Spiced Beer - Spice, Herb, or Vegetable Beer

Name

Spice, Herb, or Vegetable Beer

Category

Spiced Beer

We use the common or culinary definitions of spices, herbs, and vegetables, not botanical or scientific ones. In general, spices are the dried seeds, seed pods, fruit, roots, bark, etc. of plants used for flavoring food. Herbs are leafy plants or parts of plants (leaves, flowers, petals, stalks) used for flavoring food. Vegetables are savory or less sweet edible plant products, used primarily for cooking or sometimes eating raw. Vegetables can include some botanical fruit. This category explicitly includes all culinary spices, herbs, and vegetables, as well as nuts (or anything with ‘nut’ in the name, including coconut), chile peppers, coffee, chocolate, spruce tips, rose hips, hibiscus, fruit peels/zest (but not juice), rhubarb, and the like. It does not include culinary fruit or grains. Flavorful fermentable sugars and syrups (e.g., agave nectar, maple syrup, molasses, sorghum, treacle, honey) or sweeteners (e.g., lactose) can be included only in combination with other allowable ingredients, and should not have a dominant character. Any combination of allowable ingredients may also be entered.
See Category 29 for a definition and examples of fruit. See the Introduction to Specialty-Type Beer section for additional comments, particularly on evaluating the balance of added ingredients with the base beer.

Guidelines

Impression

An appealing fusion of spices, herbs, or vegetables (SHVs) and beer, but still recognizable as beer. The SHV character should be evident but in balance with the beer, not so forward as to suggest an artificial product.

Aroma

Varies by base style. The SHV character should be noticeable in the aroma; however, some SHVs (e.g., ginger, cinnamon, rosemary) have stronger aromas and are more distinctive than others (e.g., most vegetables) – allow for a range of SHV character and intensity from subtle to aggressive. Hop aroma may be lower than in the base style to better show the SHV character. The SHVs should add an extra complexity, but not be so prominent as to unbalance the resulting presentation.

Appearance

Varies by base style and special ingredients. Lighter-colored beer may show distinctive ingredient colors, including in the head. Variable clarity, although haze is generally undesirable. Some ingredients may impact head retention.

Flavor

Varies by base style. As with aroma, distinctive SHV flavors should be noticeable, and may range in intensity from subtle to aggressive. Some SHVs are inherently bitter and may result in a beer more bitter than the declared base style. Bitterness, hop and malt flavors, alcohol content, and fermentation byproducts, such as esters, should be appropriate for the base style, but be harmonious and balanced with the distinctive SHV flavors present.

Mouth Feel

Varies by base style. SHVs may increase or decrease body. Some SHVs may add a bit of astringency, although a “raw” spice character is undesirable.

Comments

The description of the beer is critical for evaluation; judges should think more about the declared concept than trying to detect each individual ingredient. Balance, drinkability, and execution of the theme are the most important deciding factors.

Entry Instructions

The entrant must specify the type of spices, herbs, or vegetables used, but individual ingredients do not need to be specified if a well-known spice blend is used (e.g., apple pie spice, curry powder, chili powder). Entrant must specify a description of the beer, identifying either a Base Style or the ingredients, specs, or target character of the beer. A general description of the special nature of the beer can cover all the required items.

Statistics

OG, FG, IBUs, SRM, and ABV will vary depending on the underlying base beer.

Commercial Examples

• Alesmith Speedway Stout
• Elysian Avatar Jasmine IPA
• Founders Breakfast Stout
• Rogue Yellow Snow Pilsner
• Traquair Jacobite Ale
• Young’s Double Chocolate Stout

Tags

• specialty-beer
• spice