Flavorings - Where to go?

[brewswithshoes]

i'm not looking to start a debate if flavorings should/shouldn't be added to beers. But i just need some help nailing some flavors that i am just not able to naturally replicate.

For example, my wife enjoys a blueberry wheat, and no matter what i've tried i can't get the blueberry flavor to taste natural. I've tried racking to real blueberries in small & massive quantities, (even tried puree) and came out too acidic in several tries. (tried in primary and in secondary) I've also tried those brewer's best flavorings (picked up from HBS massive closeout sale) but won't use them again as they made the flavor nasty.

I've been researching several places, and just wanted to get some input on other places/kinds of flavorings. specifically looking for blueberry, and maybe a toasted marshmallow flavor for a porter.

Thinking of trying http://www.apexflavors.com but wanted to see if anyone else used them or has other/better recommendations.

 

[unviewtiful]

I've never used that specific brand of flavor extracts, but I have used flavor extracts a couple times. Since they're so potent, it's very easy to go overboard and ruin your beer. From the link you posted it looks like their TTB approved extracts recommend the equivalent of 1 oz (roughly, but it varies by flavor) per 5 gallon batch. At that quantity, it's pretty inexpensive to at least try it.

The two times I used flavor extract, one was a brewers best hazelnut flavor and it was way too much for me. Might have been an ok beer if I cut back the amount used. The other time was a super concentrated blueberry flavor that only took a couple drops for a 5 gallon batch. The flavor from that worked just fine when using a light touch.

If you keg, you could try adding juice to the keg at packaging and just keep it cold to prevent further fermentation. If you bottle, you might need to pasteurize once you reach adequate carbonation. Juice at packaging is my preferred method if you want a strong fruit flavor with the added color.

 

[toddo97]

I haven't tried apexflavors yet, but have read good things about them and plan on buying my next flavoring from them.

 

[TwistedGray]

Kegging rules when it comes to maintaining flavors; however, I've also secondaried on blueberries without any issues. Perhaps it was a ratio issue or something else?

 

[corax]

I'd stick with real blueberries, but try to boost the residual malt sweetness of the beer to balance the acidity of the berries. To do this, you could add more base malt, or increase unfermentable sugars with specialty malts - eg, cyrstal malt, dextrine malt, honey malt, melanoidin malt, etc. Or try a low-attenuation yeast strain.

 

[brewswithshoes]

Highest I've gone is 9lbs for a 5g batch. Added after primary ferment was finished. Still came out with an acidic bite.

 

[passedpawn]

i'm not looking to start a debate if flavorings should/shouldn't be added to beers. But i just need some help nailing some flavors that i am just not able to naturally replicate.

For example, my wife enjoys a blueberry wheat, and no matter what i've tried i can't get the blueberry flavor to taste natural. I've tried racking to real blueberries in small & massive quantities, (even tried puree) and came out too acidic in several tries. (tried in primary and in secondary) I've also tried those brewer's best flavorings (picked up from HBS massive closeout sale) but won't use them again as they made the flavor nasty.

I've been researching several places, and just wanted to get some input on other places/kinds of flavorings. specifically looking for blueberry, and maybe a toasted marshmallow flavor for a porter.

Thinking of trying http://www.apexflavors.com but wanted to see if anyone else used them or has other/better recommendations.

That's the place. I've been meaning to get the coconut / peanut butter / others from them, but haven't yet.

The Death by Coconut Clone thread got me thinking about it.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/death-by-coconut-clone.593702/#post-8166132

 

[Lefou]

I'd stick with real blueberries, but try to boost the residual malt sweetness of the beer to balance the acidity of the berries. To do this, you could add more base malt, or increase unfermentable sugars with specialty malts - eg, cyrstal malt, dextrine malt, honey malt, melanoidin malt, etc. Or try a low-attenuation yeast strain.

That's the ticket.
Blueberries give a nice color contribution but the sugars ferment out quite easily leaving acidity that needs balancing with residual malt sugars. Hops could be held to a level of 20IBU or lower while a less attenuative yeast leaves some complex sugars behind. Increasing your base malt can increase gravity and potential ABV, so you need to strike a balance there, too. The acid bite can be compounded in young beers by carbonation, so lower carb levels and aging can help.

The toasted marshmallow flavor is dead easy to recreate ... toasty mallow puffs generally have vanilla and caramelized sugar as main ingredients, so those flavorings (and liquid smoke or the smoked malts, FWIW) are fairly common and available for purchase.

 

[hedgie57]

I've had good luck with Olive Nation extracts and flavorings

 

[bpgreen]

Years ago, I had a project in Moncton, NB. Everybody told me I should try the blueberry ale at The Pump House. It had a lot of blueberry flavor and i asked how they made it.

The bartender told me it was their regular blonde ale poured on top of a bunch of crushed blueberries in the glass.

 

[FunkedOut]

Haven’t bought from apex yet, but been using chocolate, peanut butter and vanilla from them when they were called silver cloud estates.
Delicious with no off flavors.
Stick to their recommendations for quantities. They are potent.

 

[jekeane]

Monin make a great flavor concentrate. I have used several of them with good results. I have won a few fruit beer medals with the strawberry and pineapple.

I generally use real fruit for beers I drink at home but will often use 1-2ml of these extracts in a bottle to turn a base beer into a fruit beer for competition.

https://www.monin.com/us/products/c...-bhh5rDllomA1KkKtyKF3M2EgvOPFXqkaAgG3EALw_wcB

 

[Lefou]

Years ago, I had a project in Moncton, NB. Everybody told me I should try the blueberry ale at The Pump House. It had a lot of blueberry flavor and i asked how they made it.

The bartender told me it was their regular blonde ale poured on top of a bunch of crushed blueberries in the glass.

That's a great idea because mixing fresh berry juice into the finished beer would give you malt, hops, AND fruit flavors - sorta like a shandy, but without the citrus.