Jimmy Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 How's it hanging, gentlemen? So it's Saturday, and I'm done cleaning and cooking and I'm about to have a few homebrews while watching a movie. But first, I thought it would be interesting to have a discussion about some less orthodox ingredients you guys have used or have heard people using in their brews. I've been interested in trying to brew a gruit ale for some time now, which is what made me think about this stuff. You can read about it here and watch Immolateus' video of it . One of the more experimental brews I've made was a Coopers OS Lager with 1 kg of dark LME, some dark muscovado sugar and a tea made with juniper needles/twigs. This was inspired by the traditional Finnish ale Sahti. I didn't use juniper berries because I didn't want the brew to end up tasting like gin. It turned out pretty nice, actually. The juniper gave the beer an interesting bittersweet character, unfortunately killing the head retention in the process. I think it could have used some hops along with the juniper, though. Another interesting ingredient I've heard people use is fresh basil. Apparently, when used in moderation it gives the beer a slight earthy herbalness. I think I'll have to try it some time. [bandit] So, what ingredients have you guys tried or heard of? Spill the beans! [rightful] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matty A Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 I have only really tried to experiment with honey and limes. I found that the honey was nice when the beer was young and it virtually wasn't there after a couple of months. The lime however was a total disaster, they told me to do a couple of limes so I doubled it and it was like a lime juice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrahamB8 Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 Honey a few times, could never taste it Pure maple syrup, anouther waste of $ 10g Corriander and the rind of 2 oranges in Belguim's is really nice and dare I say it I love a slice of orange in a Hahn white and think its one of the best macro brews in Australia (so shoot me [biggrin] ) One of my PLambics is currently sat on sour cherries and the original wort I made 18 months ago was originally fermented with pineapples. This is my second sour ale made with pineapple. I love pine flavor in AIPA's and have read you can use pine needles in a brew but Im yet to try that one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmy Posted June 9, 2012 Author Share Posted June 9, 2012 I love pine flavor in AIPA's and have read you can use pine needles in a brew but Im yet to try that one. Well, the juniper needles worked just fine in my bew, but like I said, they pretty much killed the head retention. I didn't really care, though, as the taste was quite pleasant. [cool] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyG4 Posted June 10, 2012 Share Posted June 10, 2012 i used honey in a honey porter recipe that i got of AHB and had received rave reviews. given what i was going for, it was somewhat disappointing. it was a good beer, but it was just a watery stout. it wasn't a honey porter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordEoin Posted June 10, 2012 Share Posted June 10, 2012 I love pine flavor in AIPA's and have read you can use pine needles in a brew but Im yet to try that one. Chinook hops are supposed to be very piney. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 10, 2012 Share Posted June 10, 2012 I usually only stick to beer type ingredients. However, I have heard and tasted some of the following ingredients in beer, just to name a few: Redskin lollies Black jelly beans Chilli Various types of fruit Pumpkin Oysters Herbs & Spices (Thyme, Rosemary, cinnamon, cloves, Coriander etc.) Musk Sticks Milo Cocoa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrahamB8 Posted June 10, 2012 Share Posted June 10, 2012 Oysters WTF !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmy Posted June 10, 2012 Author Share Posted June 10, 2012 Oysters WTF !! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stout#Oyster_stout Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrahamB8 Posted June 10, 2012 Share Posted June 10, 2012 Aye I had heard of Oyster stout but I didnt think they put the dirty frigging things into the beer, why oh why would you want the stout to taste like that [crying] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gash Slugg Posted June 10, 2012 Share Posted June 10, 2012 I went to this brewery a couple of months ago, they have a nice Mussel Stout http://www.bellarineestate.com.au/brewery/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 10, 2012 Share Posted June 10, 2012 Barilla Bay Oyster Stout HERE. Barilla Bay Oyster stout Yes, Barilla Bay Oyster Stout does contain oysters! Based on an old Irish recipe, fresh Barilla Bay oysters are combined with premium Australian malts to produce a silky smooth stout in the best Irish tradition. The stout is a dark velvet colour and has a very smooth creamy mouth feel reinforced with low to medium carbonation, which allows the full stout flavours to dominate. On a palate of roasted malt there are hints of smokiness, and a touch of salt which balances a slight sweetness in the finish. There are definitely no fishy aromas or tastes present in the beer. A stout suitable for all tastes. Why use oysters in stout? It is thought that originally oyster shell was added to brew water to boost calcium levels which enhances the body, mouth feel and taste of ales and stouts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordEoin Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 just picked up a bottle of this stuff today, strawberry juice is nice in beer [biggrin] ingredients - water, marley malt, wheat, strawberry juice, frustose, hops, yeast FRULI STRAWBERRY BEER Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrahamB8 Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 Nice, is it a sour? I love Kreik's and Framboise, well any sour really but I've never had a strawberry from memory, theres not a big market for it where I live unfortunately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 Dont forget about such things as heather, I brewed a Heather ale a few weeks ago, the list of things we can put into a beer is almost endless.. Commercial Heather Ale lovely drop [rightful] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 Instead of "what we put in beer" we could always list the weird things people have put their beer in. eg. road kill like Brewdog did with "The End Of History". At 55% and somewhere around $800 a bottle it's surely one to sip on [alien] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robbo Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 Brewdog... I haven't tried any but they have a reputation of producing fantastic beers. They do have a warped sense of humour. I've made a honey cider (cyser??!) I can Blackrock cider 6 litre apple juice 2k mixed blossom honey yeast supplied 1 tea bag Strong honey flavour, a bit overwhelming. I have been researching Mexican beer styles after a mate showed up to a bbq with Pacifico, a beer made by the same people that make Corona. Normal rice from the supermarket is an adjunct that homebrew recipes suggest can be added. I don't have any idea how it would be used... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gash Slugg Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 Brewdog are friggin' awesome, all their beers are sensational!! I havent tried that particular one above but have tried most, one of the founder brewers were in the country about a year ago and did a showcase at The Local Taphouses in Sydney and Melbourne, great blokes! The one above is so expensive cause they start out with a huge batch ferment it, then freeze it and remove most of the water then re-ferment, they do that a couple of times and don't end up with much left!! Is it a beer?? I don't care but I'd like to try it!! I must add their beers aren't for the faint hearted or those that just like VB, Carlton Draught etc Most of their beers smack you in the face hard and I love them![love] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 Not only that but some of the expense could be due to the fact that only 12 bottles of it were ever made. I'd like to try Brewdog's "Sink The Bismark" but don't really want to chance spending so much money on a little bottle that I may not even like. Maybe one day I'll get several people and we'll chuck in for a bottle. Not a priority for me atm though as I am working on a new mill then a motor for it for now [love] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 13, 2012 Share Posted June 13, 2012 but was probably about 100lt to start with Bill, from my understanding it is cold filtered/concentrated.. I remember reading about it after it came out a while ago but a bit hazy on the details now. Yob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 13, 2012 Share Posted June 13, 2012 Yeah mate, I remember something along those lines.... it started as a Belgian Ale and frozen and refermented a heap of times. I know one thing for sure, it would be a real PITA making a starter for it once the ABV% started to get up and you were on about the 5th+ ferment cycle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordEoin Posted June 16, 2012 Share Posted June 16, 2012 The lime however was a total disaster' date=' they told me to do a couple of limes so I doubled it and it was like a lime juice.[/quote'] picked up a few bottles of the new CARLING ZEST, refreshing summer lager, basically lager with lime. Tastes like a lime alcopop with a beery aftertaste, and pretty weak at only 2.8%, but however they did the lime is nice. It's really..... limey. [biggrin] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stoobrew Posted June 17, 2012 Share Posted June 17, 2012 There is a local guy around here making a wattle seed beer. I think a list of usable Australian Bush Tucker would be good! I'm thinking about using some Syzigium berries(Lilly Pilly) in a beer. They have a very citrusy and bitter taste raw. I really feel their flavour would only impart goodness into beer...maybe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordEoin Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 Here's another ingredient I've not seen before, Hibiscus, a flower. Got a few bottles of belgian ale, Blue Moon, brewed in Colorado LINKYLINK Copper Colored Ale, crafted with Hibiscus, a twist of orange peel, a touch of wheat, Cascade hops, the rest of the ingredients are not mentioned. It tastes fantastic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 Nectar Ales Humboldt Brown 5.7% ABV Humboldt is an American brown ale made with toasted hemp, a fiber collected from plants in the cannabis family -- the same family to which both hops and marijuana belong. This dank brew has flavors of pine, cocoa and peanuts, and won a bronze medal at the 2006 World Beer Cup. Since hemp has only about 0.3% THC compared to marijuana's 6-20%, it won't get you high, but its resin-laced nuttiness is perfect for a 4/20 celebration. taken from HERE Yob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.