In the past three installments of the Exchange Rates series, we discussed how to convert base malts to extracts, work with specialty grains, and account for extracts with different compositions. In this article we’ll tackle the sticky subject of adjuncts.
An adjunct is any ingredient that contributes fermentable sugars and isn’t a malted grain. Adjuncts can include
- Simple sugars such as dextrose (corn sugar), brown sugar, honey, and Belgian candi sugar
- Raw grains such as unmalted barley, wheat, oats, and rye
- Flaked unmalted grains such as rolled oats and flaked maize
Sugars are easy: You can freely exchange them between all-grain and extract formulations without change. So, if your friend’s all-grain recipe for a Belgian dubbel includes a pound of Belgian candi sugar, then you can go ahead and use one pound of the same in your extract version.