I've tried a couple of recipes with Juniper (Rye IPA and Juniper Black Ale), and I just can't seem to get enough flavor, and pretty much no aroma from the juniper. I've been using the dried juniper berries from Penzey's. In both batches, I crush the berries very well with a mortar and pestle. Maybe these aren't the ones I want....they have a nice flavor, but it's pretty mild.
For the IPA, I used 1oz in the mash and 1oz in the boil (@15). I got this idea from a recipe in Randy Mosher's book Radical Brewing (although he used a LOT more). I think I can get some flavor from it, which I percieve as a sort of resiny astringent flavor on the back of the tongue. No aroma, though, which was expected.
For the JBA, I switched it up with 1oz @5 mins boil and 1oz during the dry hop. Still no pronounced aroma or flavor. This was inspired by the SN Beer Camp brew.
I have seen other posts on HBT that refer to the overpowering effects of a mere .5oz. I can only assume this is with fresh berries. Since I don't have any fresh, I'm just wondering how much dried berries I may need to make an impact, or if it's even possible...or advisable. I'm tempted to go with maybe 1/4 or 1/2 #. I know that seems extreme, but if I can get 2-4x the amount of flavor or aroma, it may be worth it.
I'm just curious to know if anyone else has had good luck with using dried berries to produce a noticeable juniper flavor and/or aroma. I don't mean "hint", I mean like a "wow, that's got a nice juniper kick". I suppose I could look over some sahti recipes that use branches and everything, but just curious about the dried berries for now. Perhaps if it's not possible with dried, I may need to source some fresh berries from somewhere else.
For the IPA, I used 1oz in the mash and 1oz in the boil (@15). I got this idea from a recipe in Randy Mosher's book Radical Brewing (although he used a LOT more). I think I can get some flavor from it, which I percieve as a sort of resiny astringent flavor on the back of the tongue. No aroma, though, which was expected.
For the JBA, I switched it up with 1oz @5 mins boil and 1oz during the dry hop. Still no pronounced aroma or flavor. This was inspired by the SN Beer Camp brew.
I have seen other posts on HBT that refer to the overpowering effects of a mere .5oz. I can only assume this is with fresh berries. Since I don't have any fresh, I'm just wondering how much dried berries I may need to make an impact, or if it's even possible...or advisable. I'm tempted to go with maybe 1/4 or 1/2 #. I know that seems extreme, but if I can get 2-4x the amount of flavor or aroma, it may be worth it.
I'm just curious to know if anyone else has had good luck with using dried berries to produce a noticeable juniper flavor and/or aroma. I don't mean "hint", I mean like a "wow, that's got a nice juniper kick". I suppose I could look over some sahti recipes that use branches and everything, but just curious about the dried berries for now. Perhaps if it's not possible with dried, I may need to source some fresh berries from somewhere else.