Flavor extracts
From Home Brewing Wiki
Just about every flavor has found its way into homebrew at one time or another, from fruits and vegetables to chicken and oysters. Some of these flavors arrive the old-fashioned way; by adding the ingredient to the boil or the fermenter to extract the flavor. Some flavors arrive via a shortcut: a pre-prepared flavor extract. Unlike malt extract, which provides a concentrated dose of fermentable sugars, flavoring extracts are generally designed to provide flavor in beer without significantly affecting the fermentation. They usually consist of a concentrated set of aromatic chemicals in an alcohol solution.
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[edit] Using Flavor Extracts
Because flavor extracts are generally not fermentable, they can be added at almost any point in the brewing process. This means that they can be added just before bottling or kegging, allowing the brewer to experiment with different flavors or different levels of flavor in the same batch.
[edit] Types of Flavor Extracts
While almost any flavor can be produced in extract form, fruits, nuts, and spices are the most commonly used extracts in home brewing. While the following are general hints, remember that individual flavors and extracts from different manufacturers can vary widely.
[edit] Fruit Extracts
Fruit extracts are widely available; some of them work better than the actual fruit, and some are less successful. When brewing a fruit beer, remember that you cannot simply replace the fruit in a recipe with extract and expect the same result, since the fruit will add fermentable sugars, yeast nutrients, and other flavor-affecting elements to the beer as well. Fruit also contains pectins which will change the mouthfeel and appearance of the beer; whether this is a benefit or a drawback depends on your brewing goals.
[edit] Nut Extracts
Nuts are one of the most difficult ingredients to brew with, as they contain a large amount of fat that can affect a beer's stability and head retention; their flavors can also be more difficult to get into the finished beer without crushing or other means. For this reason, most nut-flavored beers are made with flavor extracts rather than whole nutmeats.
[edit] Spice Extracts
Most spices can be easily added to beer in the form of whole crushed spices; this almost always gives the best flavor. However, there are some advantages to using extracts where they are available: extracts are more shelf-stable than spices and have less risk of contaminating the beer, since they are alcohol-based.
Some homebrewers solve the second problem by creating their own "extracts," soaking the spices in a small amount of vodka or other high-proof alcohol before adding them to the beer. This helps extract flavor and sanitize the spices at the same time. Be sure to add the alcohol to the beer as well, since a significant amount of flavor will have leached into it.
[edit] Wood and Smoke Extracts
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[edit] Hop Extracts
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[edit] Extract Chart and Suggested Uses
The following chart lists some commercially available flavor extracts, along with tips for using them in brewing.
| Flavor | Notes |
|---|---|
| Fruit Extracts | |
| Apricot | |
| Blackberry | |
| Cherry | Cherry is a commonly sought flavor in beer, especially dark, high-alcohol beers, but cherry extract does not work as well as many other fruit extracts. Unlike beer brewed with actual fruit, cherry beers almost always end up with a distinct cough-medicine flavor. |
| Cranberry | |
| Raspberry | |
| Herb and Spice Extracts | |
| Ginger | It will do in a pinch, but doesn't pack the punch of freshly grated ginger. |
| Nut Extracts | |
| Hazelnut | The well-integrated hazelnut flavor of Rogue Hazelnut Brown Nectar, also known as Rogue Morimoto Hazelnut Ale, derives from hazelnut extract. |
| Wood and Smoke Extracts | |
| Oak | Easier to deal with than oak chips, oak extract can be used to add predictable amounts of oak flavor to beer at bottling time. |
| Smoke | It may be tempting to use Liquid Smoke or another smoke extract in Smoked beer styles, but the result is almost always unsatisfying and artificial except in very small amounts. |
| Spruce | Adds the flavor and smell of fresh spruce needles, needed in some historical recreation beers. However it is added, the flavor of spruce can be overpowering; use sparingly. |
