# Using dried fruit in secondary



## stuartf (9/12/17)

Planning to use dried fruit in secondary for a Belgian dubbel but heard that sulfites used can cause issues does anyone have experience with this? My thoughts were to use sultanas or prunes soaked in dark rum in secondary


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## Black Devil Dog (9/12/17)

I'm pretty sure someone posted about doing something similar to that with prunes or dates a few years back. Don't think they were soaked in rum though.
Might have been a former member called Nick JD. If you type his name into search you might find something.


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## stuartf (9/12/17)

Black Devil Dog said:


> I'm pretty sure someone posted about doing something similar to that with prunes or dates a few years back. Don't think they were soaked in rum though.
> Might have been a former member called Nick JD. If you type his name into search you might find something.


Thanks, did search but didn't find anything initial bit I'll search by name and see what that uncovers


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## Black Devil Dog (9/12/17)

This is the one I remember. A bit different to what you're after though.


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## thumbsucker (10/12/17)

Dried fruit additions is a common practice.

If you allow the primary fermentation to complete and add the fruit to the secondary the sulphites should have no effect on the fermentation.

if you are really weary you can buy sulphur free dried fruit but it will cost an arm plus two legs being organic and all that jazz.

In the past I have added 1kg of dried black grapes to 4 litres of filtered water (40 litres batch), I soaked overnight to rehydrate, then brought it to the boil on the stove for 30 minutes to sterilise. Then placed the fruit pure into the fermenter after primary ferment was complete.

If you are making a sour beer then you can skip the boil. I am planing to add dried mulberies to a Flanders red in the next week.


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## Lyrebird_Cycles (10/12/17)

Unless your dried fruits are a huge percentage of the total fermentables the yeast will happily cope with the SO2. If you've ever tried to stop an active fermentation by adding SO2 you'll see that you need a shedload of it to make a signifcant difference.

Be careful with the rum additions, alcohol is much more toxic to yeast than SO2 is. Stopping a fermentation by adding spirit is quite easy.


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## malt junkie (10/12/17)

Lyrebird_Cycles said:


> Unless your dried fruits are a huge percentage of the total fermentables the yeast will happily cope with the SO2. If you've ever tried to stop an active fermentation by adding SO2 you'll see that you need a shedload of it to make a signifcant difference.
> 
> Be careful with the rum additions, alcohol is much more toxic to yeast than SO2 is. Stopping a fermentation by adding spirit is quite easy.


see now you've got me worried with big beers that I oak I generally throw the oak in with the 60ml (odd) of soaking spirit be that Bourbon, Rum, or whyskey. I have a batch sitting on oak in a keg I was going to throw a cake at as I thought she finished a little high. What are my chances?


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## stuartf (10/12/17)

Thanks for the advice guys, primary is finished but I was worried about how it would go in the bottle. Guess i should pitch some fresh yeast in the bottles to make sure it carbs up


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## Lyrebird_Cycles (10/12/17)

60 ml of spirit in say 20 litres of beer? That will raise the ABV by about 0.12%: the yeast will hardly notice


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## malt junkie (10/12/17)

cool


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## hirschb (14/12/17)

Another thing to keep in mind, dried fruit producers often add oils to keep the fruit from sticking to each other. It's good practice to rinse them off before using to wash the oils off (see latest Tonsmeire post: https://www.themadfermentationist.com/2017/12/cherry-wine-flanders-red-recipe.html)


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## Garfield (14/12/17)

Lyrebird_Cycles said:


> Unless your dried fruits are a huge percentage of the total fermentables the yeast will happily cope with the SO2. If you've ever tried to stop an active fermentation by adding SO2 you'll see that you need a shedload of it to make a signifcant difference.
> 
> Be careful with the rum additions, alcohol is much more toxic to yeast than SO2 is. Stopping a fermentation by adding spirit is quite easy.



Its a phenomenon... Yeast makes alcohol... Alcohol kills yeast. That's fun.

Have you heard about the fish who was allergic to water?

On a serious note, I feel the sulphur saga is so often blown out of proportion. Am I right?


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