adding fruits to beer.

[critty]

Crazy idea but was thinking of adding fruits to my next batch of beer. Maybe raspberries or even rubarb. I live in the rubarb triangle and there are lots of fresh berries I can pick up from local greengrocers. I presume that the raspberries would just need blending then straining. But for the rubarb would I just cut it up, throw some sugar on and put it in a muslin bag and allow the juices to be extracted that way. I know this will alter the final abv because I am adding fermentables.

 

[Devonhomebrew]

mush up raspberrys add 1 campdem tablet per 1 gallon of raspberry mush then after 24 hours add to fermenting beer as you dont want wild bacteria in your beer now do you.

 

[graysalchemy]

I did an elderberry stout which I added the juice of the berries to the last 10 minutes of the boil. However any fruit will add a pectin haze no a problem in a stout but would be in a paler beer so perhaps some pectolase would help. There is a school of thought that you should add the fruit after fermentation but when I do the stout again I will do it the same as it turned out The Dogs Danglies :thumb:

I used 1Lb per gallon of fruit.

 

[richc]

The other option is to freeze the fruit. I tend to make sour fruit beers so am less scared of bugs but have tended to use frozen fruit.

 

[nuggitmv]

mush up raspberrys add 1 campdem tablet per 1 gallon of raspberry mush then after 24 hours add to fermenting beer as you dont want wild bacteria in your beer now do you.

I've added raspberry's to kit wheat beers and i boil them up so that they boil up to a mash then let them cool and add to the fv and this turns out real nice in fact im drinking at pint of it now ha ha :

 

[graysalchemy]

Thats how I extracted the juice of the elderberries :thumb:

 

[critty]

I should say it would be an extract brew that I put the fruit into. It requires a 70 min boil with the wheat and hops. Thats why I was wondering if I could put it in the boil. But the campden tablets seems a good option too. I think I have some of them knocking around the house.

So would I need 1lb of fruit per gallon no matter what fruit I used?

 

[artiums_enteri]

I like to add the fruit after primary fermentation so the yummy aromas don't blow off with the C02 created during primary. I recently read an article which talked about adding both fresh fruit and fruit extract to the beer in the conditioning stage. This will give you the texture and the realness of the actual fruit but also provide a 3 demential quality by adding the aroma of the extract. Lots of people add just the extract, but that always seems fake or very generic to me. I personally like to have just a hint of the fruit or adjunct I've added, but not enough to dominate the the beer. I describe it as I want to smell the fruit but not taste it. Judges tend to look for that as well.

 

[pittsy]

I like to add the fruit after primary fermentation so the yummy aromas don't blow off with the C02 created during primary. I recently read an article which talked about adding both fresh fruit and fruit extract to the beer in the conditioning stage. This will give you the texture and the realness of the actual fruit but also provide a 3 demential quality by adding the aroma of the extract. Lots of people add just the extract, but that always seems fake or very generic to me. I personally like to have just a hint of the fruit or adjunct I've added, but not enough to dominate the the beer. I describe it as I want to smell the fruit but not taste it. Judges tend to look for that as well.

Great to read your input Arti , i always look forward to it as i learn lots from you :thumb:

 

[artiums_enteri]

Thanks pitsy! It's good to see you still floating around here.

 

[graysalchemy]

I like to add the fruit after primary fermentation so the yummy aromas don't blow off with the C02 created during primary. I recently read an article which talked about adding both fresh fruit and fruit extract to the beer in the conditioning stage. This will give you the texture and the realness of the actual fruit but also provide a 3 demential quality by adding the aroma of the extract. Lots of people add just the extract, but that always seems fake or very generic to me. I personally like to have just a hint of the fruit or adjunct I've added, but not enough to dominate the the beer. I describe it as I want to smell the fruit but not taste it. Judges tend to look for that as well.

Excellent explanation :thumb: The same can be said for late hopping and adding spices to beer.

It does depend on how you want the fruit to be presented in the beer. In my elderberry stout I wanted more of a vinous taste than fresh fruit so that to me meant the fruit needed to be fermented. It actually turned out similar to a velvet pussy (stout and port).

 

[artiums_enteri]

That sounds really good! I'm thinking it adds to the earthy tones of the beer lending more to the complexity.

 

[graysalchemy]

That sounds really good! I'm thinking it adds to the earthy tones of the beer lending more to the complexity.

It makes it quite complex.

elizium Stout 2011


Fermentable Colour lb: oz Grams Ratio
Pale Malt 5 EBC 26 lbs. 12.4 oz 12150 grams 64%
Flaked Barley 0 EBC 1 lbs. 14.4 oz 860 grams 4.6%
Flaked Oats 0 EBC 1 lbs. 14.4 oz 860 grams 4.6%
Roasted Barley 1350 EBC 1 lbs. 0.3 oz 460 grams 2.4%
Crystal Malt 130 EBC 1 lbs. 4.3 oz 575 grams 3%
Brown Malt 150 EBC 1 lbs. 4.3 oz 575 grams 3%
Elderberry 0 EBC 7 lbs. 11.4 oz 3500 grams 18.4%


Hop Variety Type Alpha Time lb: oz grams Ratio
Bramling Cross Whole 6.3 % 90 mins 0 lbs. 7.6 oz 215 grams 100%


Final Volume: 40 Litres
Original Gravity: 1.086
Final Gravity: 1.021
Alcohol Content: 8.6% ABV
Total Liquor: 66 Litres
Mash Liquor: 47.5 Litres
Mash Efficiency: 75 %
Bitterness: 61 EBU
Colour: 158 EBC