Ingredient Preference Help

The main point is, you'll be hard pressed to find breweries that DON'T use malt as their fermentables - as I said, if you have questions, most breweries are happy to answer them.
Where in California are you? It's (obviously) a big state, and narrowing things down will help people familiar with the area give you some recommendations.

 

This sounds like you are creating a problem for one that doesn't necessarily exist. Most craft brewers like to brag if they dabble outside of the four base ingredients you listed, and are part of the sacred yet silly purity law. As such, the vast majority of beer on the market doesn't use, nor need color that is already available from the grain choices, or the fruit, or the tea, or what have you that is an additional factor and will be listed because brewers tendency to brag about such things. No artificial colorants are necessary where beer is concerned. Hop extracts. Not sure why this would be an issue, but okay. It won't be something to create a need to worry about with the range of beers you mentioned. Maltoferm? Huh. Doubtful that will turn up unless you start hanging out with homebrewers, or get a hankering for a really high abv beer from a small brewery. Corn syrup occasionally gets used, but I've only heard of it and also seen it getting used in higher abv beers as a way to thin out the body, and to also give the drinker a painful hangover.
Flavors, as already stated. Most every single brewer who is going to dabble outside of the purity law ideal is also going to brag about that fact, or call their stout a milk stout.

 

That is your entire recipe? If so, without malted barley it ain't a "malt beverage" and as such, your product is going to fall under the mandatory labeling requirement of the FDA.

The FAA Act's definition of "malt beverage*" which is what the TTB regulates is:

An alcohol or alcohol-free beverage made by the alcoholic fermentation of an infusion or decoction, or combination of both, in potable brewing water, of:
· malted barley comprising not less than 25% by weight of the total weight of fermentable ingredients
· hops (or their parts or products) in an amount equivalent to 7.5 pounds per 100 barrels (3100 gallons) of finished malt beverage
AND, with or without
· other malted cereals
· unmalted or prepared cereals
· other carbohydrates (or products prepared therefrom)
· carbon dioxide
· other wholesome products suitable for human food consumption

For more info, check out the TTB's site or the Feds' Malt Beverage Labeling Rules. Look for Ruling 2015-1 for new rules on what were previously "non-tradtional" ingredients.

* Note, too, that " 'Malt Beverage' is the general name given in the Federal alcohol labeling regulations for all products made at a brewery with malted barley and hops. It includes things like beer, ale, lager, flavored malt beverages, and even 'near beer'..."

 

Welcome to the site. I think most of us wouldn't mind if they listed the (detailed) ingredients, but we're still trying to get the brewers to put a simple date on the bottle or can.

 

What do you have against malt extract? I'm curious.

 

You just made your list of breweries very short by eliminating a LOT of beers.

 

I would suggest taking up homebrewing. I would be surprised if you can find a beer that is all grain, whole cone hops, bottle conditioned, and a maibock. I'm under the impression SNPA fits your ingredient and bottling criteria, but obviously not the style you want. I also wouldn't be surprised if every brewery out there keeps some malt extract on hand just in case, and while not always using it for a batch, may use it without advertising the fact.

 

Jason (@SFACRKnight) wins the Gold Star with his answer of "homebrewing". Given your onerous list of criteria this is by far (and perhaps only?) option.

Cheers!

P.S. Please feel free to post your homebrewing questions in the BA Homebrewing forum.

 

Might also change his mind about the use of hop pellets, corn sugar for bottle conditioning, malt extract and (if he kegs) force-carbonating.

 

JK, you are more optimistic here than I am. It is not easy to read 'tone' in electronic communications but OakGuy sure seems to have some 'issues' here.

Cheers!

 

I'm convinced that they benefit from not providing info. You might want to focus on European brewers since it is often the case that their ingredients (or some acknowledgment of) are on the package. There's a European brewer that fits the mold of a pricey modern craft brewer perfectly... and one of their stouts had this on the label: "natural & artificial flavors & artificial caramel color added." I would imagine that if labeling regulations were stricter in the US in regards to beer ingredients, we'd see a lot of similarly labeled craft beers.

Be honest, did you start this thread as a result of a Super Bowl commercial? Perhaps indirectly. I'm not knocking you if you did, I'm just curious. If you haven't looked at it already, you'd be interested in the current Rice vs Corn thread regardless.

In that case, just suck it up with a pellet hop Maibock as well. You should feel lucky if you have access to ANY Maibocks. Otherwise, add your criteria and kiss Maibocks goodbye.

I knew the topic of whole cone hops was going to eventually come up from you... I swear. Generally speaking, look to the older craft brewers for their use - places like Sierra Nevada and Victory. Keep in mind that some brewers will not use whole cones exclusively. Anchor also uses pellets.

OK. Even though you added "anything except wort" to your bottle conditioning bit, you're not seeing the forest for the trees... or you're confusing your objectives (shortcuts vs quality of ingredients). Bottle conditioning is not an example of a shortcut... regardless of the form of sugar.

Why stop there? You've barely scratched the surface of shortcuts. Why not only buy beer from triple decoction mash brewers? But do they kiln their own malt? Forget it. You should really eliminate the clutter and focus only on authentic Oude Gueuze producers... but wait, some of those lazy bums don't even make their own wort! What about genuine Biere de Champagne producers who employ riddling? $40 a bottle? Yikes!

The only satisfying solution is a focus on the extreme farmhouse brewers. Every ingredient is foraged for or grown on their farm (grain/malt and hops included). The yeast is found on the farm too... or maybe the yeast finds the wort instead. Batch to batch variation pushed to its limits. Carbonation is a crapshoot. Dang it! But maybe they're using stainless steel instead of copper and wood. There goes that solution.

I know I might have come across as dismissive to your concerns, but I'm really not trying to be. I'm just using humor and trying to provide a little food for thought.

 

Chris, how do you think that OakDude would react if he saw the labs where brewers yeast is produced!?!

Cheers!

 

Trumer Pils.

You're welcome.

@zid The snark is well-deserved, especially if you just registered with BA and post a new thread that very same day on an already discussed instead of just utilizing the search tool or Google effectively. This is a borderline trollin' thread.

 

You haven't on either front.

 

It was not my intention to be rude, my apologies that it came off that way. My only suggestion is to do a bit of searching around then post here! My reccomendation of Trumer was a serious one, though. World class Pilsner via Austria, brewed right up in Berkeley, CA. I promise you’ll like it. You’re lucky to have such easy access to it (I love that beer so damn much that I’d be more than willing to do a trade for some).

Anyway, best of luck in your search. Don’t be a stranger