# Spice Beer Recipe



## peas_and_corn (3/5/06)

I got a recipe for a spice beer, and it asks to add half a teaspoon of allspice, half a teaspoon of nutmeg, and 0.75 teaspoon of cinnamon.

Is this enough? I thought that a spice beer would require more spices than that. So... what do you think?

Cheers,

Dave

ps I think this is the right forum; someone move it if it's not


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## Stuster (3/5/06)

Dave

It'd probably help if you posted the recipe. How much spice to add will depend to some extent on what else is in the beer, how strong it is, how dark it is etc. Anyway, if it's a nice recipe, others may want to try it. :chug:


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## peas_and_corn (3/5/06)

I'm away from my home computer (so might be a little innaccurate), but it has:

1.5kg LLME
2.5kg pale malt
150g caramalt
150g crystal
150g another dark grain (can't remember which)
then the spices

I think there might be a little more caramalt and less crystal, but that's about where it is.


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## Stuster (3/5/06)

Firstly, I have never made a spiced beer so that's how much you should trust my advice. 

But, I've just had a quick look in Radical Brewing and it sounds like those amounts are about right. Mosher uses 1tsp cinnamon in one recipe along with 1/4tsp allspice. He also says nutmeg is very potent. 

So if anything, you could use a little less but I'd guestimate it'd be ok as is. Like to know how it turns out.


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## Zwickel (3/5/06)

Hi homebrewer,

thats a quite interesting matter :excl: 

what about that:


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## Zwickel (3/5/06)

more about spicy beer:





Webside: http://www.chilibeer.com 





Webside: http://www.rogue.com 

Webside: http://www.riograndebrewing.com 

Webside: http://www.stcroixbeer.com 

Recipe: Chili Golden Lager http://www.byo.com/recipe/721.html
Chili Stout http://www.byo.com/recipe/722.html
Smoked Chili IPA http://www.byo.com/recipe/723.html 


have fun :beerbang:


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## Weizguy (3/5/06)

G'day,

Made a batch with nutmeg in it. 1/2 tsp of nutmeg was too much for about the first 3 months. Take it easy with nutmeg, just like Mosher sez.

If U make a beer with coriander seed tho', I'd suggest more is better. I usually just belt the seeds with a meat mallet and then chuck 'em in the boil. Smells like mmmmmmm!


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## big d (3/5/06)

Dave there is only/was only one KING of SPICED beer in this land/once on this forum and that is THE JOVIAL MONK.
He loved his spiced lager.I tried it once on a visit to his shop.If you get the chance pay him a visit and tell him i sent you.Im sure he will serve you a spiced or more to try and even give you a recipe or two.
Lucky for you he has a shop in Adelaide so you can pay him a visit.

Cheers in spiced lager
Big D


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## wee stu (3/5/06)

big d said:


> Dave there is only/was only one KING of SPICED beer in this land/once on this forum and that is THE JOVIAL MONK.
> He loved his spiced lager.I tried it once on a visit to his shop.If you get the chance pay him a visit and tell him i sent you.Im sure he will serve you a spiced or more to try and even give you a recipe or two.
> Lucky for you he has a shop in Adelaide so you can pay him a visit.
> 
> ...



Tom (the Jovial One) has a spiced xmas beer on the go at the moment, which he is particularly proud of. Give him a bit of notice, and I am sure he will have one available for you if you choose to drop by.


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## peas_and_corn (4/5/06)

where abouts is his store?

OK, I was WAY off with my recipe. Here's what I'm going to use:

1.5kg liquid amber extract
1.7kg Amber Malt
1kg Pilsener Malt
225g CaraPils
225g Munich Malt
225g Vienna Malt
30g Cluster (60 mins)
30g Crystal (30 mins)
0.5tsp Allspice
0.5tsp Nutmeg
0.75tsp Cinnamon


So does the above spice balance sound good? So far I think the amount of nutmeg is right (from what has been written so far), but what about the others?

Cheers,

Dave


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## peas_and_corn (4/5/06)

Zwickel said:


> more about spicy beer:
> 
> 
> 
> ...




Cheers for the links! I've thought about making a chilli beer, and now I have recipes to give one a go! The golden lager sounds interesting to give a try... That gives me 3 beers on my list of beers I must make...


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## n00ch (4/5/06)

Not at all saying there is anything wrong with what your doing but can i ask why you are still only doing partials with the gear you have? 

Your mashtun is set to run full mash brews so why not just go the whole hog? :unsure:


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## big d (4/5/06)

You will find him at

10 Duthy St
Parkside

Ph 08 83733894


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## peas_and_corn (5/5/06)

n00ch said:


> Not at all saying there is anything wrong with what your doing but can i ask why you are still only doing partials with the gear you have?
> 
> Your mashtun is set to run full mash brews so why not just go the whole hog? :unsure:
> [post="124283"][/post]​



True- this is a partial recipe, I haven't done AG yet. Just making sure I have the basics when it comes to what to do etc down first. However, with that said my batch after this one will be AG, and I'm looking forward to that one.


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## Vangleator (5/5/06)

Beware of cloves, just a few will do, otherwise a metallic tang can shine through. Make sure everything is whole, then crush just before using. Alcohol is a great solvent, especially in the secondary.


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## peas_and_corn (5/5/06)

I'm not using cloves


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## peas_and_corn (8/5/06)

OK, about the chilli beer- it says to use jalapeno peppers- one in every stubbie (sounds good! even if it means bottling another batch). I'm guessing that fresh jalapenos would be the best to use- so where would I be able to get fresh jalapenos?


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## Airgead (8/5/06)

peas_and_corn said:


> OK, about the chilli beer- it says to use jalapeno peppers- one in every stubbie (sounds good! even if it means bottling another batch). I'm guessing that fresh jalapenos would be the best to use- so where would I be able to get fresh jalapenos?
> [post="125117"][/post]​



My garden?  

You might have some trouble finding them at this time of year. They tend to be more of a spring/summer crop. Your local fruit/veg shop may be able to help out and I have occasionally seen them in the supermarket. They are seldom labeled as jalapeno though so you need to know what you are looking for.

Cheers
Dave


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## Vangleator (9/5/06)

I judged a chilli beer with a whole chili in it last year at Gawler Show and it gushed all over the place. Possibly due to bacteria on the skin helping the ferment out, or ferment not completed before entering show. Had a very earthy flavour though. There were 2 better chili beers there, the sweeter one tasted more balanced and drinkable than the dry, very HOT as well.


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## Airgead (9/5/06)

Vangleator said:


> I judged a chilli beer with a whole chili in it last year at Gawler Show and it gushed all over the place. Possibly due to bacteria on the skin helping the ferment out, or ferment not completed before entering show. Had a very earthy flavour though. There were 2 better chili beers there, the sweeter one tasted more balanced and drinkable than the dry, very HOT as well.
> [post="125273"][/post]​



Quite possible. I'd be tempted to blanch them for a minute or 2 in boiling water to get rid of the surface bacteria. Unless you are a real chilli freak (like me) a whole jalapeno may be a bit much. Alcohol is a great solvent so it will extract a lot of the heat. It will also get hotter over time so the beer that was great after 1 week may be too strong after 4. You could take the whole chillis and remove the seeds and membranes which is where most of the heat is. That would probably leave you with just enough heat to be interesting but not so much that it is overpowering.

Of course if you ARE a chilli freak like me then ignore the above and break out the habeneros... :blink: 

Cheers
Dave


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## pint of lager (9/5/06)

Best place to get them is to grow your own. Eden Seeds sell lots of different types of chillies. All their seed is open pollenated so you can keep your own seed. A bit like saving your own yeast.


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## Vangleator (9/5/06)

Dried chilli seeds work well too. Place a couple of grams in a S/steel tea (cuppa) ball during secondary ferment for about 4 days to give a nice burn at the back of the throat. :beerbang:


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## Vangleator (9/5/06)

I've just added a pic of the tea ball in case you wondered what one looked like. I didn't buy it for tea duties, it's great for adding other herb & spice flavours to beer too.


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## peas_and_corn (10/5/06)

Airgead said:


> Vangleator said:
> 
> 
> > I judged a chilli beer with a whole chili in it last year at Gawler Show and it gushed all over the place. Possibly due to bacteria on the skin helping the ferment out, or ferment not completed before entering show. Had a very earthy flavour though. There were 2 better chili beers there, the sweeter one tasted more balanced and drinkable than the dry, very HOT as well.
> ...



Ooh, I love really hot foods! I had a vindaloo the other night at an indian restaurant (it closes 2am every night! brilliant for me), and it was delicious! But yeah, love it when it's incredibly hot.


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## Jye (10/5/06)

Sorry this is a bit of topic <_< 

Vangleator, Are the tea balls easy to pick up, Woolies, Target? How would it go filled with hops inside of a keg?

Cheers
Jye


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## Airgead (10/5/06)

peas_and_corn said:


> Ooh, I love really hot foods! I had a vindaloo the other night at an indian restaurant (it closes 2am every night! brilliant for me), and it was delicious! But yeah, love it when it's incredibly hot.
> [post="125478"][/post]​



mmmmmmmm vindaloo...I love vindaloo. A really good vindaloo with that wonderfull sourness behind the heat.... mmmmmm

I used to cook a mean vindaloo. I've had to tone down the spices in dinner since we had kids. A few years ago I forgot and made a nice curry. Our eldest (youngest was still eating mashed vegies at that stage) took one bite and started screaming. I'm slowly ramping the spices up as they get older. I can cook a curry but I have to keep it mild and just add extra chilli sauce to mine (which is just not the same). At indian resteraunts the kids will cope with the medium dishes (not bad for 5 and 3 I suppose) but haven't worked their way up to hot yet.

I also had to puill up some of my more lethal chilli bushes when we caught the kids playing with some haberero savina's they had picked off the bush.

Even for a freak like me I don't think a whole jalappeno in a bottle is that good an idea (at least not after a week or 2). A chilli beer should taste like beer and not just chilli. I like the idea of making a chilli tea but I'd do it from the whole chillis rather than dried seeds so you extract some of the flavour as well as the heat. Make up a litre of nice strong chilli tea and add it drop by drop into a glass to get the dose right. Then you can dose the keg/bottles to the same level.

Cheers
Dave


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## peas_and_corn (10/5/06)

How about using chillis, but the standard type you get in supermarkets instead of jalapeno? That'll have less 'zing' in it


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## Airgead (10/5/06)

peas_and_corn said:


> How about using chillis, but the standard type you get in supermarkets instead of jalapeno? That'll have less 'zing' in it
> [post="125484"][/post]​



For a chilli beer the jalapenos would give that distinctive jalapeno tang which would be nice. As an alternative you could try a cayenne which had a more neutral flavour. I'd still be tempted to make a tea rather than just bung a whole one in the bottle though.

In cooking I tend to use jalapenos and a few other varieties (ancho, publano, new mexico, serrano etc) for mexican/south american where the chilli is not just for heat but for flavour as well (salsa ranchero mmmm) and the cayenne for most other things. I also use dried kashmiri chillis to add the red colour to things like rogan josh without adding too much heat. 

I used to use a tiny bit of habenero sliced into tiny pieces as part of a seveche. Habenero is best eaten raw (or lightly cooked) as the cooking kills the flavour and just leaves the extreme heat.

Cheers
Dave


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## Vangleator (14/5/06)

G'day Jye, sorry about the delay but there is just so much to view on this site I've only just got back to this thread. I picked the tea ball up at the Bake'n'Brew' shop at Gawler where they sell tea in bulk. 
tea ball

Never looked for them in Woolies though, but a kitchen specialist would probably have them. Maybe even a coffee/tea retail shop. 
The ball would hold hops alright in a keg or fementer, not many though, as it can only be half filled before closing it. 
Cheers, :beer:


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## Darren (14/5/06)

Jye said:


> Sorry this is a bit of topic <_<
> 
> Vangleator, Are the tea balls easy to pick up, Woolies, Target? How would it go filled with hops inside of a keg?
> 
> ...




Jye, termimesh is cheap and easy. Just make a little pouch of it and throw them in.


cheers
Darren


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## peas_and_corn (10/6/06)

Anyway, it's been bottled and I've given one a try... I hope it gets better! I put a little more spice in than the recipe said (apart from the nutmeg), and it dominates WAY too much. It is a little green though, maybe some more time maturing would be good... hopefully.


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## yardy (11/6/06)

p&c,

i went a bit ott with the whole spice thang for awhile, a good mix i did have success with was...

25gm Coriander Seed (cracked just b4 boil)
1" Cinnamon Stick 
1/2 tsp Nutmeg

all in for the last 30 min of the boil.

*don't* leave the Cinnamon Stick in the primary.

cheers

yard


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## Wardhog (18/8/06)

Airgead said:


> I used to cook a mean vindaloo



An idea I've been toying with is using Garam Masala in a beer. GM has a nice cinnamon taste identifiable in it, and there's been a few posts about using cinnamon in beers. Judging by the recommendations about how much cinnamon to use in a boil (1/2 - 1 tsp), I think 1/2 tsp would go ok in a lager. If you're into that sort of thing.


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## bugwan (18/8/06)

Wardhog said:


> Airgead said:
> 
> 
> > I used to cook a mean vindaloo
> ...



Holy crap!! :blink: 

I'm a lover of all things Indian (at least in the world of food), but I haven't considered mingling my passions quite so intimately!!

Back OT, this talk of cinnamon in beer reminds me of one of Young's seasonal offerings. Namely their Christmas Pudding Ale. It doesn't exactly receive the warmest of reviews on various brewing sites, but I remember it fondly in the depths of winter in London... A curious beer that tasted like, well, christmas pudding...


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## bconnery (18/8/06)

My current spice ale is in the recipe section. 

http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...&recipe=171



At the moment I must say the cinnamon is a little dominant, at least it was a few weeks ago, I haven't had one in a while. 

Before that it was classic 'christmas pudding' or 'fig newton' beer as it was variously described. 

Hopefully by Christmas, which is when I had planned it for, it will be nice and balanced again, like it was earlier...



I have the strangest feeling I have already replied to this post with the same recipe a while back but it could just be the fact that I've had a few beverages this evening...



Cheers

Ben


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## hupnupnee (19/8/06)

I was recently in Canberra and made my first visit to the Wig and Pen. That alone was an eye opener, so much to choose from, so little time. 

What I did choose was their Winter Warmer Porter. I think that is what it was called. It is not described on their web site unfortunatly. This was the typical chocolatey porter with sultana and prune but they have spiced it up with cloves, bush pepper and star anise, I think I got that right.
It tasted fantastic, really complex and interesting, the porter flavours dominated but where enhanced with what to me reminded me of the Irish Moss cough liquid. Sort of licoricey with a peppery bite. Definitly a "winter warmer" Slowly sipped and rolled around in the mouth. 

Also had my first experience of Heffe Weizen there. I'm sold onthat style as well. I must admit I thought the talk of bannanas and bubblegum as mostly wishful fantasy, but by God you can taste those flavours. Very nice.

So I guess I'm sold with the idea of spiced beers, not sure about chillie in my beer but the idea of a christmas festive brew is very appealing.

Floculator 

Tim


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## bindi (19/8/06)

PM sent hupnupnee with a Hefe recipe if you like bannanas and bubblegum  I don't like it 'over the top', but if you do <_< try that one.


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