Ask Mr. Steve

i have been working on a recipe for for a holiday spice beer. 1st time i used star anise and wasn't satisfied with result. i decided this time to delete that and use cinnamon but wasn't sure how much to use. i ended up using 3-4 small sticks from a pack i got from you, put them in my boil for about 45min, then at 30min added some nutmeg and orange peel. i tasted the wort and it seems fairly bitter. i used mild cascade hops for bittering. did i totally screw the pooch here or do you think time and fermentation will settle things down?

- Casey

Answer

Hi Casey, I see some problems with how you are using the spices. Keep in mind that a little bit of spices go a long way! When using cinnamon sticks I like to let them soak in the primary fermenter while it's fermenting. I stick them in the brew pot as soon as I turn the flame off to kill any "bugs". Orange peel I like put in the brew pot for the last 10 minutes. Nutmeg.....easy with that one. I try not to use any processed (powdered) spices in my beers as more times than enough will get away from you. Remember to always cut your bittering hops back so they do not clash with the spices. Keep good notes so you can tweak the recipe each time you brew with spices. I hope this helps you out.    Hoppy Brewin!  Mr. steve