Using Spirits to Soak Brewing Spices

[CbP Brewing]

I want to soak spices in rum or whiskey and add them to the keg just prior to filling. Alcohol contribution would be minimal.

It seems that this is probably illegal, though it makes great flavors and offers better control of the finished product than other means. Can I just send in an SOP to the TTB?

Thanks for any input,
Dylan Goldsmith
Captured by Porches Brewing Co.
Saint Helens, Oregon

[jfulton]

Uhhmmmmm.... But you just added the spices to the kettle, RIGHT???

[CbP Brewing]

TTB said "maybe"

Apparently there is a reg that says that less than half of the alcohol in a malt beverage can come from ingredients, i.e. not from the grain fermentation. Hm. I was thinking more like 0.5% from rum soaked vanilla beans.

Then they said that I was not allowed to have distilled spirits on premises of a brewery. So much for my martini breakfasts.

I don't want to use commercial vanilla extract, because most of them have other stuff in them (and taste strange in beer), the ones that are all natural are expensive, and because I don't want to buy pre-mixed flavors darnit! If I bought a bottle of vanilla at the grocery store and poured it into a keg, would that be legal vs. making vanilla extract myself? Distillers permit?

[beermkr]

Seems to me that if you make your extract off premise and then bring it on it is not "distilled spirits" anymore..... it is spice extract.

R/

[liammckenna]

Unless you are using a potential allergen (like some nut based liqueurs) I wouldn't sweat it. I wouldn't ask any sort of official person either. They often tend to complicate little things (I suppose this is their job) and let's face it, the amount of alc added by a spice extract is very little.

I, of course, have never engaged in any such shenanigans.

Pax.

Liam

[Jephro]

I assume your'e not adding more than 8-16 oz's to your batch. Are you a packaging brewery? If not, and any alcohol contrubition is minimal, i wouldnt worry too much. If your'e a packaging brewery (i.e. bottling), then yes do the TTB SOP form or it could really come back to bite you later.

On a side note, i have found just splitting & soaking the vanilla beans in the FV or BBT works well. IMO the alcohol in the beer extracts the flavor just fine. I think 2-6 beans/bbl for a week or so is what i have done on porters and browns.

[Roger Greene]

First of, the tax has been paid on any spirit you use (unless your one those folk). Second, pure vanilla extract that you get from the store has around 35% ABV already. I don't see any issue.

[Roger Greene]

I was poking around the C.F.R. today and found the regulation.

27 C.F.R. §7.11

(a) Use of flavors and other nonbeverage ingredients containing alcohol—

(1) General. Flavors and other nonbeverage ingredients containing alcohol may be used in producing a malt beverage. Except as provided in paragraph (a)(2) of this section, no more than 49% of the overall alcohol content of the finished product may be derived from the addition of flavors and other nonbeverage ingredients containing alcohol. For example, a finished malt beverage that contains 5.0% alcohol by volume must derive a minimum of 2.55% alcohol by volume from the fermentation of barley malt and other materials and may derive not more than 2.45% alcohol by volume from the addition of flavors and other nonbeverage ingredients containing alcohol.

(2) In the case of malt beverages with an alcohol content of more than 6% by volume, no more than 1.5% of the volume of the malt beverage may consist of alcohol derived from added flavors and other nonbeverage ingredients containing alcohol.

(b) Processing. Malt beverages may be filtered or otherwise processed in order to remove color, taste, aroma, bitterness, or other characteristics derived from fermentation.

[CbP Brewing]

Will SOP ASAP

Thank you for the diligence! I will submit an SOP ASAP, and will surely post a follow-up with their answer. Last time I did an SOP it took over six weeks to get my first reply.

I was poking around the C.F.R. today and found the regulation.

27 C.F.R. §7.11

(a) Use of flavors and other nonbeverage ingredients containing alcohol—

(1) General. Flavors and other nonbeverage ingredients containing alcohol may be used in producing a malt beverage. Except as provided in paragraph (a)(2) of this section, no more than 49% of the overall alcohol content of the finished product may be derived from the addition of flavors and other nonbeverage ingredients containing alcohol. For example, a finished malt beverage that contains 5.0% alcohol by volume must derive a minimum of 2.55% alcohol by volume from the fermentation of barley malt and other materials and may derive not more than 2.45% alcohol by volume from the addition of flavors and other nonbeverage ingredients containing alcohol.

(2) In the case of malt beverages with an alcohol content of more than 6% by volume, no more than 1.5% of the volume of the malt beverage may consist of alcohol derived from added flavors and other nonbeverage ingredients containing alcohol.

(b) Processing. Malt beverages may be filtered or otherwise processed in order to remove color, taste, aroma, bitterness, or other characteristics derived from fermentation.