Thinking winter beers already. Question about a spice

[stitch_giver_fan]

I just poured my final Seirra Nevada Celebration tonight. It got me thinkng about winter beers, and what I could come up with this fall. Ive never brewed a winter beer, or used any spices in a brew. I have whats called Pickling Spice by McCormick, which I bought for my mother to use when she makes pickled beets. This spice smells amazing. It has a long list of ingredients: cinnamon, allspice,mustard seed, coriander,bay leaves, ginger, chillies, cloves, black pepper,mace, cardamon, and sulfering agents.

I would like to use this in a batch this fall. Mostly for the aroma. How and when would I add this? End of boil? Secondary? Should I crush it all up or leave it as is? How much should I use? Has anyone ever used this spice?

Thanks in advance… :cheers:

[nighthawk]

Never brewed with it…

I would either add it at flame out or after fermentation is over. Use lightly. You could always add a little more. But if you use to much, the only fix is to make another beer and mix the two.

A stout or porter might work. Or follow a recipe for a pumpkin ale. Sub this spice for the pumpkin spices.

[stitch_giver_fan]

I never thought of a stout.Thats a great idea. So is subing for pumpkin spice. This spice has a very strong odor, so Im guessing a little will go a long way. I usually strain my wort when going into primary to catch all the hops. If I added at flame out, would it show up much in the beer, considering I would strain it out?

[nighthawk]

It would be the same as a flame out hop addition. It’s going to take you 10-20minutes to get the wort down to pitching temps. By then a good amount of the aroma/flavor of the spices will be in the wort.

[stitch_giver_fan]

Awesome. I will keep this in mind when I brew this late summer.

[shadetree]

[quote=“Nighthawk”]I would either add it at flame out or after fermentation is over. Use lightly. You could always add a little more. But if you use to much, the only fix is to make another beer and mix the two.[/quote]+1 Some of those spices would be “challenging” in a beer (mustard seed and bay in particular), so you might be better off making a tincture with some vodka and then adding a few drops to a measured volume of a beer to see how it tastes.

[stitch_giver_fan]

I am unfamiliar with this term Shadetree. Any links to what this process is?