Advice needed on using fruit extract & purees

[Stu99]

Hi All,

From what I have read, people tend to use one or the other. Has anyone used both? Obviously scaled down a bit so as not to overdo it.
I'm wanting to do an Apricot Wheat for Summer.
Using Pale ale malt 2.3kg, the same amount of wheat malt, and about 150gm each of carhell and carared, onto Wyeast American Wheat, and some Willamette for bittering. (Sorry haven't finalised the recipe yet). I have sourced a kilo of apricot puree (had to go for an import this early in the season) and gonna pick up apricot extract from craftbrewer (i'll need to do some testing to see what kind of amount to put in). Did also cross my mind to use dried apricots as well.
Any thoughts?
Cheers
Stu

 

[Spookhud]

I use 1kg of passion fruit in last 5 min of boil of pale/wheat 46l into fermenter doesn't seem to age well taste is best two weeks in keg

 

[superstock]

Interested in this topic also. I have some peach & apricot flavourings also from Craftbrewer. Haven't used them yet.
I think the puree and dried apricots may give you very little flavour and may give your ABV a boost. I've had a play with fruits and juices and even added late in the ferment didn't add a lot of flavour.
Be interested if someone has a better method.

 

[TimT]

Almost always, I think you'll find fresh is best.

In the process of becoming a puree or a dried fruit the fruit will lose some of the character that may otherwise show up post fermentation.

The trouble is with stuff like this that you get from supermarkets, etc, is that they're not designed to be for a fermentation process. They're usually aimed at customers who will buy because it's sweet.

With fresh fruit you'll get more - from some fruit, tannin. From most, an acid tang. And of course all that other stuff - the complex mix of fructose and other sugars that give it an unique taste.

 

[wide eyed and legless]

I was going to do a plum porter pre May never got around to doing any brewing but am determined to brew in September, from what I have read was to introduce fruit or juices into the secondary much like dry hopping to obtain that hop flavour.
I will be using prune juice but I will have to experiment with how much goes in, I have a good memory for flavours and can still almost taste the Plum Porter I had in the UK, so I am confident I will be able to replicate it.

 

[Dave70]

I've given up the black art of fruit additions and simply focused on making the best beer I can and adding the fruit juice / essence syrups at serving time.
That's how they roll in Germany, here and there anyway, and they know a thing or two about weizens.
My super dry and un wife pleasing cider is now going over a treat mixed at 3:1 cider to cloudy apple and or mango.

After making a particularly tart wheat last year, I saved the day by keeping a bottle of Grenadine close to hand and adding a few splashes per glass. I imagine cherry syrup would go over a treat also.
No parasol however..

I'm sure it's doable by finer operators than me, but I just couldn't be arsed.
Call me lazy. I can take it.