Honey Weizen Experiment

[wvswede]

Greeting Fellow Brewers, just bottled my absolute first batch of brew, Irish Red Ale. Seems to be a good ale, Yes I had to try it while bottling.

Got my next batch on order, Honey Weizen. I do have a question regarding this one though.

I also ordered a 1lb Light Amber Honey, and 1 oz of Licorice root.
Planning to add half the honey during 1st Fermentation and the other half in the Secondary stage.
One of my favorite liquor is Jägermeister so I am trying to do add a hint of licorice flavor in my beer. To not be to overwhelming just slight in the back ground, I am thinking of adding the root into my bottling bucket on bottling day.
Is that to short of a time for the root to add flavor to the beer?
Considering instead to add it to the Secondary Fermentation? But afraid that the flavor will to overwhelming.

So if anyone has tried adding flavor to beer and have advice as for the timing when to add it, I would appreciate it.

Thanks PG

[teresalgl]

In my experience, the later in the process a flavoring is added, the ‘in front’ it will be. When I go for a background flavor, I add it to the boil (or earlier). That being said, it certainly won’t hurt to add the flavor at bottling, I would be careful not to over do it though.

[wvswede]

Sounds like a good advice, initial thought was to add the root when I am steeping the specialty grains. Reasoning was that it would be easy to get the root back out.

But seeing your reply maybe tha’ts when I should add them, ah well it can never turn out bad its still brew coming out. So if it is not as I planned I add it later in the next batch until perfection is reached.

thank you teresalgl

[tom_sawyer]

You’d probably need to grate the licorice root for it to have an effect in so short a time. But I think it would work, and 1oz of the spice is quite a bit. You might add some to taste before bottling.

[wvswede]

Well when closing the lid to fermentation bucket the IG was 1.062 I ended up adding the whole pound of honey in after the boil was done. After less then 8 hours I had VERY active fermentation going. After watching the gravity for a few days since the airlock stopped burping I have 1.010 for a few days now, so bottled and sampled today (18 days in primary). The flavor is sweet with a hint of licorice, maybe to sweet the shelf for another two weeks to get the “real” experience.

Will update after next sampling, but sofar