How to make this beer enjoyable.

[Saunassa]

I tried to brew a cranberry orange wit. Not enough fruit and realized at bottling that I forgot the spices. Have a case bottled and a 2.5 gal keg.
It came in around 1.006 with an abv of 7% as my efficiency and fermentation was better then expected.
It is drinkable but lacking. What can I do to make it enjoyable? Some type of shandy? Add spices somehow and what kind to the keg?
I bought a bottle of brewers best cranberry extract and added .5ml to two bottles and recapped and set aside 2 weeks, bleck like cough medicine.

 

[VikeMan]

You can add spices to the keg, if you're willing to accept the tradeoff of brief oxygen exposure. If you're not happy with your beer as it is, it might be worth it.

 

[Saunassa]

I filled the keg quite full, and have not drawn from it yet. Has around 15psi on it probably 4 weeks now and if I can make it taste better with slight exposure that's a worthwhile trade off.

 

[BrewZer]

Serve it over candied cranberries and slices of orange.

 

[FromZwolle]

shandy is the easiest way. just mix in the glass.

 

[jonny24]

Another vote for in-the-glass shandy

 

[easttex]

Drink it and make sure you put the extras in the next batch.

 

[DuncB]

If you can Randallise it and then you can play around with lots of options!

 

[Transamguy77]

Just get some cranberry juice and mix while drinking. I had a similar situation with a wit and I just added a few ounces of orange juice to the glass and filled with the wit, made it totally drinkable.

 

[Barbarossa]

I sometimes mix 2/3 white beer with 1/3 orange juice. Call it a poor man's mimosa. Working class mimosa is with bubbly wine. Real one is with champagne but who the hell would ruin champagne with juice...?

 

[Saunassa]

Wow sounds like a lot of options. I will have to test and evaluate them. Will be a hardship but someone has to do it.

 

[DuncB]

I've realised we all have such good ideas with it you should mail it out!

 

[Toxxyc]

I would dry hop it with a spicy hop, or something with a tropical fruit punch.

 

[Snuffy]

I would suggest adding an old friend, some snacks, and a Jimmy Buffet album.

 

[Saunassa]

You can add spices to the keg, if you're willing to accept the tradeoff of brief oxygen exposure. If you're not happy with your beer as it is, it might be worth it.

What would be a good recipe of spices to do this and is it put them in and let em ride or bag them and pull out after x amount of days?

 

[Beermeister32]

Drink it with food. When I get a batch that isn’t quite there, it usually washes down dinner just fine.

 

[VikeMan]

What would be a good recipe of spices to do this and is it put them in and let em ride or bag them and pull out after x amount of days?

What/how much spice(s) to use depends on what you want the beer to taste like. If you don't know, then maybe for your 2.5 gallon keg, try 0.3-0.4 oz of fresh ground Indian coriander. When I've dry-spiced in kegs, I've just added the spices to the keg "commando."

 

[BrewZer]

You could also add a dash of peach/your favorite flavor syrup to the glass before you pour.

 

[Albionwood]

Drink it with food. When I get a batch that isn’t quite there, it usually washes down dinner just fine.

A long time ago we would say "would be good with spicy food" to describe bad beers...

 

[FromZwolle]

A long time ago we would say "would be good with spicy food" to describe bad beers...

i call them 'cookin beers'. you use them for marinades, braising liquids, bbq sauce, etc.

 

[william_shakes_beer]

Drink it as-is to help you remember next time

 

[Saunassa]

Well after reading all of these I bought a bottle of straight cranberry juice and one of lemonade and will be trying the shandy route. Will use one of my wife's ss reusable tea pods to do a dunk of some coriander in a glass to get an idea of what it should taste like.
Albion's would be good with spicy food is a good idea too.

 

[grampamark]

Pour two fingers bourbon and gun it down in one big gulp. Wait half an hour. Your beer will taste great.

 

[Saunassa]

I tested a bit. One glass put 1/4 cranberry juice. Tasted between a tart and sour, not bad. Crushed a couple coriander seeds and added to another glass, lemon with a hint of pepper (?) Next I will try with lemonade. See if slightly sweeter will make a difference. Too much fun.