Cinnamon in an amber ale

[Boe1971]

I recently brewed a batch of amber ale that I plan to give out as Christmas gifts. I am thinking of adding some cinnamon after initial fermentation. I am looking to get more aroma from the cinnamon than flavor. I would like the aroma to be noticable but not dominant. The flavor should be subtle. The beer has been fermenting for about 3 days now. Anyone have experience with cinnamon? I am thinking 1 average sized stick of cinnamon for about 5-7 days in the fermenter before bottling. Sound about right? By the way its a 2.4 gallon batch, not a 5 gallon

[FrozenInTime]

The only cinnamon I have used is in a hard cider, can't help ya with an ale. I'm just responding cause I wanted to say...

Cute kid in your avatar!

[RickBeer]

Firecracker Red Ale, an old Mr. Beer recipe, uses 1 teaspoon for 2.13 gallons. I can tell you that it's noticeable. A stick would be way, way too much IMHO.

[BlackDuck]

I've got a Christmas ale going right now. It's a 5 gallon batch. I have one tsp of cinammon and 1/2 tsp of nutmeg that went in for the last 5 minutes of the boil. I just did a gravity check and a little taster. I can surely pick up the spices. I would be careful on how much you put in. You will definately get flavor out of in addition to the aroma. In fact, I think you'll actually get more flavor than aroma out of it.

[Crazy Climber]

Another option for adding it is to do so at bottling time. That's what I did with my Christmas ale last year, and it worked well. Agree w/ the previous posters -- you're likely to get flavor as much or more so than aroma.

I used about 1/3 teaspoon for a Mr. Beer-sized batch, and it was, IMO, appropriate.

Don't forget to tell your recipients that they should feel free to sprinkle ground cinnamon on the head of the beer after they pour it, for an extra holiday touch!

[Boe1971]

Thanks for the replies. I guess I will hold off with the sticks and just drop about 1/4 teaspoon in a few days before bottling. Does that sound right for a subtle flavor and aroma?

[BlackDuck]

If your looking for subtle, I think it will work well.