Adding Flavors
Here's my experiences with adding other flavors like fruit or spices to beer and the best ways to do it (or not do it).
Chocolate Cocoa nibs are the best. Roast at 350 for 10-12 min on a cookie sheet, put in a mason jar when roasted with about an ounce of vanilla extract and top up with vodka. Let them steep for a week and add the whole jar liquid and all to the primary any time after fermentation is done and age for at least a week on the beer. They make a mess so put them in a mesh bag when adding to the fermenter. Roasting is essential and can be overdone, follow your nose when baking, they smell like chocolate when ready. Vanilla helps bring out the chocolate flavor, and vodka sanitizes as well as extracts the goodness out of the nibs.
Cocoa powder can be used but doesn't settle well and tastes unpleasantly bitter. I wouldn't bother with that.
I've successfully used whole chocolate bars both white and brown in the boil. Doesn't add much but does something. Also adds fat from the cocoa butter in it that kills your head retention a bit if overdone.
All the chocolate extracts I've used are a waste of time, you need too much to do anything and they taste watery.
Cinnamon I've done this one wrong a few times, very easy to overdo. Best way is whole cinnamon sticks in the carboy for a few days. 3-4 sticks for 3-4 days was good once, kept tasting until the flavor was where I wanted it.
Cinnamon powder works too but is like cocoa powder that hangs around forever. I've successfully and unsuccessfully made a hot tea with powder and added at bottling. Half an ounce was good, a whole ounce was disgusting.
Citrus peels Don't be shy here, add a lot. I've done peels from a dozen fruit before for a 5 gallon batch. Add during the last 5 min to flame out of the boil, fresh zest is best. Try not to get the white pithy part and put them in a bag since they make a mess. Soaking in vodka is ok but not necessary and probably not practical in the volumes you'd need. Some citrus is stronger than others, Grapefruit and Lime are pretty potent, oranges not so much.
Extracts and oils are good for aroma.
Coffee Good coffee is essential. There's a couple of ways you can add it. Grounds in the boil or steeped at flame out are pretty tame flavor wise but work.
Cold steeped coffee is probably the safest and easiest, just add a bunch of grounds to cold water and leave in the fridge overnight. Strain and add to the primary at bottling or thereabouts. 2-3 oz of coffee to about a half litre of water is a good starting point.
I like to 'dry bean' most beers, especially lighter non stouts. Two or three ounces of whole beans for no longer than two or three days directly in the carboy does the trick. If you go longer you run the risk of terrible ashy flavors but if done right is really good.
Lactose One of my favorite things to add to beer. One pound for 5 gallons should do the trick in just about any type of recipe. Two pounds is overkill unless it's an imperial stout. Add a touch more bitterness than you normally would since lactose adds some sweetness. Add powder with 5-10 min left in the boil. Usually adds about 10 points to your SG that will stay there since it's unfermentable.
Oak or wood Good way to simulate barrel aging. I like to soak an ounce or two of chips in whiskey or some other flavorful hard liquor for a week or so before adding to the primary. They make a mess so put them in a mesh bag. Try not to add too much booze or that will come through too strong in the finished beer, I would pour off any excess liquid from the chips before adding.
Peanut Butter This one took some work to figure out. Powdered PB is the best, a big jar of PB2 powder is good for a 5 gallon batch. After fermentation is done, siphon out a little bit of the beer you'll add it to and mix with the powder to make a slurry. Add the slurry to the carboy with a funnel taking care not to splash or oxygenate and let age for about a week. Don't use water to mix the slurry or it'll taste watery. Make sure to make the slurry though or it'll clump like crazy if you try and add it directly to the carboy without mixing first. The flavor will fade with time but will be good for the first month or two. I've heard of contamination problems with this stuff so you may want to pasteurize the slurry at 60C for 15 min or so if you're not kegging it.
Tea I've had good luck with steeping at flame out in a mesh bag. For the cream of earl grey beer I do, 1-1.5 oz of tea for 8 min and that seems to do the trick. I've also successfully added it in the Randall with some lemons once so I imagine it would be possible to add it directly to the keg.
Vanilla This one is easy, 1-2 oz of good real vanilla extract at bottling or kegging depending on how strong you want the flavor.
Vanilla beans are sexy but expensive and difficult to get a lot of flavor out of. If you go this route, split and scrape out a few beans and add them directly to the carboy after fermentation is done and let age for a week. Or add to a jar with some vodka to make your own extract.
I'll add more as I think of them.
Chocolate Cocoa nibs are the best. Roast at 350 for 10-12 min on a cookie sheet, put in a mason jar when roasted with about an ounce of vanilla extract and top up with vodka. Let them steep for a week and add the whole jar liquid and all to the primary any time after fermentation is done and age for at least a week on the beer. They make a mess so put them in a mesh bag when adding to the fermenter. Roasting is essential and can be overdone, follow your nose when baking, they smell like chocolate when ready. Vanilla helps bring out the chocolate flavor, and vodka sanitizes as well as extracts the goodness out of the nibs.
Cocoa powder can be used but doesn't settle well and tastes unpleasantly bitter. I wouldn't bother with that.
I've successfully used whole chocolate bars both white and brown in the boil. Doesn't add much but does something. Also adds fat from the cocoa butter in it that kills your head retention a bit if overdone.
All the chocolate extracts I've used are a waste of time, you need too much to do anything and they taste watery.
Cinnamon I've done this one wrong a few times, very easy to overdo. Best way is whole cinnamon sticks in the carboy for a few days. 3-4 sticks for 3-4 days was good once, kept tasting until the flavor was where I wanted it.
Cinnamon powder works too but is like cocoa powder that hangs around forever. I've successfully and unsuccessfully made a hot tea with powder and added at bottling. Half an ounce was good, a whole ounce was disgusting.
Citrus peels Don't be shy here, add a lot. I've done peels from a dozen fruit before for a 5 gallon batch. Add during the last 5 min to flame out of the boil, fresh zest is best. Try not to get the white pithy part and put them in a bag since they make a mess. Soaking in vodka is ok but not necessary and probably not practical in the volumes you'd need. Some citrus is stronger than others, Grapefruit and Lime are pretty potent, oranges not so much.
Extracts and oils are good for aroma.
Coffee Good coffee is essential. There's a couple of ways you can add it. Grounds in the boil or steeped at flame out are pretty tame flavor wise but work.
Cold steeped coffee is probably the safest and easiest, just add a bunch of grounds to cold water and leave in the fridge overnight. Strain and add to the primary at bottling or thereabouts. 2-3 oz of coffee to about a half litre of water is a good starting point.
I like to 'dry bean' most beers, especially lighter non stouts. Two or three ounces of whole beans for no longer than two or three days directly in the carboy does the trick. If you go longer you run the risk of terrible ashy flavors but if done right is really good.
Lactose One of my favorite things to add to beer. One pound for 5 gallons should do the trick in just about any type of recipe. Two pounds is overkill unless it's an imperial stout. Add a touch more bitterness than you normally would since lactose adds some sweetness. Add powder with 5-10 min left in the boil. Usually adds about 10 points to your SG that will stay there since it's unfermentable.
Oak or wood Good way to simulate barrel aging. I like to soak an ounce or two of chips in whiskey or some other flavorful hard liquor for a week or so before adding to the primary. They make a mess so put them in a mesh bag. Try not to add too much booze or that will come through too strong in the finished beer, I would pour off any excess liquid from the chips before adding.
Peanut Butter This one took some work to figure out. Powdered PB is the best, a big jar of PB2 powder is good for a 5 gallon batch. After fermentation is done, siphon out a little bit of the beer you'll add it to and mix with the powder to make a slurry. Add the slurry to the carboy with a funnel taking care not to splash or oxygenate and let age for about a week. Don't use water to mix the slurry or it'll taste watery. Make sure to make the slurry though or it'll clump like crazy if you try and add it directly to the carboy without mixing first. The flavor will fade with time but will be good for the first month or two. I've heard of contamination problems with this stuff so you may want to pasteurize the slurry at 60C for 15 min or so if you're not kegging it.
Tea I've had good luck with steeping at flame out in a mesh bag. For the cream of earl grey beer I do, 1-1.5 oz of tea for 8 min and that seems to do the trick. I've also successfully added it in the Randall with some lemons once so I imagine it would be possible to add it directly to the keg.
Vanilla This one is easy, 1-2 oz of good real vanilla extract at bottling or kegging depending on how strong you want the flavor.
Vanilla beans are sexy but expensive and difficult to get a lot of flavor out of. If you go this route, split and scrape out a few beans and add them directly to the carboy after fermentation is done and let age for a week. Or add to a jar with some vodka to make your own extract.
I'll add more as I think of them.