HellenicHomeBrewer
Well-Known Member
Well I'm looking to try to create a regional/ethnic beer of sorts. There is a popular spice Mastic used in Europe more specifically Greece and I was wondering how one would go about trying to incorporate it in a recipe.
The spice is called Mastic.
Snippet from the link:
Spice Description
Mastic is a resin, the hardened sap from a tree. It appears as pea-sized globules, known as tears. They are rounded, pear shaped, sometimes oblong, with a brittle, crystalline texture. The resin is semi-translucent, pastel yellow or faint green at its best, white mastic being inferior. Sometimes the resin is frosted with a whitish powder. There are two grades of mastic: the immaculate, first-class crystals ware called dahtilidopetres (flintstones) and the soft ones with spots which are called kantiles (blisters). Mastic may also be sold in congealed chunks called 'pitta'. Although well known in the Balkans and the Middle East, mastic is not widely available elsewhere.
Bouquet: slightly piney. Mastic does not have a powerful bouquet, but purifies the breath.
Flavour: a cedar taste.
Hotness Scale: 0
Any suggestions as to how to incorporate this in a recipe? Should I boil it? throw it in the secondary? Any base beer recipe that I should use to simplify the process?
Thoughts, suggestions? Please discuss..
The spice is called Mastic.
Snippet from the link:
Spice Description
Mastic is a resin, the hardened sap from a tree. It appears as pea-sized globules, known as tears. They are rounded, pear shaped, sometimes oblong, with a brittle, crystalline texture. The resin is semi-translucent, pastel yellow or faint green at its best, white mastic being inferior. Sometimes the resin is frosted with a whitish powder. There are two grades of mastic: the immaculate, first-class crystals ware called dahtilidopetres (flintstones) and the soft ones with spots which are called kantiles (blisters). Mastic may also be sold in congealed chunks called 'pitta'. Although well known in the Balkans and the Middle East, mastic is not widely available elsewhere.
Bouquet: slightly piney. Mastic does not have a powerful bouquet, but purifies the breath.
Flavour: a cedar taste.
Hotness Scale: 0
Any suggestions as to how to incorporate this in a recipe? Should I boil it? throw it in the secondary? Any base beer recipe that I should use to simplify the process?
Thoughts, suggestions? Please discuss..