Kaffir Lime Leaves

[GrafVonJon]

Thinking of doing one last batch of summer, session ale before starting on the porters and stouts over winter.

Was thinking of adding kaffir lime leaves at the end of the boil this time. Picked some up from an Indian shop in town. They smell amazing, even through the sealed bag they're in!
They're in the freezer at the moment until I find time to brew later in the week.

Anyone done this? How much did you add? They smell strong so don't wanna overpower the beer, just add some nice notes to the flavour.
Was thinking 2-3 in 2.5 gallons?

[bconnery]

I have used them in a wheat beer a while back. I think I used about 5. The didn't overpower but I also had some other flavours in there and I wanted them to come through quite a bit.
I use 2-3 in a thai curry easy without them being the dominant flavour so you could even go a little more.

Can't hurt to start at that level if you want though...

[dave-o]

Natural flavours always seem to get lost in the fermenting process, so i would put a lot of these in if you want the flavour to come through.

I put a huge amount of lemongrass in my latest witbier and the lemongrass flavour is only just there.

[CJBrew]

Use much more than you think you need, otherwise you are likely to only notice the flavour on racking/bottling and never again

I think they could work nicely though, might give it a try myself. I would consider adding them after the fermentation has died down, probably as a tea.

[GrafVonJon]

Thanks for the replies,

It's been suggested that they get added to the end of the boil, or steeped after the boil (as you would finishing hops I guess). But, seeing as I've never been able to taste the elderflower or coriander I've used in other brews, I might try CJBrew's suggestion and add them after fermentation has died down.

I'm bottling what's in the FV tomorrow so I'll start the new batch on Thursday... I'll let you know how it turns out in a month or so. Should have a nice refreshing summer ale just in time for.... er, winter