adding extracts at bottling question

[gerryhz]

Im going to brew a milk chocolate hazelnut stout and want to add hazelnut extract at bottling. How do I do this? Should I add the extract to the fermentor on bottling day before or after the priming sugar?

 

[prandlesc]

It doesn't matter if it's before or after if you know exactly how much to add. But if you're not sure, you should add it before so that you can taste it unsweetened. Be careful no to add too much. You should pull some (four) two ounce samples and add different amounts to each sample - 4 drops to sample #1, 8 drops to #2, etc.. Taste each sample (and have a friend taste them too) and determine the right flavor. Calculate the amount of flavoring to add based on the number of drops added (a little google research is in order to determine the number of drops per ounce), and scale to your batch size. Remember, you can add more flavoring - but you can't take it back out.

Cheers.

 

[gerryhz]

good pointers. Thanks!

 

[MindenMan]

30 drops per mL, 30 mL per ounce, therefore 900 drops per ounce. These are pharmacy measures so YMMV. Or 1 tsp = 5 mL or 150 drops if that helps.
The above poster recommends extract first, sweetener after. I suggest you sweeten your samples first, as any type of sweetener will usually intensify the flavor of additives. In my experience, and I still have no explanation as to why, every flavor I have added to a beer seems to intensify as time goes on whether it was a fruit or chocolate beer. When I get to "almost there" flavor wise, I stop adding any more adjunct. My first apricot ale tasted pretty nice on bottling day, but after a while it was better as a shandy...

 

[TexanRudeboy]

30 drops per mL, 30 mL per ounce, therefore 900 drops per ounce. These are pharmacy measures so YMMV. Or 1 tsp = 5 mL or 150 drops if that helps. The above poster recommends extract first, sweetener after. I suggest you sweeten your samples first, as any type of sweetener will usually intensify the flavor of additives. In my experience, and I still have no explanation as to why, every flavor I have added to a beer seems to intensify as time goes on whether it was a fruit or chocolate beer. When I get to "almost there" flavor wise, I stop adding any more adjunct. My first apricot ale tasted pretty nice on bottling day, but after a while it was better as a shandy...

Priming sugar isn't a sweetener. It should be fermented out by the yeast to carb your beer and shouldn't add any residual sweetness.

 

[MindenMan]

gerryhz, I somehow missed you were talking about priming sugar, not "back sweetening". I was wrong, my apologies.
I do agree with prandlesc about adding the flavoring w/o the priming sugar. Are you going to back sweeten at all? If so, what would you use?

 

[trogdor447]

Agree with the sample and adding drops - that is pretty much what I did at bottling time for my chocolate stout. Although the chocolate is not AS intense as I'd like the entire bottle of extract went in

 

[prandlesc]

30 drops per mL, 30 mL per ounce, therefore 900 drops per ounce. These are pharmacy measures so YMMV. Or 1 tsp = 5 mL or 150 drops if that helps.

There are a variety of measurements in calculating of drops per ounce - I've found that if I use 550 drops per ounce, the flavor of the large quantity is close to the flavor of the sample. I think you may have skewed results if you use 900.

 

[jrc64]

Im going to brew a milk chocolate hazelnut stout and want to add hazelnut extract at bottling. How do I do this? Should I add the extract to the fermentor on bottling day before or after the priming sugar?

I'd add the extract to bottling bucket or keg. Rememeber, there is no hard and fast rule when it comes to measurements of extracts as each extract brand will vary in strengh. No two are the same. What I do is pull one 8 oz sample and then add one drop at a time, tasting after each drop. Once I find the right flavor and aromoa, I scale it up for the size of my batch. Usually, I go a few drops less than I calculate just to be sure no to overdo it.

I do this with each different extract I use for the first time to determine it's strength. Then I keep good notes on each for future use.

Cheers!

 

[prandlesc]

I'd add the extract to bottling bucket or keg. Remember, there is no hard and fast rule when it comes to measurements of extracts as each extract brand will vary in strength. No two are the same. What I do is pull one 8 oz sample and then add one drop at a time, tasting after each drop. Once I find the right flavor and aroma, I scale it up for the size of my batch. Usually, I go a few drops less than I calculate just to be sure no to overdo it.

I do this with each different extract I use for the first time to determine it's strength. Then I keep good notes on each for future use.

Cheers!

+1 - good to think about different brands and their strengths