spiced cask

[frigatebay]

I plan on doing a special cask for x-mas and need some advice. I'd like to add some spices to my vanilla bean brown ale. Any idea how much, what form and how long it takes to extract the spice flavor into the beer?

thanks

[kugeman]

Rather than adding spices directly into the beer itself, I'd' make a "potion" by soaking spices in vodka. Let it sit for a couple of days (2 or 3) and then pour the mixture through a coffee strainer (the spices turn into a big gelatinous goo!). You'll have to do some experiments to find out how much of the liquid to add to your beer. I used this to beef up the spiciness of my pumpkin ale this fall and it worked like a charm.