Ingredient challenge

[imark]

I was thinking it might be interesting if we picked a specific ingredient (spice, fruit, etc) and went off to create a brew that incorporated the ingredient. We could bring our brews to a tasting a couple of months later and see what we all came up with. There would be no restrictions on style other than you make the beer/cider/wine of your choice and the ingredient is incorporated. It would just be a bit of fun but it would be interesting to see the different ways we would use the chosen ingredient. What do you guys think?

[DamienE]

Great idea

I'd like to try maple syrup in a brew - like in Anchor Bigleaf Autumn Red

[lordstilton]

Great minds Damien... I was thinking the same myself

[lordstilton]

After quick research turns out maple syrup just dries out beer with no flavour... How about cardamon?

[nigel_c]

If your looking for a maple finish add fenegreek. You get nothing from maple syrup.

[imark]

Great suggestions. There's a beer that's aged in a whiskey barrel that had maple syrup aged in it before hand. Can't remember the name right now. It's an imperial stout I think. I haven't had it but it's intriguing.
I was thinking about any citrus to start. You could use dried bitter orange peel or fresh rind. It's used across a very wide range of styles and is easy enough to start with because it's hard to overdo.

Let's get ideas out there and then we can choose one and set a meet to brew for. I think Christmas meet might be the first possible one.

[lordstilton]

Fenegreek ...never would of thought that would produce maple flavour....yet another spice to fire into the smithwicks beer!!!!

[DamienE]

Thanks guys. So it's just good for priming & doesn't really present in flavour.

Saved me a few batches of experimenting with maple syrup

[lordstilton]

so more research reveals that fenegreek just enhances the maple flavour in jaggery...on its own its not too pleasant.

[Leann ull]

Could you kill the yeast and add to keg or bottle?

[imark]

You probably could do that but you'd have a sweet beer. I'd imagine it's the phenols in the maple that you're looking for in the beer to give it the maple signature.   

[imark]

The fenugreek thing is interesting. I can kinda imagine how it could work but I wouldn't have made the connection without it being mentioned. It's definitely going on the list.
@nigel have you used it in a beer? I'm guessing it's very low dose.

[Eoin]

Fenugreek would stop you farting so much from the beer.

[nigel_c]

Yeah I used a few grams in a demi of stout a good while back. It does work. Something I've been meaning to revisit again.

[imark]

Fenugreek would stop you farting so much from the beer.

Wife will be delighted with that news coming into stout season