Commercial brewers are in the earliest days of figuring out how to legally get CBD into beer (and keep it there). For homebrewers, it presents an open—if legally vague—field of play and experimentation.
This distinctively spicy folk ingredient has a long tradition of going into American drinks, including beer—though it comes with a few disclaimers. Ready to forage?
It’s a nutty spice, but it comes from a fruit. Popular as a baking ingredient in the Middle East, the dried seeds of St. Lucie cherries can also work really nicely, as it turns out, in beer.
Monk fruit is an Asian gourd, and it’s extremely sweet. Its extract is often used as a low-calorie sweetener. So, ready to brew a "lifestyle" beer?
Had enough pumpkin beer? Embrace an American tuber so mighty that it doesn’t care whether you make it a side dish or a dessert. Or a beer. With whiskey.
Given that some hop varieties share aroma and flavor characteristics with mint, combining the two in a mint IPA just makes sense.
Head for the trees: Maple or birch sap can offer more complexity to a brew.
Once you figure out how best to avoid the pitfalls of using hazelnuts (also known as filberts), you’ll find a solid adjunct that is a versatile player with other ingredients in a variety of styles.
It can be difficult to find new ways to innovate. That doesn’t mean breweries aren’t trying. Building on a tradition of taking beer past its existing boundaries, some brewers are exploring the oceans, forests, and beyond.
Whether you’re using fresh oysters, oyster shells, or powdered oysters, the perfect oyster stout offers a balance between roast and brine.