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smcc3573 said:
I have made a rhubarb saison similar to this

http://chopandbrew.com/recipes/rhubarb-saison-homebrew-recipe/

came out very nice, tart and refreshing
Likewise - great inspiration that one! Although I subbed saaz for the late addition and did *not* add the rhubarb to the fermenter. I boiled 3kg rhubarb for a few minutes, then strained into the fermenter (rinsed with the wort for extra flavour extraction). I didn't want to mess with fruit as fermenter additions.

Some sugar in the mix ensured it got down low as well, 1.004.

Kegged in June... only blew this week :(
Good run, though.
 
I love rhubarb and have been looking at doing this the chop and brew recipe. How strong does the rhubarb flavor come through?
 
I don't reckon they use enough rhubarb (I used around 3kg)... but then again, I didn't add it directly to the fermenter (quick separate boil and strained into fermenter at pitch).

Also not sure their hop amounts/times are correct, too much 60min hops (I dialled mine back to get a total of 27 IBU). 3kg of rhubarb as a pre-pitch mini-boil was fantastic... definite aroma and flavour. Currently on tap again :)

Linky stuff from the first brew:
http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/19438-whats-in-the-glass/?p=1323924

Second brew:
http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/19438-whats-in-the-glass/?p=1371206
 
Has anyone had any success with adding fruit directly to a no chill cube?? I'm guessing you would want to steer clear of fruits that would produce tannins but it could make for a very simple process.
 
Im about to have my second attempt at a wheat with pomegranate and rasberry. First one i added the fruit straight after primary fermentation and got an infection (see infection thread)! This time i have pureed it and it is soaking in vodka for a few days. Will rack onto it once the wheat beer has fermented out. Fingers crossed.
 
not sure how big your puree is but i use to do 1/4 of a candem tablet to 2kg of raspberries.
there have been threads on sanitising fruit for use.
 
Only around half kg of fruit (raspberry & pomegranate) as im only going to rack around 10L of a dunkel weizen im making now onto it to see how it goes.
 
pajs said:
Citrus zest into the end of a boil isn't a bad way to start with fruit flavours, I reckon, including how they can interact with malt, yeast & hops. I've had a couple of goes at using rhubarb too - not entirely successful, those. Easy to get too sharp & astringent if you are working with fruits that can contribute tannins or other phenolics. For that reason, I'd be a little careful with plums. I'd try them in something not too wheaty and if the skins were too tannic, I'd blanch, peel and take the stones out (stones of stonefruit will give flavours of their own - think almond/marzipan/bitter almond/cherry brandy type flavours).

I freeze fruit and then thaw before adding, either at the end of the boil, or into the fermenter when pitching, or when racking to a secondary. For example, I've got a Belgian Cherry Dubbel finishing in the fermenter now. That was backyard fruit picked last summer, frozen, then added at the end of the boil. I meant to use a pectinase enzyme to deal with some of the haze risks of putting fruit into hot wort, but forgot. Unless you are working with really high pectin fruit, or really keen on clarity, you can probably avoid adding pectinase.

One thing I'd like to do but have not yet is use blueberries in a red ale recipe for both flavour and red colour. With plums, I'd be tempted to take a golden ale type recipe that fits well with a hop like Amarillo and use the plums in a secondary to complement the hops, maybe with Marris Otter on the grain side for something biscuity.

Best of luck.
very true, i found that out the hard way when i tried to make a Apricot wheat last year and put halved apricots into the boil. what a blunder, tasted terrible had to biff it. Good learning experience tho.
 
2 more questions:

- is there an ideal temp when adding fruit to a secondary? I have already crash chilled a weizen in the primary but I'm thinking of separating 5L for a fruit experiment when I rack it to a keg tomorrow. Not sure if the warmer batch should be brought back up to fermentation temps.

- do frozen berries (store bought) need to be sanitized or pasturized before they are used in a secondary?
 
I hear on the podcasts that a lot of breweries get fruit puree from a company called Oregon Fruit. Info here - http://www.oregonfruit.com/fruit-brewing/category/fruit-beer

Does anyone know of a similar supplier or product in Australia? Looks like the key is having the puree aseptic. Sounds like a really easy way to use fruit, if I could find this stuff on a smaller scale in Australia.
 
A while back I sous vide some fruit. I think this might be the best option as you pasteurise and break down the fruit without cooking the fruit at high temp. From memory 85c for 30min does the job..
 
donald_trub said:
I hear on the podcasts that a lot of breweries get fruit puree from a company called Oregon Fruit. Info here - http://www.oregonfruit.com/fruit-brewing/category/fruit-beer

Does anyone know of a similar supplier or product in Australia? Looks like the key is having the puree aseptic. Sounds like a really easy way to use fruit, if I could find this stuff on a smaller scale in Australia.
craftbrewer had them at one stage
 
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