In this post, we try to answer the very hard hitting question of what the eff is an adjunct? Apparently, we are a family blog and so we censored ourselves. If we are to reach a mass audience, we should not work blue. Actually, the title this post and video came from a discussion we had in an earlier video. Mike asked the question and said, that’s the subject of a future video. Well, the future is now and ere’s a video of us rambling about the use adjuncts in homebrewing.

Definition of Adjunct in Brewing Beer

The real reason we discuss this topic is that there isn’t a true consensus across the board about what an adjunct is. Some viewers were looking for a true definition and we chatted about all the things it could be.

From an issue of BYO, they defined them this way:

The most common definition is any source of starch that is not malted…

Here’s the thing, in the article, they also discuss malted grains such as malted wheat and rye as adjuncts…so that definition doesn’t work.

The way the term is used by homebrewers I know (and I know a lot, like 5), is any source of sugar that isn’t malted barley. I think this definition helps to include stuff like honey and table sugar along with all the malted and unmalted grains you can think of that would work in your grain bill – not to mention root vegetables.

Our Take on Adjuncts

Once we got by what these adjuncts are, we talked about how they have gotten a bad rap over the years. Since they were closely associated with beers brewed by macrobreweries, adjuncts were seen as cheap and low quality.

I think that mentality has faded a bit since we have matured as a hobby. Now that craft beer is more regularly available and sales of the big brewery’s popular lagers are down, homebrewing is less about rebelling against the pale yellow fizzy lager. Now, adjuncts are another great tool in your arsenal to brew beer that is excellent. If you know how to use them and the effect they have on your finished beer, they can be a powerful asset.

Thanks for reading and watching. We appreciate your time and would like to see your thoughts below in the comments.

Brew on!