If you’d like to re-create the aroma of fresh piney Christmas trees and or the spicy flavor of earthy gingerbread in your beer, many brewers recommend doing so via stout—a style of beer they say can be brewed with just about any spices. In Issue 4 (Winter 2014/2015) of Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine®, I got the skinny on how to best use spices in stouts.
“Balance is probably the most immediate thing I consider. The spices have to dance with the base beer. They should never insult or overwhelm the base beer. Also, determining which spices to use and when to use them can make the difference between a great beer and a mediocre one.” — Wayne Wambles, Brewmaster at Cigar City Brewing (Tampa, Florida)
“The base beer of the Mexican Cake is just a 10 percent ABV imperial stout, nothing that special about it. Habaneros, cinnamon, vanilla, and cocoa nibs are added during conditioning. I try to make the flavors apparent but not overwhelming.” — Edward Westbrook, Cofounder of Westbrook Brewing (Mount Pleasant, South Carolina)