Flavouring - Fruitiness / Bitterness

[zigger1_2000]

A Duvel recipe in Clone brews page 53 suggests pear flavouring. Has anyone here ever used fruit flavourings such as pear in any recipes and where did they obtain them? And how can Clone brews specify 28g of pear flavouring? Surely it is different depending on the brand / extraction method or if the actual flavouring was actually made from real pears.

IMHO I would also be very interested also to here about using flavours in recipes to replace hops (bittering and or aroma). For example my partner brought me some Angostura aromatic bitters http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angostura_bitters , normally used with cocktails. Wow just 4 drops in a pint was way too bitter tasting and the smell was a bit wierd. Wouldn't recommend adding it to your pint just yet. Maybe I will try a lower dose another time. But I wander what a bit of this sort of stuff added under the right conditions maybe with the right mix of some other flavouring would do? e.g. in your FV!! Just a thought..... Maybe some experimentation is required

Let's share our flavouring experiences please.....

BTW If your going to try and get some Angostura aromatic bitters then don't try and drink it neat. It is 44.7% Volume and would make you cringe in a bad way if drank undiluted!!! Seems this stuff has been around since 1824

Ingredients: Water, Alcohol, Spices, Natural Aromoas (Whatever that means), Sugar, Colourant: Caramel E150a)

Bet it didn't have E150a include when made in 1824!!!

Quote regarding Angostura bitters "Folklore claims that the bitters have raised people from near-death or even flat-lined states."

Can't sleep hence the time of the post. Must have been dreaming too much about beer!!!![/url]

[mysterio]

I always throught the pear flavouring thing for that recipe was dodgy advice.

Apparently if you use WLP570 Belgian Golden Ale (Duvel yeast), start fermentation at 18C and let the temperature ramp up to 28C over the course of a week, you get the pear notes naturally from the yeast.

I personally think Angostura bitters is disgusting stuff, I won't be putting that anywhere near my beer.

I notice they sell 'liquid hops' here. I've never tried them.

http://www.craftbrewer.com.au/shop/default.asp?CID=13

[bconnery]

The bitters are only intended to be used around 4 drops at a time.
More commonly in a lemon, lime and bitters rather than a beer though... (At least in Oz...)

I'd second the fermentation schedule rather than pear flavouring.
Fruit should be added as fruit, and not for a Duvel clone.

The liquid hops at craftbrewer are for flavouring only, they contain no bitterness, and do have an effect.
We had a tasting session with them using budweiser as a base, with a sample of each type placed in a bottle.
It was very interesting to say the least.

Some of them, the Goldings essence in particular, made the beer into something you would actually choose to drink.
I still don't believe you can beat the aroma and flavouring of adding real hops but if you missed the mark in a recipe and wanted a little extra they would work well.

[steve_flack]

I always throught the pear flavouring thing for that recipe was dodgy advice.

Apparently if you use WLP570 Belgian Golden Ale (Duvel yeast), start fermentation at 18C and let the temperature ramp up to 28C over the course of a week, you get the pear notes naturally from the yeast.

Yeah, that clone brews recipe for Duvel is a load of cobblers. It's all from the yeast.