Adding flavoring to carbonated keg

[Alchemywunderkid]

I have some kegged and carbonated beers (both kegged primed and force carbed) that I'm thinking of augmenting with a bit of extra flavoring in the form of alcohol tinctures. Is there a way to do this that will not adversely affect the beer?

The beers in question are a robust porter and a (purposefully) spiceless squash beer and I'd be adding the flavor tinctures to "festivise" the beers for the extended family over the Thanksgiving weekend. The beers are pouring nicely now and the flavor additions will be minimal. If it makes a difference, they'll probably be at least half empty by the time I'm planning to try these flavor augmentations.

Can I just pull the release valve until I can open the lid, toss in the measured tincture, reseal, then put it back on the gas? Is this a dumb idea? Does anyone have any suggestions?

[disasterbrew]

I did pretty much exactly that with my Scarborough Saison. I added a tincture of parsley sage Rosemary and thyme to the carbed beer. Worked great.

[Alchemywunderkid]

Scarborough Saison...parsley sage Rosemary and thyme

...slow clap... nice beer disasterbrew!

How far do you think the beer decarbonated (if at all)? Did you need another carbonation period or was the beer ready to drink right away... within a few hours?

[Holt]

Once the spices are added you would probably have to wait a while for the flavors to have some effect so carbonation probably wouldn't be an issue. It would be cool to use a hop-back (randal) filled with spices, herbs, etc. during the serving process.

Never tried it myself, but it sounds chronic.

[Nyakavt]

Once the spices are added you would probably have to wait a while for the flavors to have some effect so carbonation probably wouldn't be an issue.

The spice oils are already extracted in the tincture, so there should not be a waiting period for them to 'take effect' as if you were soaking the spices in the beer. The beer may still improve with age, but I don't think the spice character is going to get any stronger. Since you are pouring in a liquid, there will not be an effect on CO2 of the beer with the small volumes we're talking about (>100 mL).

The only time you'll really see an effect on carbonation is if you add a powdered substance to the beer to give a bunch of nucleation sites, like adding citric acid powder. This will cause a pretty big foam over but can be mitigated by quickly closing up the keg.

[Holt]

I guess I'm not familiar with the alcohol tincture process. Could you please describe how you guys are going about your spice additions?

Also, another semi-related question. My brother brewed an oatmeal stout with his homegrown hops, and it came out more bitter than he wanted it. Is there anything that could be added to the keg to save this beer--and keep it true to style?

Thanks!

[Bugeater]

My brother brewed an oatmeal stout with his homegrown hops, and it came out more bitter than he wanted it. Is there anything that could be added to the keg to save this beer--and keep it true to style?

Let the thing age for 3 or 4 months. The hops will fade a bit, but it may still be too bitter for style. The more important question is "How does it taste?" If it tastes good, don't worry about style. Just drink and enjoy. Have you ever had a Sierra Nevada Stout? It is hoppy as hell and still tastes great.

Wayne

[Holt]

My brother brewed an oatmeal stout with his homegrown hops, and it came out more bitter than he wanted it. Is there anything that could be added to the keg to save this beer--and keep it true to style?

Let the thing age for 3 or 4 months. The hops will fade a bit, but it may still be too bitter for style. The more important question is "How does it taste?" If it tastes good, don't worry about style. Just drink and enjoy. Have you ever had a Sierra Nevada Stout? It is hoppy as hell and still tastes great.

Wayne

Thanks for the advice--waiting 3-4 months is always a challenge though. Indeed, Sierra Stout is a tasty beverage for sure.