Adjuncts
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In brewing, "adjunct" refers to unmalted cereal, such as rice, which can be used in the mash as an alternative to barley.[1] The enzyme potential of the malt is usually sufficient to break down this additional starch during mashing. Adjunct grain is generally less expensive than malt, and therefore it's used as part of the grist in 85-90% of beer produced worldwide. However, since the price and availability of malt is typically not a concern for home brewers, the main reason to use unmalted grains is for their special coloring and flavoring characteristics for the creation of innovative beer types.[2]
"Adjunct" may also be used to describe to other sources of fermentable sugars in beer other than barley malt, such as fruit.
Common cereal adjuncts (unmalted):
Other adjuncts:
- Fruit
- Sugars: Corn sugar/syrup, cane sugar, Belgian Candi syrup, honey, maple syrup, molasses, etc.
When brewing with adjuncts, keep in mind that they generally do not provide adequate nutrition for the yeast.[1][2] Nutrient supplementation is typically beneficial to ensure a healthy fermentation. Adjucts can constitute up to about 15-20% of the grist without needing additional enzymes.
Fun fact: The "Purity Law" restricts the use of adjuncts in German beer.
References
- ↑ a b Kunze W. "3.2 Mashing." Technology Brewing & Malting. Edited by Olaf Hendel, 6th English Edition ed., VBL Berlin, 2019, p. 258.
- ↑ a b Meussdoerffer F, Zarnkow M. Starchy raw materials. In: Esslinger HM, ed. Handbook of Brewing: Processes, Technology, Markets. Weinheim, Germany: Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA; 2009.