Effects of Added Ingredients on Balance in Beer

The ingredient character should be pleasant and supportive, not artificial and inappropriately overpowering (considering the character of the ingredient), and should not have brewing, fermentation, or handling defects. Aroma hops, yeast by-products and malt components of the underlying beer may not be as noticeable when additional ingredients are present. These components (especially hops) may also be intentionally subdued to allow the ingredient character to come through in the final presentation. If the base beer is an ale then a non-specific fruitiness and/or other fermentation by-products may be present as appropriate for warmer fermentations. If the base beer is a lager, then overall less fermentation by-products would be appropriate. Some malt aroma may be desirable, especially in dark styles. Hop aroma may be absent or balanced with the added ingredients, depending on the style. The added ingredients should add an extra complexity to the beer, but not be so prominent as to unbalance the resulting presentation.