In the early and mid-1970s there was a distinct reason why Americans became interested in brewing their own beer. Virtually all the beer that was available was a typically light-flavored American-style adjunct lager. Heineken, Becks and the occasional Guinness Stout were the hard-to-find alternatives. Homebrewers were primarily interested in fuller-flavored all-malt beers. If you wanted one, you had to make it.
The hobby has changed dramatically since 1974. Hobbyists have become more diverse in the interest of creating an unending variety of beers. As homebrewers have continued to acquire knowledge through reading and experience, they have developed a great deal of respect for the brewing process. Who would have guessed in the mid-1970s that there would be significant numbers of homebrewers who respect the character of light-flavored adjunct beers? Curiously, commercial brewers of those light-flavored adjunct beers have also developed a great deal of respect for fuller-flavored all-malt beers.
With a greater understanding of the brewing process and with the availability of quality lager yeasts, the skilled homebrewer can brew quality light adjunct beers. Grain adjuncts contribute some distinctive and positive characters to beer. They are worth experimenting with for producing very traditional American light lager-style beers or to see what unusual contributions they make to typically fuller-flavored ales and lagers. Finally there are unusual reasons to use cereal grains other than barley in brewing beer, such as duplicating indigenous beers from other parts of the world or substituting other grains in order to circumvent allergic reactions to specific grains.
A thorough discussion regarding the processing and use of unmalted grains in beer is available in The New Complete Joy of Home Brewing. Formulating recipes with unmalted grains can be done more easily with the additional information supplied in the table on Malt.
Buckwheat, amaranth and quinoa are unique among common cereal grains in that they are not of the grass family. Persons with allergic reactions to grass cereals may find that alternative beers may be brewed from these grains. Another potential alternative for persons with allergies to cereal grains is “heirloom wheats” called spelt (also known as dinkel, triticum astivum spelta) or kamut (triticum polonicum). Spelt and kamut are ancient wheats that have not been hybridized. A significant percentage of persons normally allergic to wheat-based foods could use spelt as an alternative. Spelt may be malted just as any other wheat and subsequently used as the basis for beer. Spelt is about 30 percent higher in protein than modern wheat. Kamut is higher in lipids. (See recipe and procedures Beer Recipes.) Consult your physician before experimenting.
FERMENTABLE GRAIN ADJUNCTS EXTRACT TABLE
Extract Potential 1 lb. in 1 gal.
Adjunct: Barley, raw or flaked
Total Protein: 13%
Percent Yield: 65–74
Degrees Balling: 7.5
Specific Gravity: 30–34
Character: High in haze-producing protein. Soluble protein is about a third that of malted barley. Protein rest in mash recommended for lighter beers. Helps head retention.
Adjunct: Corn/maize, grits
Total Protein: 9–12%
Percent Yield: 80
Degrees Balling: 9.3
Specific Gravity: 37
Character: Very low soluble protein content. Grainy cornlike flavor.
Adjunct: Corn/maize, flaked
Total Protein: 9–12%
Percent Yield: 84
Degrees Balling: 9.8
Specific Gravity: 39
Character: Very soluble low protein. Pleasant mildly cornlike flavor.
Adjunct: Wheat, raw or flaked
Total Protein: 13–15%
Percent Yield: 77
Degrees Balling: 9.0
Specific Gravity: 36
Character: No husk, therefore no contribution as husk astringency. Foam-promoting proteins available. Protein rest recommended.
Adjunct: Rice, raw or flaked
Total Protein: 9%
Percent Yield: 82
Degrees Balling: 9.5
Specific Gravity: 38
Character: Very low protein. Neutral flavor.
Adjunct: Millet/sorghum, raw
Total Protein: 8–11%
Percent Yield: 80
Degrees Balling: 9.3
Specific Gravity: 37
Character: Very low soluble protein.
Adjunct: Rye. raw or flaked
Total Protein: 11.3%
Percent Yield: 77
Degrees Balling: 9.0
Specific Gravity: 36
Character: Small contribution to robust flavor. Finished crisp, clean. Protein rest recommended.
Adjunct: Oats, raw or flaked
Total Protein: 9%
Percent Yield: 70
Degrees Balling: 8.1
Specific Gravity: 33
Character: Adds fullness to mouth feel. Promotes good head retention. Protein rest recommended.
Tef, Dinkel (Spelt), Kamut, buckwheat, amaranth and quinoa are other grains worth considering as brewing adjuncts, but brewing-related data are not available, and little is known regarding their contribution to beer character.
Malting Your Own Grains: A Basic Procedure for Survival
Malt is simply a grain that has been allowed to germinate and then has been dried. The process degrades proteins into more desirable types of proteins and develops starch-to-sugar converting enzymes, soluble starch and some sugar.
When malting individual varieties of grain, some experimentation will be necessary to approach optimal results. But adhering to these basic procedures will allow you to brew the simplest beers next time you find yourself on an extended sojourn to a remote village in the Himalayas, the Andes, the African bush or an island without beer.
Clean the grain by rinsing and soaking in water, removing the chaff and other material that floats to the surface. Soak the grains in five to seven changes of water over a period of 30 to 40 hours or until the grains take on 40 to 45 percent moisture. (They’ll weigh 40 percent more than dry weight.) Germinate in a relatively cool area (ideally at 55 to 65 degrees F [13 to 18 degrees C]) until the growing acrospire is about three-quarters or equal to the full length of the grain. (Ideal length will vary with different types of grain.) You will need to mix the germinating grains and rinse them with fresh water to prevent molding. This process generally will take two to six days.
Dry the malt by any means you have available—dry roof in the sun, low-temperature oven. Of particular convenience for brewers at home is a clothes dryer. Tie the malt into a large pillowcase or sack, set the heat on delicates or permanent press and tumble dry. The ideal temperature for your basic pale lager barley malt is about 122 degrees F (50 degrees C) and upward to 221 degrees F (105 degrees C) for more strongly-flavored malts. Good luck and may we share a brew in Leh someday.
OTHER FERMENTABLE ADJUNCTS EXTRACT TABLE
Extract Potential 1 lb. in 1 gal. total volume
Adjunct: Cane sugar
Percent Yield: 100
Degrees Balling: 11.5
Specific Gravity: 46
Character: Lightens flavor and body when substituted for malt. Can contribute to apple- or ciderlike character, especially when not cold-fermented.
Adjunct: Belgian candy sugar
Percent Yield: 100
Degrees Balling: 11.5
Specific Gravity: 36
Character: Lightens flavor and body. Will contribute to ciderlike character in lighter beers. Usually used in full-flavored ales to lighten or enhance character and drinkability.
Adjunct: Corn sugar, dextrose
Percent Yield: 80
Degrees Balling: 9.2
Specific Gravity: 37
Character: Approximately 20% of weight tied up as water molecules.
Adjunct: Honey
Percent Yield: 65–75
Degrees Balling: 7.6–8.8
Specific Gravity: 30–35
Character: Approximately 25% to 35% of weight tied up as water. Nearly 100 percent fermentable. Can Iighten flavor and body when substituted for malt.
Adjunct: Maple sap
Percent Yield: 2–3
Degrees Balling: 0.2
Specific Gravity: 1.009
Character: Sap is 1.009 ± .003 (0.2 ± .05 B). pH 6.8, hardness 250 ppm.1
Adjunct: Maple syrup
Percent Yield: 65
Degrees Balling: 7.5
Specific Gravity: 30
Character: Will vary with type.
Adjunct: Corn syrup
Percent Yield: —
Degrees Balling: —
Specific Gravity: —
Character: Extract varies considerably depending on type. Avoid those with preservatives.
Adjunct: Molasses
Percent Yield: 77
Degrees Balling: 9
Specific Gravity: 1.036
Character: Can contribute strong butterlike and winelike flavors if added in excess. One cup or ½ pound per 5 gallons noticeably affects character.
Adjunct: Rice extract
Percent Yield: 73
Degrees Balling: 8.5
Specific Gravity: 1.034
Character: Excellent adjunct to lighten flavor of extract beers. Neutral in flavor.
Recipes in this book using adjuncts:
Honey
Belgian Tickle (Honey Ale): Beer Recipes
The Horse You Rode in On: Beer Recipes
Corn
Dutch Swing-top Lager: Beer Recipes
Wheat
Barrel of Monkeys Wheat-Oatmeal Nut Stout: Beer Recipes
Turtles’ Wheat Beer: Beer Recipes
Oats
Barrel of Monkeys Wheat-Oatmeal Nut Stout: Beer Recipes
Rice
St. Louis Golden Lager: Beer Recipes
Rice Extract
Shikata Ga Nai: Beer Recipes
Rye
Rye Not?: Beer Recipes
Maple Sap
Acermead: Beer Recipes
FRUITS, HERBS, SPICES, ROOTS AND THE GALAXY
Fruit. Fruit in beer? Originally discussed in The New Complete Joy of Home Brewing as perhaps an oddity, fruit remains an unusual ingredient in beer, but is no longer considered an oddity. Wonderfully refreshing beers can be brewed with the addition of fruit, its juice or extract.
Generally speaking, the intent of adding fruit to beer is to have its flavor evident in the beer character. Fruit flavors are usually enhanced in beer when the bitterness levels are kept very low and are accompanied by a degree of residual sweetness and body. Fruits have their own natural sugars. We are most accustomed to fruit flavors with the support of sweetness. Without some sweetness, the fruit flavor is not familiar to most people and, as such, is usually not preferred.
The addition of crystal and dextrinous malts will contribute sweetness and body. High-gravity brews or high-temperature mashes will also elevate sweetness and body.
Let your own preference be your guide. If you disagree with the preceding, hey, no problemo. That’s why you’re a homebrewer—to brew the kind of beer you prefer.
Boiling fruit will set pectins and result in a pectin haze that is sometimes slow in clearing. One method of preparing fruit as an ingredient for beer is to pasteurize it at about 140 degrees F (60 degrees C) for 20 to 30 minutes. This can easily be accomplished by turning the heat off and adding the crushed fruit to boiled wort from which the majority of hops have been removed by scooping with a strainer. Pasteurizing fruit helps assure the brewer that most wild yeasts and other uninvited microorganisms will not reach the fermenter alive. Usually some microorganisms survive, but with the introduction of a healthy yeast culture, their influence is minimal. They are often evident as a light film on the surface of bottled beer and are relatively harmless.
Heating and then fermenting the fruit during primary fermentation will drive off some of the more delicate fruit flavors and aromas. (Caution: if you are using glass carboys as fermenters, the total volume of wort should not exceed 75 percent of fermenter capacity.) Heat reduces some flavors, and carbon dioxide gas “scrubs” or “bubbles” desirable fruit volatiles out of the wort.
An option that works well with relatively clean fruit, juice, wine concentrates and naturally made concentrated extract is to add the crushed fruit or juice (in whatever form) to the secondary stage of fermentation. You will inevitably be introducing some bacteria and wild yeast if using fresh or frozen fruit, but they will be greatly inhibited at this stage by the influence of alcohol, low pH and hops. Brewers using this method who are able to relax and not worry will find a greater degree of desired fruit character in the finished beer. As an option you may add the crushed fruit to a small amount of water and pasteurize the mush at 140 degrees F (60 degrees C) for 15 to 20 minutes to minimize contamination before adding the fruit to the secondary. After the addition, fermentation will become active once more. The fruit will become impregnated with carbon dioxide and float to the surface, where most of it will stay. The skilled homebrewer-siphoner extraordinaire will be able to siphon mostly beer from just below the floating fruit while transferring it to another vessel for further storage, lagering or bottling. About one week in contact with the fruit is adequate. Certainly don’t worry.
The skins of dark fruits will add color to the beer. Juice alone does not affect color as much. More often than not, edible fruit skin will have a good deal of tannin, which can contribute an astringency if left in contact with the beer too long. The astringency will decrease with age.
When using fruits whose skins will make only a minimal contribution to color, removing the skin of the fruit will be to your advantage. Unbruised fruit is almost sterile under the skin. The skins from such fruits as apricots and peaches are very easily slipped off if the fruit is immersed in boiling water for 15 to 30 seconds. It can be frozen in unused freezer bags or used immediately.
Fresh fruits usually must be crushed or mashed before adding to the ferment. Thawed frozen fruit will not require mashing because the action of freezing and thawing has already ruptured the skin, allowing the juices to flow out and the yeast to get in.
Related Recipes: The Horse You Rode in On Apricot-Coriander Ale (see Beer Recipes), Unspoken Passion Raspberry Imperial Stout (see Beer Recipes), Ruby Hooker Red Raspberry Mead (see Beer Recipes), Prickly Pear Cactus Fruit Mead (see Beer Recipes) and Waialeale Chablis Mead (see Beer Recipes).
Vegetables. While beers made with vegetable adjuncts are not quite as popular, there is certainly one worth mentioning because of its place in American history. The pumpkin was used by early settlers as a base for “beer” when other more typical ingredients were not available. The pumpkin beer recipe in this book is a wonderfully palateful brew that deserves serious consideration.
Related Recipe: Cucurbito Pepo (Pumpkin Ale) (see Beer Recipes).
Herbs, Spices and Roots. This list could go on forever. There are several popular herbs and spices discussed in The New Complete Joy of Homebrewing. Whenever possible, use fresh or freshly ground dried whole herbs, spices and roots. Preground herbs, spices and roots should only be considered as a very last resort; the difference is quite significant.
Freshly ground with a mortar and pestle, coffee grinder or blender, these ingredients can be added during the boil, to the secondary fermenter or at bottling time. Just as with fruit, some of the more delicate volatiles of herbs and spices are lost if boiled or heated too long. This will vary with each type of spice. An effective way to enhance beer with spices is to add half during the final 5 to 10 minutes of boiling (or steep) and half to the secondary. But it is very difficult to generalize as the optimum method of extraction for each herb essence is different.
If you wish to experiment and are not quite sure what effect a new idea will have on your beer, don’t sacrifice an entire batch of beer. Teas can be made by boiling water and allowing the herbs to steep. Dose a glass of beer that you happen to be enjoying and see how the flavor will influence the beer. Remember the flavor of the herbs in water will not be similar to the flavor of herbs added to beer. This is an important point to keep in mind. You can add a desired amount of cooled (but not reaerated) herbal tea (concentrated teas are recommended) to a portion of beer you wish to bottle with that flavor. This is the cautious method and allows some reassurance on your part that everything will be okay. We know it would anyway, but what the hey.
Here are a few new ideas that warrant consideration.
Cardamom Seed. A unique and strongly aromatic herb often used in East Indian cooking and tea. Bought as a dried pod with dark seeds or as podless seeds. The preground seed has a different character, possibly attributable to age and oxidation. A half teaspoon (2 g.) of podless seed boiled in wort for the entire boil will contribute a very subtle flavor to a 5-gallon batch of beer. The subtle flavor is reminiscent of the character of Pepsi-Cola. Two grams (½ tsp.) freshly crushed and added to the secondary fermentation will contribute a strong aromatic character to the beer.
Coriander Seed. This flowery and aromatic spice is commonly used in certain styles of Belgian ale. The coriander plant is also known as cilantro or Chinese parsley and is used in Oriental and Latin American cooking. The flavor of the seed is very different from the root and plants. Obtain whole seeds and crush them as you need them. Add 1 to 2 ounces (28 to 57 g.) of the freshly crushed seed to the final 10 minutes of the wort boil for a 5-gallon (19 1.) recipe. This will create an assertive and distinctive flavor and aroma. An additional ½ ounce (14.2 g.) added to the secondary stage of fermentation, allowed to steep for at least one week, will have an equally intense but more delicate effect. Hop bitterness of medium to low intensities are recommended for coriander beers.
Related Recipes: “You’ll See” Coriander Amber Ale (see Beer Recipes) and The Horse You Rode in On Apricot-Coriander Ale (see Beer Recipes).
Cubeb Berries. Like small peppercorns with stems in appearance, these berries contribute an unusual eucalyptuslike character to brews in the smallest of doses. One gram in 5 gallons crushed and added to the secondary fermentation will do nicely.
Ginseng. You’ve got to enjoy the flavor of this as a tea if you are going to consider it for your brew. The very expensive root can be made into a tea, or extract can be used. Ginseng has a bitter character, so it may be wise to reduce the hop level and increase the sweetness of the beer by using caramel or crystal malts. Consider combining it with other things such as ginger root. The combination may prove to be synergistic.
Star Anise. About the size of an American quarter, these attractive seed pods contribute a licoricelike character to beer. Two to 3 ounces (57 to 85 g.) of whole pods and seeds can be added to the wort for at least a 30-minute boil. The pods are woody in nature, so a longer boiling time is required to extract their essence. The licoricelike aroma is intense in the wort, but mellows out in the character of the final beer. Crystal or caramel malts added for sweetness will positively balance the flavor of star anise. For more subtle character ½ to 1 ounce (14.2 to 28.4 g.) is recommended. Do not grind.
Related Recipe: Tim’s Topple Over Anisethetic Brown Ale (see Beer Recipes).
Szechuan Peppercorns. These are NOT the same as Szechuan chile peppers. These peppercorns are a combination of pods and seeds that have an extremely unusual mouth-numbing menthol-like hotness. They are available at Oriental food supply specialty stores. A half ounce to 2 ounces (14.2 to 57 g.) of freshly ground Szechuan peppercorn will absolutely create conversation and some converts at your next beer tasting.
Related Recipe: Love’s Vision—Honey and Pepper Mead (see Beer Recipes).
Smoked Malt. Unusual enough to include in this section. Smoked flavor in beer can be a wonderful complement if you don’t overdo it and you enjoy smoked foods. If smoked malt is not easily purchased, it is a relatively simple matter to make your own. You will need to add the homemade smoked malt to the recipe formulations in amounts of 10 to 15 percent of the total fermentables.
You will need a kettle-type barbecue grill (such as a Weber) and a clean brass screen to fit over the grill. Soak whole pale malted barley in cool water for five minutes. Start a fire with a small amount of charcoal briquettes and burn all of the grease from the grill. Clean with a wire brush. Place apple, maple, hickory, alder, peer, cherry, mesquite or other desirable smoking wood on the hot charcoal. Replace the grill. Lay the screen atop the grill and spread the grain over the screen. Cover securely with the lid and open vents to allow maximum smoking. Inspect every 5 to 10 minutes and stir frequently. Remove grains when dried. A cooler fire will prevent darkening of the malt. This is a hot-smoke method of smoking grains. A cool smoke method uses cool smoke in contact with malt in a chamber somewhat removed from the heat of the fire.
Low bitterness levels and high malty character are recommended for beers brewed with smoke-flavored grains. Full-bodied malty porters and Oktoberfest styles work exceptionally well.
Related Recipe: Curly Whisper Rauchbier (see Beer Recipes).
Artificial Sweeteners? Personally my advice would be to forget it. Aspartame, sorbitol and saccharine contribute the peculiar character and aftertaste of artificial sweeteners to beer as well as soft drinks. Furthermore, some concoctions made from these artificial sweeteners such as Equal (contains Nutrasweet [which is aspartame] and dextrose, among other things) are fermentable. I’ve tasted beer brewed with artificial sweetener. The brewer loved it and so did others, but count me out.