fruit beers

by **warthog** » Tue Oct 27, 2009 1:32 am

I just printed a recipe for a strawberry rhubarb wheat ale. While reading the procedures I noticed that the recipe doesn't mention when to put the fruit in. Do I add it towards the end or the begining? Do I strain the fruit out before pouring into the ferminter or leave it in? I really want to brew this beer!!!!! If you have any ideas or suggestions I would greatly appreciate it.
Thanks
Bill

by **davidfunt** » Tue Oct 27, 2009 6:57 am

Hi there,
The experience I have with strawberry and rhubarb is none. However my experience tells me that if you want the taste of the fruit you should add it towards the end in order to have as little fermentation of the fruit sugar as possible.
If you add the fruit in the beginning of the brew it might taste less sweet because the yeast ferments the sugars. The chemical processes going on in the fermentation might also alter the taste from the original fruit taste.
And this is where I do not have experience with strawberry and rhubarb. But my experience with cherries confirms the above.
Best regards
David Funt

by **Wild** » Tue Oct 27, 2009 7:45 am

There are two main choices:

Add the fruit to the hot wort after the boil, when the temp has cooled to perhaps 170°F, and keep the fruit/wort at 160-190°F for at least 15 minutes to sanitize the fruit. If you let the temp get too high, or boil the fruit, then you will set the pectin in the fruit and get very hazy beer but since this is a wheat beer, it's up to you. This method works well for frozen fruit, which has generally been turned to mush by ice crystal formation.

Sanitize the whole fruit with a food-grade sanitizing solution (perhaps by soaking in Everclear or 100-proof cheap vodka?) or steaming, then add the fruit to the secondary and strain out during the priming/bottling process.

Good luck,
Wild

by **bob1** » Tue Oct 27, 2009 7:47 pm

Being a wine maker I have been on planning a strawberry beer noticed the same thing everyone is unclear as when to add it and as Wild pointed out I am thinking about the sweetness. I was thinking of processing and sanitizing just like I do for wine and add to secondary. But I havnt studied the yeast for beer and dont know the alcohol talerances. Ive been told there just like wine and to crank it up to 10%. If I understand brewing properly I will need to keep mash on the high side to get as many unfermentables as I can for sweetness?

by **Stihler** » Fri Oct 30, 2009 10:56 pm

Wild's fruit steeping temperature is a bit higher than the 140 F I normally employ when making fruit beers.

I was curious and went online and did some looking. I, of course, wholly expected to find that he had quoted the incorrect steeping temperature.

However, it turns out he is absolutely right!

I'm sure I read the 140 F steeping temperature somewhere but....Oh well...I guess next time I make a fruit beer I'll steep the fruit at about 165 F or so.

Sorry I doubted you.

At any rate, during my search for enlightenment I came across the following article on making fruit beers:
http://www.byo.com/stories/recipes/article/indices/38-ingredients/683-fruit-brew-part-2-techniques

I generally don't particularly care for Brew Your Own magazine but this particular article is quite good.

- Scott

fruit beers

fruit beers

Re: fruit beers

Re: fruit beers

Re: fruit beers

Re: fruit beers

Who is online

Search

Main Menu

Login Form

Who is online