| Adjunct (beer) |
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In Beer Making and Homebrewing , an adjunct is an ingredient other than Water , Barley , Hops , and Yeast . While "adjunct" is often used in a semi-derogatory fashion to refer exclusively to Corn and Rice (the two adjuncts commonly used by large North American brewing companies), an "adjunct" is any ingredient other than the four listed above, which, except for yeast, were set forth in the Bavarian '' Reinheitsgebot '' purity law. Common adjuncts include: Wheat -- used in German and American wheat beers. Wheat lightens the body and provides a tart flavor. Wheat beers are often served with fruit syrups and/or slices of lemon in Germany. Rye -- used in roggenbiers from Germany and in rye beers from America. Rye is notoriously difficult to brew with, so most rye beers only include a small amount of rye. Rye provides a spicy flavor to beer and dramatically increases head formation. Oats -- used in Oatmeal Stouts, oats provide a silky Mouthfeel and a mild flavor. Rice -- also commonly used in the production of American-style light lagers. Rice does not affect the flavor of beer to any appreciable extent, and is generally used to lighten the body and the mouthfeel. Rice is used to sweeten the flavor, lighten the body, and increase alcohol content. Rice is cheaper than barley, and therefore also serves as a cost-saving measure. Anheuser-Busch is the largest North American buyer of U.S. rice ( 1 ). Corn -- commonly used in the production of American-style light lagers, particularly Malt Liquor . Corn is generally used in brewing as Corn Syrup , and as such is highly fermentable. Like rice, corn is cheaper than barley, so it is used as a cost-saving measure. Syrup s -- other sweeteners such as Maple Syrup , Honey , and Molasses are common. Fruit -- Various fruits have been used as flavoring agents throughout the history of brewing. The most famous examples are the fruit Lambics of Belgium , but the practice has spread, particularly with the advent of the Microbrew movement in the United States . ''Framboise'' ( Raspberry ), ''peche'' ( Peach ), and ''kriek'' ( Cherry ) are the most common fruit lambics, but adventurous lambic brewers have used everything from Bananas to Blackcurrant . Raspberries have also become popular in the non-lambic brewing world, and several microbreweries offer raspberry stouts or raspberry wheat ales. The Boston Beer Company makes an ale with Cranberries . Vegetables -- Pumpkin is really the only vegetable commonly used to brew beer, and pumpkin beers are available from several North American microbreweries in the Fall . However, there is also at least one commercially brewed beer which is brewed with hot Chili Peppers . Spices -- Many traditional beer styles are brewed with spices. Belgian Witbier is brewed with Coriander , for example, and Finnish Sahti is brewed with Juniper berries. A few spiced winter beers are made with Nutmeg and/or Cinnamon . Other, less common adjuncts include Chocolate , Coffee , Milk , and even Oysters . |
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