So my wife approaches me the other today and asks “so what are you going to brew me for the fall?”. I asked her if she had something in mind and she asks me if there is any way I could incorporate apples and cinnamon in a beer. I have pondered on this for a few days trying to figure out what base style would support that flavor combination and I have decided on an American Brown Ale. I figured that maltiness/biscuity characteristics would go well with the flavor combo she is asking for.
My grain bill consists of pale 2-row as my base malt and then 2-7% of each of the following:
Victory, Rye Chocolate, Caramel 80, Caramel 20, and Malanoiden.
I will be using willamette and magnum hops keeping my IBU around 38.
I was thinking of adding 5lbs of sliced apples and a cinnamon stick during a secondary.
Please let me know your thoughts. Is this a good base to try this with? More or less apples and cinnamon? Thanks!
Sounds pretty good. But maybe just use 2-4% of each specialty malt.
I’ve had great success incorporating apple into my beers simply by brewing a very small batch of beer, maybe only 2-3 gallons assuming a 5-gallon batch size, then topping up the rest of the way using fresh preservative-free juice from an orchard. Then pitch your yeast and ferment as normal.
Note also that fermentation time will be extended since apples contain very simple sugars that are difficult for beer yeast to consume quickly. It can take a good 4-6 weeks to finish fermentation of an apple beer.
I do think juice is MUCH easier to deal with than whole fruit.
The cinnamon stick idea is good.
Enjoy and good luck!
P.S. Here’s a link to my award-winning recipe (for 3 gallons total final volume):
Thanks for sharing. I think I may try to add a cinnamon stick to the end of the boil rather than in the secondary like this recipe did. Cinnamon sticks scare me. I used them once in a mead, added too much and ended up being very overpowering.
Most of what is sold here in the US as cinnamon is actually the related cassia bark. If it is thick and hard, tightly curled and possibly forming a double curl, and reddish all the way through, it is cassia, with a very strong, hot, even harsh flavor. Real cinnamon bark is delicate, papery, light brown and even lighter on the inside, very gently curled. If you can find this (not easy, but it might be found in Latin American shops) its gentle, sweet flavor might play much better in a beer – and be less likely to quickly overpower. Interestingly, a major component of the real cinnamon is linalool, also prominent in hops.
And if not in Latin American shops check other regional grocery stores. I find it pretty easily in Indian stores and anywhere that sells a fair amount of Indian or Pakistani ingredients.