Jerusalem Artichoke/Sunchoke?

I've never brewed with them but I've cooked them quite a bit. They are a starchy tuber. I would assume that you could boil them until tender, smash them up, and add them to your mash like you would pumpkin but you would be seriously in danger of a stuck mash if you don't use a boatload of rice hulls. Plus you would need to use a base malt with enough diastatic power to share as they don't have any and would need some help converting.

Also, The flavor is pretty subtle, I don't know what you would get out of them besides fermentable sugars out of it. You might as well use potatoes, they're cheaper.

Go for it dude and send me a bottle.

 

Pretty much what hopsandmalt said, but I will add that if the subtle artichoke flavor comes through, is that something you really want in a beer?

 

...Or just add some Cynar to your beer.

 

I found these unappealing to eat when I tried them a couple summers back. Starchy, I wanna say something reminded me of rutabaga, although I only had that unappealing starchy veg once, too, ~15 years back, so I may not have remembered well. My main point was pretty much made by others - the best thing a plainjane starch has to offer is gravity points, which can be had with sugar at almost no trouble at all.

 

Yeah, I've never cared for artichokes, either. Never come across a sunchoke, but I assume they're very similar. Never liked avocado, as well.

 

Not really like an artichoke at all, in my recollection. I enjoy artichokes -- marinated, on pizza, dipped in butter. But never everything tasty needs to be explored as a beer.

 

Oh, addendum! I don't like boiled artichoke, where you dip the end of the leaf in sauce. When cooked into a sauce for pasta, or as a dip with Parmesan and jalapenos, they're awesome! For some reason, my mind always goes to the former. Probably because that's the way my family always ate them. And, that's the kind of flavor you would likely get in a beer. Now, if you properly cooked the hearts, those might add a good flavor to a beer. ...Maybe.

 

I like artichoke and rutabaga. In now way would I want artichoke in beer. Rutabaga is definitely starchy and I wouldn't want it in beer (and I don't think anybody would), but I think it could conceivably be tolerable, though probably very heavy. However, if you're formulating a recipe where your mere aim is 'tolerable' you might want to reassess. On the other hand, Dogfish Head (don't take that as a slight. I a big fan of their their mentality, but sometimes they don't seem to hit the mark).