When to experiment with flavours?

[kenmc]

Hi I've just pitched a wheat beer a couple of days ago (twas a kit - Muntons Conniosseurs range), and am getting ready to bottle it (first time bottling - always gone to a pressure keg before). I have read about making some flavours into beer as well and was wondering if I could add something to some of the bottles to make that flavour in some of them, so I could have some plain ones and several different flavoured batches too.
Is it too late at the bottling stage?
What can I use for flavours? Is there a syrup I can add - eg Ribena/MiWadi concentrate?
How much do I need to use per 330 ml bottle?
Do I reduce the amount of priming sugar?
What flavours have you used in the past with wheat beer that worked out well.
Thanks for any advice.
Ken

 

[Mac from Manchester Wi.]

There are flavours in extract form. My fave with wheat is a couple pounds of honey in the boil and a 4oz. bottle of ID Carlson raspberry extract at bottling time. Yummy.

 

[homebrewer_99]

I've tried (foolish man ) almost all the flavors and have yet been satisfied with any of them. Sorry.

I really like wheat beer, but do not waste your $$$ on adding apricot or peach flavor to wheat. Both of them taste "soapy" even after extended aging. The raspberry flavoring was the best for wheat, but only at 6 oz (1.5 bottles).

Depending on the flavor (some are stronger than others) you may want to bottle half a batch and use 2-4 oz of flavoring in the second half. Depending on the flavor you want you may have to double your estimate or just go with whatever someone else suggests.

I've always found that most people don't take good enough notes, and especially adverse ones, on their recipes.

No, you don't add or reduce any of the priming sugar.

Good luck.

 

[user 574]

I'm not a fruity beer fan but I make a simple wheat that I add the 6oz apricot extract homebrewer_99 is referring to to the secondary and my wife loves it (thats a good thing). Others think its good as well. To each his own I guess but since I don't like fruit beers at all its hard for me to judge... Al I know is I have to make 1 out of 5 batches of this stuff...

I once made a similar wheat concoction with 1lb honey (boil) and berry (secondary) and its to gag for.

I was following a recipe on these and both were added at secondary. Perhaps this is the better approach than bottling it as it gets to settle in and ferment some of it away.. The apricot is faintly noticeable.