Good "Extra Flavors" for beers

Okay this is my very 1st post, and I am still COMPLETELY new to home brewing. I haven't even purchased my equipment yet. I wanted to join a forum and research first.
I have a friend who brews beer and he said he added dandelion into his beer. My question is what kind of things can you add into beer? are you limited to strictly plants? or can you go crazy?

i appreciate any information!
thank you!!!

Almost anything, so long as it won't spoil or rancidify.

If you can think of it, chances are somebody on this forum tried putting it in beer.

dzlater said:

If you can think of it, chances are somebody on this forum tried putting it in beer.

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Of course tried isn't the same as succeeded. I would caution the OP about "going crazy."

What you don't like watermelon,carrot, parsnip, pumpernikle ,bourbon barrel, espresso, mango, chipotle, bacon, pale ale?

mmmmm... bacon...

so bacon can actually be used? lol

drinkmybeeryo said:

so bacon can actually be used? lol

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Isn't everything better with bacon???

There was an episode of DDD that featured a place that had bacon flavored whiskey... I don't recall all of what they did, but I remember something about putting the bacon drippings into the whiskey, letting it blend, then freezing it, so they could get the fat out, then putting a [cooked] slice of bacon into it...

Might try that with something in the future... Maybe once I have a fermentation chamber so that I can chill it down low enough (post fermentation) to leave the fat part behind, and bottle it up... Put a small piece of cooked bacon in each bottle for an extra layer of flavor....

mmmmmm bacon....

drinkmybeeryo said:

so bacon can actually be used? lol

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Hickory Smoking malt

Actually using bacon

I don't think any sort of meat product should be used.
Anything that will go rancid will not only smell bad, but probably make you sick too.

The way I see it, if I wouldn't put it in my compost bin, I wouldn't put it in my beer....

You can put Oysters in beer. Oyster Stout is a traditional style.

McGarnigle said:

You can put Oysters in beer. Oyster Stout is a traditional style.

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I just threw up in my mouth on that one...

I don't like (one bit) oysters either raw or cooked...

Now bacon, that's something I can grab onto... :rockin:

If someone doesn't try it, we'll never know if it's any good or not...

BTW, using smoked bacon would be the way to go... I wouldn't use bacon that's only cured... Besides, smoked bacon has more flavor to it...

I do like the sound of the linked to Oatmeal, Coffee, Chocolate, Bacon Stout... Already got it into Beer Smith and am playing around with the grain bill a bit... Going with more roasted barley, changing the caramel malt, etc...

I'm a huge beer lover, but not one for "flavors" in my beer. No coriander for me, thanks.

But if you love something, you can definitely use it. A couple of points- oily things don't go well in beer. Like nuts- they get an "oily sheen" floating on top of the beer. Peanut butter is the same way. But you can buy powdered peanut butter. Coccoa nibs work, but hershey bars do not.

Some spices are good in some beers- pumpkin beers for example. Some beers have a "black pepper" flavor to them that is nice, although that usually comes from the yeast strain and not real black pepper. Hot peppers (chiles, jalapenos) can be used for adding some heat.

Going crazy is ok, if you have a very large budget and don't mind expensive mistakes. I had a friend who through all kinds of **** in her beer- candi sugar, molasses, spices, and she loved her beers. I thought they were weird and sucked. But if YOU like your beer, that's all that matters.

Yooper said:

But if YOU like your beer, that's all that matters.

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I think that sums it up right there...

Personally, I'm working with more traditional ingredients to get great tasting beer... I will add other flavors into batches of mead though... Things that I think will go well in the base product.

For beers, I'm sticking with grains and just a few other elements. Vanilla beans for one, or oak (a rather traditional element). Honey and honey malt are a couple more elements. Still, nothing insane, or to make people ask what the F is in it...

I would advise using small amounts of any extra flavor element you plan to introduce. It's far easier to add a bit more, slowly, than to age it out if you use too much from the start. A lesson I also learned when I used a bit too much bourbon in a brew... Soaked a vanilla bean in 2oz, then used another ~4oz to rinse the jar it was in... Even in a 5 gallon batch, you can really taste it. Much more than I had desired. Will have to see how it ages...

Golddiggie said:

If someone doesn't try it, we'll never know if it's any good or not...

BTW, using smoked bacon would be the way to go... I wouldn't use bacon that's only cured... Besides, smoked bacon has more flavor to it...

I do like the sound of the linked to Oatmeal, Coffee, Chocolate, Bacon Stout... Already got it into Beer Smith and am playing around with the grain bill a bit... Going with more roasted barley, changing the caramel malt, etc...

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Maybe put that smoked bacon in the ol' bbq pit with some hard wood on the coals? Mo' smoke,mo' betta! Add some chocolate malts,cocoa nibs,Maybe whole cracked bbq rub style spices?

unionrdr said:

Maybe put that smoked bacon in the ol' bbq pit with some hard wood on the coals? Mo' smoke,mo' betta! Add some chocolate malts,cocoa nibs,Maybe whole cracked bbq rub style spices?

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Now you're just being nuts... Or did you want to 'tea bag' your brew too? Dry hump style?

Watch brewmasters, they go crazy.

I think that a penut butter beer would be excellent. Just the thought of the taste makes my palates water

My mom is from Germany, a while ago I told her people put fruit in beer.
She gave me a look of disgust and and responded, " Then it's not beer "