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additives? whats safe? when to add it?
Hi
Im wondering about other flavoring additives... things like dried fruits etc. When does one typically add this stuff in the brewing process and what kinds of things are safe to add that won't ruin the fermentation process?
I was thinking that during the boil is good? or are there recommendations?
Most flavor additions are done in the secondary process. If differs with different things tho. When adding fruit, use fresh stuff. I'm not sure how much flavor you can get from dried. While your beer is fermenting its churning itself and CO2 gasses are escaping. A lot of flavors can get whisked away with the escaping gas. Thats why dry hoping or flavor additions are done after fermentation has taken place.
There are some things you would add at the tail end of your boil, such as honey, but someone more experience than me will have to explain why that is.
Dried fruit can be added at either flameout or into the secondary each has their own pros and cons.
Adding at flameout will ensure that the fruit will be sanitized due to the high temps as long as the temp is held above 180 for about 10 minutes. The con is that like e_mott09 said much of the aromatics will be lost during the fermentation. From the yeast breaking the flavors down and the CO2 capturing some of the aromatics on the way out.
If you add the fruit during the secondary you will need to figure some way to sanitize. Some people add the fruit to vodka and then after an hour or so add all the vodka and fruit mixture to the secondary. If you are adding fresh (or sometimes frozen) fruit you can put it in a small pot with some water on the stove and bring it up to about 180 for 10 minutes or so and then add that to the secondary. The pros are that you get alot more of the aromatics and a much more pronounced fruit flavor. Cons are that it's a pain in the A and you now have to get the fruit parts back out of the beer somehow.
So the answer is what are you looking for? Do you want a pale ale that has a touch of strawberry in the finish or do you want one that you can smell the strawberry from 3 feet away?
Hope I have helped
ID
Yes very helpful!
I have a better idea now about when and where to add any flavorings...
Ill try this on my next batch!
One thing I might add to this discussion. It sounds like you're just starting in the wonderful world of brewing, and congradulations on taking that step! But in being a felow newbie to beer brewing, I'd say if you're just trying new recipes, go with the initial recipe first, see how it comes out, and consider using an additive on the next go-round, depending on how you liked it and what you think you'd do diferently.
Most people who work in brew stores like to talk brewing, so bring a bottle of your stuff in with you (they like free beer too) and let them have a sip, then tell them what you'd like to change about it and they may have some good ideas.
The reason I say wait till your second time brewing the same recipe to start in with additives, is there are dozens of factors that contribute to the flavor of the beer (hops [many kinds], malts [many kinds], yeasts [many kinds], and then additives [unlimited]). For example, Hefeweizen tends to have a fruity, citrus-ey taste to it, but it is probably not brewed with any lemon or orange peels, that fruity flavor comes from the hefeweizen yeast, which will trick your taste buds into thinking that there was lemon in the brew. One yeast to the next can have verry diferent effects on the flavor, it's not like the old days where everyone used bakers yeast.
Just a thought, but I'm impressed with your jumping in the deep end of the pool right away; just remember, if you add too much stuff to your first batch, it's harder to tell what made it taste bad if you don't like it. If you start small/simple, you can add things one at a time to find out what works for your taste, just like cooking (throw too many spices in the pot and it could taste like crap, but you don't know which spice made it go overboard)
Cheers and good luck!
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