteria …

I am considering brewing an Amber ale with a bit of ginger in it, but I don't know whether I should treat it more like a spice and steep/boil it, or more like fruit, and rack onto the ginger for a week or two of secondary fermentation. Should I use a combination of the two? What has worked for you?

I would like to use whole, lightly crushed spices for a pumpkin ale. I have (so far) had no luck finding a good recipe for the mix. While the ingredients themselves are up to personal taste (cinnamon, nutmeg, mace, clove, allspice, etc.) all of the mixes and ratios I have been able to find are for "ground" spices. Does anyone have any experience in this arena that would be willing to share their mix/ratios?

If I crack or grind coriander for a steep at the end of a boil, will it settle out or should I pour through a strainer when transferring to to primary? Should I add before or after flameout?

I just brewed my first oatmeal stout (the Brewer's Best kit), and decided I'd try to add a little "holiday" flair. At my local brewing supply store, I found a recipe for a holiday ale, so I followed the spicing directions used in that, but I wonder if there's a better way. Here are the ingredients I used: 1 orange, with whole cloves stuck into the skin cinnamon sticks peeled ginger root Here's what I did: During the last 15 …

I'm getting ready to brew up a holiday batch to bring to parties and give as gifts, etc. Any suggestions on a good one? I'm thinking a cranberry beer might be surprising and delicious...