Homebrewing Additives & Adjuncts
What are homebrew adjuncts?
The main ingredients used in making beer are water, malt (either grains or extracts), hops and yeast. However, many brewers will also tell you that you can make your beer even better by supplementing your malt(s) with homebrew adjuncts.
There are different types of homebrewing adjuncts, and they are classified as solids and liquid syrups. Solid adjuncts are starchy ingredients that need to be converted into simple sugar. These adjuncts are produced from cereals and are added to the mash tun, converting the starch to sugar, which the yeast can use during the fermentation process. If you are using solid adjuncts, you must cook them first to gelatinize the starch before adding them to the mash. This makes it easier to convert the starch into simple sugar. (more info below)