Adjuncts have been a debated topic in the beer world lately. Adjuncts are usually supplements to the main mash ingredients used to brew beer. Examples include flaked corn, oats, rye, unmalted wheat, rice or various sugars. Adjuncts have been criticized as inferior – and sometimes cost-cutting – sources of extract, yet most craft breweries make beers with adjuncts to experiment and to enhance the character of the beer. The next time you pick up a Boulevard Saison-Brett, Bell’s Special Double Cream Stout or Perennial Tart Hopfentea, ask yourself what’s more important: the use of adjuncts in these craft beers or the fantastic flavor of the results?
This article appears in June 2014.