Anyone Tried Cherry In Beer?

[mick8882003]

Been asked by a friend, do-able? Taste ok?

Comments?

 

[buttersd70]

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might be some info int hose threads for you, mick. Never done one myself.

 

[Darren]

Hi Mick,

There are huge amounts of cherries that are damaged (birds/bruising etc) that will not sell in a supermarket.

If you live in a cherry growing area, go to the actual growers for the cherries. Tell them it is for beer. Last lot I got were free (20kg). Soak for about three hours in a solution of metabisulphate then wash in water. You should also remove the seeds.

Frozen or canned cherries from the supermarket should work well too.

Hops and cherries generally do not meld well together so you would need to make a lightly hopped beer.

cheers

Darren

 

[buttersd70]

Excellent advice from darren.

I think that a great many (not all, but a lot) of the recipes you will find will tend to be wheats, which are very low hopped to start with. I've had other fruits in weizens, and they work very well...cherries would add a sour note afaik which would complement lightly hopped beers very well indeed...

 

[mercle]

I did a Wit last year, turned out quite well, but I would do it with less cherries next time. I used 1.8kg!

If you do by tinned or jarred cherries, make sure there is no artificial preservatives, and as little added sugar as possible.

 

[Swizzle]

I did a Wit last year, turned out quite well, but I would do it with less cherries next time. I used 1.8kg!

Might seem like a lot but... I have a recipe in a book by Dave Miller - The Complete Handbook of Home brewing that calls for 12lbs or approx 5 1/2 kgs of cherries. It's a wheat style. Planning to give it a go seeings how there's a cherry farm at the end of the road I live in!

Happy to share the recipe - pm me if interested.

 

[[email protected]]

Hey Mick

If your friend is after the cherry flavour then the volumes above will be fine. I have added 4kgs to 70lt and it works well.

If you want to impress them with colour then try pureeing a bulb of beetroot and adding it. The flavour is masked by the beer but the colour is spectacular.

Have fun.

 

[tangent]

I just did a cheery ale with 4.2kgs of sour cherries co-fermented. Tasty. Add some crystal because the cherries dry out, and as Darren pointed out, low hops.

 

[Interloper]

Did a cherry berry ale last year - coopers Real Ale kit, BE2, Nottingham Yeast, 1.5kg of frozen mixed berry + black cherry from tin thrown in secondary ferment for 8 days.

Absolute cracker. 5 months on the fruit has faded a bit but the colour is awesome and everyone who tastes it raves about it.

As others have said the extra sugars from the fruit dry it out a fair bit. It's tart not sweet, but great fruity nose.

"It's different, it's unusual, it's nice"