Flavor Profiling

[L_A_Brewing]

Not sure if this topic has been discussed or not but I have been thinking about recipe formulation with respect to flavor profiles. When formulating a recipe do you make space for flavors to fit in the overall profile or do you select complementary flavors to layer the profile? For instance, I've been thinking about brewing a fruit beer, maybe something with figs, should I complement the figs with grains that produce dark fruit type flavors or should I exclude those things from the recipe to leave a void for the figs to occupy? I want the figs to be noticeable and complimentary to the beer but I don't want the grain bill to muddy the flavor profile.

 

[bleme]

I've done both and I think I prefer the recipes that compliment the fruit. For instance, I did a blueberry wheat that was just a basic wheat recipe and add blueberries that turned out passable.

Then I did a strawberry wheat where I added caramunich and Belma hops. Both of those ingredients compliment a fruit beer (not necessarily strawberries) and really loved the results.

 

[L_A_Brewing]

Well I decided to go the complimenting route...I decided to do a Belgian Double and toss in some cartelized figs during secondary fermentation. The beer has some extra dark crystal and some D-90 candi syrup to boost the dark fruit flavors in hopes that they will commingle and compliment the figs. I will let you know how it turns out. If its good I'll share the recipe, no need in spreading a recipe around that doesn't produce....

 

[bleme]

I'd never heard of cartelized figs so I had to google it. Sounds yummy but not what I was hoping for.

My SIL has a fig tree that they don't pick at all and the fruit is just going to waste but every fig I checked was infested with tiny beetles. I was hoping cartelization might be a way to salvage them but it sounds like I'd just end up with cartelized beetles.

 

[Vandulus]

Short answer - it depends...

Long answer if I'm trying to showcase a particular flavor or ingredient, I'll keep the ingredient bill simple and on the lighter side so the main flavor shines through. Most of the time I like layering flavors as the complexity can turn a good beer into a great beer, assuming I formulate the recipe right. My personal preference is to brew beers I can't buy commercially and play with unusual ingredient pairings. I'm a fairly good cook so I typically will decide on a main ingredient and add other flavors that compliment or contrast - all with balance being the end goal.

IMHO, the best way to add/adjust the flavors is right before bottling and kegging since it's much easier to adjust. If you initially aim for subtler flavors, that allows you to fix any flavors that came out of using ingredients in the secondary using extracts or tinctures. Trying to fix overpowering flavors is much harder and usually only done through blending.

 

[L_A_Brewing]

Well bleme, you caught me. No I am not adding figs the were brought under a cartel (as defined by Websters, auto correct can be a real pain sometimes. I caramelized the figs prior to adding them to the secondary. Really smelled amazing going into the fermenter and after tasting a few sips of the fermenting beer I think the flavors will be complementary. I'll let you know how it turns out.