Hey guys, quick question about vodka tinctures…I brewed a batch of smashing pumpkin two weeks ago today. While racking to secondary I had a little taste after taking a sample to measure SG and I could not notice any spice notes.(Perhaps my palate is not yet sensitive enough to pick it up) I have heard that soaking your spice in vodka is a good way to add spice. Not sure on the amounts though I was thinking about 3oz Vodka to 1tsp of pumpkin pie spice…or would you recommend whole spices instead. Lastly, should I be adding the vodka to secondary or on bottling day?? Thanks.
when I originally read the reviews on the Smashing pumpkin product page, many reported the kit being too light on spice. It’s a matter of taste, and personal preference, but many say double it up or more. So assuming you followed the recipe as written, you’re not alone.
There are forum regulars who seem to have a lot experience with tinctures, but I gather any time between transfer to secondary right up to bottling is acceptable. 3oz vodka also seems right to me.
Well here is what i chose to do after some looking around… 3 oz of 80 proof Vodka, 1 tsp of powdered pumpkin pie spice. Going to let it rest at about 60 degrees in air tight container,for two weeks while brew is in secondary and then add the entire vodka/spice mix on bottling day. Heres hoping this spices it up a bit. :cheers:
I suggest that you only add 1oz at a time and sample it. Easier to add more, impossible to remove it.
Good idea thanks!
I read that at first as, sample the pumpkin spice-infused vodka.
It got me thinking; forget the beer, that would make one helluva White Russian.
When I make my spiced pumpkin ale, I use a bit of spice at flameout and then I make a tincture that I add to secondary too. It adds a nice layering effect and the late spice is ‘fresher’ than the kettle addition. But for the tincture, I use a bit of spiced rum. It works really nicely with the overall flavor of the beer and even though I doubt you taste the rum… I think it adds something to the beer. Good luck and cheers.
+1. Go easy on it, mix it in, taste it, add more if needed.
That is how I did my pumpkin beer. Add pumpkin pie spice to vodka let it sit, decanted a little of the liquid to the keg until it was right. The Mrs. said after that it didn’t taste sweet enough so I added Splenda a little at a time until she was happy. Not enough to make it soda pop sweet but enough to give it a little more pie sweetness.
After getting the first keg so it was right I then used the same amount in the other three 
[quote=“HD4Mark”]That is how I did my pumpkin beer. Add pumpkin pie spice to vodka let it sit, decanted a little of the liquid to the keg until it was right. The Mrs. said after that it didn’t taste sweet enough so I added Splenda a little at a time until she was happy. Not enough to make it soda pop sweet but enough to give it a little more pie sweetness.
After getting the first keg so it was right I then used the same amount in the other three [/quote]
I accidentally mashed a batch of spiced pumpkin ale too low one time and had a dry beer… which is not good for this style. It’s GOT to have some amount of sweetness to it. So I dissolved some brown sugar (2 or 4 ounces… I forget) in water and heated it. Let that cool and poured that right into the cold keg. The yeast did not metabolize it because the beer was cold and the addition made the beer perfectly in balance. It’s not something I would WANT to do but it’s nice to know you could if you had to. The Splenda was smart because you wouldn’t have to worry about the yeast getting at that either. Cheers.
Thanks again for all the good advice, I had considered the sweetness and thought about adding Splenda to give it a little, but OG was 1.061 and finished around 9 brix (1.020)…a little high, not sure what happened but either way ABV will be around 5.09% with plenty of residual sweetness.
Great ideas! My pumpkin beer in primary dropped to 1.010 which is a bit dry for the style. How much brown sugar or Splenda would you all consider adding to the keg. Not trying to hijack the thread.
I just went back and checked a THREAD
I started about this. Looks like I added ½ cup of brown sugar to some water and added that right to the cold keg. But the beer has to be cold or the sugar will get metabolized by the yeast but… you already knew that. 
1lb of cane sugar will raise the gravity by around 1.009 in 5 gallons.
1lb of brown sugar, around 1.007.
Thanks Ken! I’ll add 4 oz to a few ounces of boiling water and call if a day. BTW I’m using your spiced rum idea for the spice tincture. Beer tastes great already, but with a few mods is going to be great!
Sounds yummy. I just booked my flight to Charleston so we could tip a few spiced pumpkin ales together! :lol: Cheers.
Absolutely. Charleston is a beautiful city with a very up and coming beer scene. I think we have 5 or 6 breweries now in the area!
My wife has been down there with some of her friends and says it’s beautiful. I think I got a t-shirt. 
Hey I started a Vodka Tincture to add to my smashing pumpkin extract at bottling time. I’m only a few days into it and I noticed that I have a cloudy blob(cant see through it) within this Vodka mixture.
I added 1 tsp of McCormick pumpkin spice to 4 oz of Vodka. I put this in a glass container that has a lid. I think the glass container is around 12oz big. And swirled it around to mix it up.
Did something go wrong? Or is this cloudy matter normal?
The vodka took the brownish color of the spice and when I smell it, it is very strong pumpkin pie spicy smelling.
Please let me know, I don’t want to mess up my beer by adding bad spice.
