Dry "Herbbing" Cask Ale

[smellody]

I've been "experimenting" with various dry herb methods for some cask ales. Has anyone learned or have advice on amounts of herbs to use in a pin or firkin? As you know, once you seal that puppy up there's no going back.

For example, for a pin we're looking at adding fresh kafir lime leaves and lemon grass, maybe a jalepano. I'm trying to calculate how much to add for the volume of liquid.

I'll report back what we do, but curious if others have experience.

[BelgianBrews]

Do a test batch in a growler

I've never added herbs directly to a cask, but why not experiment by doing a small batch in a growler as a pseudo firkin? I've done this before with fruit and I was able to scale up the batch without any notable differences.

[Natrat]

My advice on putting herbs in a firkin or pin is:

"Less than you think."

It's super easy to overdo it...and you might fool yourself into thinking it tastes good because you can taste the lime leaves, or whatever...but with beer and herbs...maybe less is more?

Nat

[Kev7555]

Have to agree with the previous poster. I've never brewed a beer where too little ruined it. Too much herbs (or anything else that can throw the aroma and flavor profiles out of balance) can be a disaster.

Sorry for reactivating a month-old thread...I got all excited!

-Kevin