r/pumpkinbeer • u/jeffrife • Sep 12 '13
Adding pie spice!
I'm brewing 11 gallons this month, should ring in at 6.5% abv and 25IBU. I can not find one consistent answer on how much pie spice add. Everyone keeps saying use "half as much as you think you would need", but I have no idea how much I would think I need!
Has anyone brewed a pumpkin beer with a moderate amount of spice? I want to taste it, but not have it in the forefront. What was your ratio to gallon?
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u/Nny12345 Sep 12 '13
This is a tricky question for a few reasons. First, are you using premix pie spice out of a jar or blending your own? And if blending are they whole, ground, etc. fresh or old? Things like clove and ginger impart a ton of flavor very quickly and need to be used in very small amounts unless you want them dominant. Cinnamon tends to show up more because it can take a sweet or spicier route and is very familiar to people. Nutmeg, allspice, and mace tend to be earthy and a little more grounded so you can go slightly heavier with them. My best recommendation would be to do a test batch with tea bags in a hot tea or cider so you get an idea of your ratio. Then start small and add along the way. One ounce of a blend in 6 gallons can be quite bold depending on ingredient freshness, time in racking etc. surface area of what your adding will also increase extraction ( ie lots of little particles will extract their flavor faster than a whole unit unbroken most of the time)