I am a fairly new brewer and I am doing a Belgian Dubbel for the first time. I added 1/4 tsp of cinnamon, nutmeg, and coriander 2 minutes before flame out. I am planning on adding a cinnamon stick (or a half of one) for aroma when I transfer to secondary.
What is the best way to ensure I don’t add any contaminants? Boil it first?
How much should I add for a 5 gallon batch? 1 stick, 1/2 stick?
Should I throw it in by itself or wrap it in a coffee filter or something similar? Sanitize filter also?
There are items that bacteria thrive on, and items that are basically inhospitable to them. Spices (including hops) are pretty much in the later category, as long as you use them strait out of the package. In fact, most spices are irradiated or go through some similar process to kill everything on them, as the companies selling them don’t want to have to deal with unhappy customers who find insects in the spice jar. Very difficult to remove all those eggs; easier to just kill them.
I don’t dry spice often, but when I have I’ve never worried about causing infections from the spices. Maybe I’ve just gotten lucky, but no problems yet.
You do however want to be careful with how much cinnamon you plan to add. That is a spice that can overwhelm a beer surprisingly easily.
When I’ve added cinnamon to 5gal batches, I’ve only done 1 stick and it definitely gets the job done (it’s tasty). It comes down to how much flavor you want.
Like the others have said, it probably won’t matter, but a vodka soak will clean it if you’re worried. Put it in the carboy first, then transfer - you’ll get a better mix that way (i think)
[quote=“rebuiltcellars”]I wouldn’t worry about it.
There are items that bacteria thrive on, and items that are basically inhospitable to them. Spices (including hops) are pretty much in the later category, as long as you use them strait out of the package. In fact, most spices are irradiated or go through some similar process to kill everything on them, as the companies selling them don’t want to have to deal with unhappy customers who find insects in the spice jar. Very difficult to remove all those eggs; easier to just kill them.
I don’t dry spice often, but when I have I’ve never worried about causing infections from the spices. Maybe I’ve just gotten lucky, but no problems yet.
You do however want to be careful with how much cinnamon you plan to add. That is a spice that can overwhelm a beer surprisingly easily.[/quote]
That’s a good call, I guess I didn’t consider that. Same with coffee. When I do coffee beers, I don’t sanitize anything with regards to the coffee before adding it to the keg to blend with the beer. No problems with contamination.
