Flavour Concentrates

[christmas]

I'm just wondering what everyone's views are on using flavour concentrates as an additive to beer.

I'm talking about artificial food-grade concentrates that come in almost every flavour under the sun. For example, here's a stockist:

Perfumer's Apprentice

Yes, they are artificial, but my own view (yours may differ) is that a molecule is a molecule, regardless of whether it was extracted from a natural fruit or synthesised in a lab.

They are dissolved in propylene glycol which is water-soluble and I think is an additive in some commercial brews anyway.

So has anyone used things like these, or would you consider it? I imagine it would be a lot less risky than using fruit or other non-standard ingredients to add flavour to beer, as you've just got the pure flavour molecule and none of the other constituents to worry about.

I'm thinking they might be a good way to add fruit flavours or notes of things like licorice, maple syrup, coffee, nuts etc to beers.

One problem might be how much concentrate you need to add to a brew to taste it - if it's large amounts then it's obviously going to be a no-go because I don't think dumping a few cups of propylene glycol into your brew is going to be a good idea.

Does anyone have any thoughts?

 

[mwd]

Don't know but Craftbrewer one of the above sponsors stocks all kinds of extracts and essenses which may suit better for brewing.

Fruit flavourings

Grains and commonly available supermarket products can get you a chocolate or coffee character to your brews.

 

[drtomc]

Can't speak really for their use in beer, but in some pharma contexts it has been found that an isolated active compound doesn't have nearly the same biochemical action as when it is mixed with the various small quantities of naturally coocurring compounds. E.g. St johns wort.

T.