Unique ingredient to beer?

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RobWalker

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 4, 2011
Messages
123
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Location
Birmingham, England
I want to make a relatively standard beer - hallertau hops (as I have some to use,) DME, golden syrup and crystal malt. I want to add a really unique subtle flavour though, so I'm open to suggestions here!

Would maybe like vanilla or something...or maybe go old school and use coriander and orange peel?
 
I chucked 4 cloves into a gallon of turbocider and it was just right. Not sure I'd do a 5gallon batch of it though.
 
See if you can get a copy of Sam Calagione's book. He's the guy that founded Dogfish Head in the US and is pretty much acknowledged as the pioneer of the whole 'extreme beer' movement.

He puts all sorts of crazy stuff in beer!!!Peppercorns, agave syrup, raisins, cranberries, chamomile flowers etc etc etc

You'll probably find some of his recipes online with some googling.
 
Ingredient Part of plant used* Maximum amount in a 5 gallon batch When added to brewing process How long? (minutes unless otherwise noted)
Alecost (Chrysanthemum balsamita) leaf 1 ounce boil 60
Allspice (Calycanthus floridus) seed, whole .2 ounces boil 45
Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum) flower 1 ounce boil 15
Bitter Orange Peel (Aurantium amarae pericarpium) peel 1 ounce boil 15
Cacao (Theobroma cacao) bean ("nibs") 8 ounces secondary fermenter 10 days
Cardamom (Eletteria cardamomum) seed, ground .2 ounces boil 30
Chamomile (Chameamelum nobile) flower 2 ounces boil 45
Chile (Capsicum annuum) pod, fresh .25 pound steep 15
Cinnamon (Cinamomum zeylanicum) bark 4 sticks boil 30
Cloves (Eugenia aromatica) bud, whole 10 buds boil 30
Coffee (Coffea arabica) bean, ground and extracted in water 12 shots espresso at kegging or bottling extract is part of finished beer
Coriander (Coriandrum sativum) seed, crushed 2 ounces boil 15
Cowslip (Primula veris) flower 1 ounce boil 15
Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) leaf 2 pounds boil 60
Elderberry (Sambucus nigra) flower 2 ounces secondary fermenter 2 days
Elderberry (Sambucus nigra) fruit 10 pounds steep 15
Elecampane (Inlua helenium) root 2 ounces boil 60
Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) seed, ground .2 ounce boil 45
Ginger (Zingiber officinalis) root, fresh grated 6 ounces boil 15
Grains of Paradise (Aframomum melegutea) seed, ground .1 ounce boil 5
Greek Oregano (Origianum vulgare hirta) leaf 2 ounces boil 45
Heather (Calluna vulgaris) flower 12 cups boil 90
Horehound (Marrubium vulgare) leaf 2 ounces boil 60
Hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis) flower 1 ounce boil 60
Juniper (Juniperus communis) leaf 4 ounces boil 60
Juniper (Juniperus communis) cone ("berry") .2 ounce boil 60
Labrador Tea (Ledum glandulosum or latifolium) leaf 4 ounces boil 60
Lavender (Lavendula angustifolia) flower 1 ounce steep 15
Lemon Balm (Mellisa officinalis) leaf 1 ounce steep 15
Licorice (Glycyrriza glabra) root .5 ounce boil 60
Milk Thistle (Silybub marianum) leaf 2 ounces boil 45
Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris) leaf 2 ounces boil 60
Nettle (Urtica diocia) leaf, fresh 1 pound boil 60
Nutmeg (Myristica fragrans) pod, ground .1 ounce boil 30
Oak (Quercus spp.) wood chips or cubes toasted 3 ounces secondary fermenter 20 - 40 days
Rose hips (Rosa rugosa) fruit 2 ounces boil 60
Rosemary (Rosmarinum officinalis) leaf 1 ounce boil 45
Sarsaparilla (Hemidesmus indicus) root .5 ounce boil 60
Spruce (Picea spp.) buds, fresh at tips of branches extracted in boiling water 6 ounces boil 60
Star Anise (Illicium verum) pod, crushed 1 ounce boil 30
Sweet Basil (Ocimum baislicum) leaf 2 ounces steep 15
Sweet Gale or Bog Myrtle (Myrica gale) leaf 2 ounces boil 30
Sweet Orange Peel (Aurantium dulcis pericarpium) peel 1 ounce boil 15
Sweet Woodruff (Galium odoratum) flower 1 ounce secondary fermenter 2 days
Sweetgrass (Hierochloe odorata) leaf 2 ounces secondary fermenter 2 days
Vanilla (Vanilla planifolia) bean, whole extracted in alcohol 2 beans secondary fermenter extract is part of finished beer
Wintergreen (Gaultheria spp.) leaf 2 ounces steep 30
Wormwood (Artemisia absinthium) leaf .2 ounce boil 15
Yarrow (Achilliea millefolium) leaf 2 ounces boil 30


Work your way down that lot :whistle: Sorry it's all muddled up abit it came from an excel spreadsheet
 
hahaaa - fantastic!!!
I'd love a copy of the original spreadsheet of that is posisble in any way??
 
I had a wasabi stout in the Brewdog pub. It was brewed by them but I don't think they sell bottles. It was weird to say the least but still enjoyable.
 
Excellent, very hard to describe now so long after having it. Not salty in anyway, full of body, redish tint, faint head not lasting long. and very smooth.
 
I've got a book called Progressive Wine Making. I haven't read it for about 30 years :shock: however I seem to remember its really up on the theory of winemaking and has all sorts of fixes for all kinds of problems.

Once extreme ingredient I seem to remember was adding cyanide to the must to counteract a haze/taste caused by contact with iron. Now that would be unique. :sick: Admittedly they calculated the exact dose required and it was consumed when it counteracted the iron.

This post has a 15 second verbal guarantee of accuracy - it was a long time ago since I read it :whistle: :D
 
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