Unit 2: Adjuncts Flashcards
What’s the definition of an ‘adjunct’ in brewing?
Any source of fermentable sugars added to the mash that do not come from malted grains.
*note, pure flavor additions like ground coffee are called ‘additives’.
Are adjuncts used to provide complex or unique flavors to the beer?
Not usually. Unless adjunct grains have been kilned or roasted, there will be very little flavor contribution.
An exception would be roasted, but unmalted barley.
What are the main groups of adjuncts?
1) Unmalted grains, such as barley, wheat, rice, corn, oats, sorghum (millet), buckwheat, quinoa, etc.
2) Fermentable Sugars, such as corn sugar, table sugar, and sugar-rich substances, such as honey, agave, and molasses. The sugars add nothing but alcohol and carbon dioxide to the beer, adding no flavor or body. The sugar-rich substances contain compounds that can add flavor.
3) Non-fermentable sugars, such as lactose. Sugars that can not be digested by yeast will remain as a source of sweetness after fermentation.
What are the main reasons to use adjuncts?
1) With unmalted, unroasted grains: to REDUCE MALT FLAVOR compared to other beers of a similar ABV.
2) With fermentable sugars: to reduce OVERALL BODY AND MOUTHFEEL
3) With non-fermentable sugars: To increase the final SWEETNESS
4) Adjuncts contribute far less PROTEIN to beer, which can help with BEER CLARITY
Although adjunct grains aren’t going to be malted, and the sugars are intended to be fermented, they do need to be prepared before adding to the mash. What types of preparation can they receive?
Normal mash temperatures aren’t high enough to gelatinize the starches. Ways to deal with this include:
1) Cooking - This involves taking each adjunct up to temperatures where gelatinization does occur, often to boiling, and then adding to the mash
2) Flaking - flakes are liquified by steam and run between steam heated rollers. These flakes do not need to be milled as part of the grist
3) Torrification - these puffs must be milled with the rest of the grist
What adjuncts are Irish Stouts known to use:
1) Flaked barley at around 10% of the grist;
2) Roasted Barley at around 7% of the grist
The key ingredient in a classic Irish Stout is Roasted Barley. Roast Barley gives Irish Stout its classic dry coffee-like flavor, deep dark color, and white foamy head. Unlike other dark malts, Roast Barley is made from unmalted barley grain that is roasted at high temperature and lightly sprayed with water to prevent it from burning. Roast Barley is intensely dark, around 500-550 L, but amazingly, the unmalted barley produces a white head on the beer instead of the darker head made by other malts.
Irish Stout is famously full-bodied, so the second most popular ingredient is a specialty grain to enhance the body of the beer. Guinness uses Flaked Barley at around 10% of the grain bill. Flaked Barley adds significant body and mouthfeel to the beer, but it must be mashed. If you are a malt extract brewer, crystal malt or Carapils would be a good substitute for Flaked Barley.
Martin Keen’s Irish Stout Recipe–Grain
70% 5.5 lbs Golden Promise (base malt) 15% 1.5 lbs Flaked Barley 8% 10 oz Chocolate Malt 7% 9 oz Roasted Barley
What adjuncts are Lambics known to use?
Unmalted wheat at 30-50% with Pilsner malt as a base.
What adjuncts do Trappist Ales tend to use?
Sugar (often called candi sugar) is a critical component of abbey and Trappist beer. It boosts gravity and fermentables, but, more importantly, keeps body relatively light without compromising complexity and richness.
Sugar (up to 20%) is added during the boil, not during mashing.
Belgian candi sugar comes in three forms: syrup, soft (similar to brown sugar), and rock. They come in several color grades, from virtually transparent (no color contribution) to very dark (180 degrees L). With color comes more pronounced and complex flavor and aroma. The lightest will be mostly neutral, with increasing caramel, raisin, date, toffee, vanilla, molasses, and chocolate notes as the color deepens. The darkest one available includes some date sugar in the formulation. Some syrups are even laced with spices, botanicals, and flavorings. Different forms will contribute to gravity differently due to moisture content.
What adjuncts do Double IPAs use?
Sugar, up to 20%
The addition of dextrose sugar can allow for the gravity to rise thus giving the beer more alcohol. It will also dry the beer and give it a lighter body.
What beers commonly use oats?
Oatmeal stout and occasionally in Witbier. Oats contribute mostly to mouthfeel, offering a full, silky or creamy trait. Typically oats would be added as 5-10% of the grain bill.
