Brewing with fruit in secondary

[Scott_H]

Hi All,

I was hoping someone could help me out with some knowledge. This is the first time I'm brewing with fruit in secondary. I've started with a fresh wort sour beer in primary and waited for that to complete. Using us-05 yeast

I've then racked into a secondary vessels for 10l of a sour cherry beer by using 2 kg sour cherry purée and 5l of raspberry beer and 1 kg raspberry puree.

My question is as follows first 2 days saw heaps of activity through the blow off but day 3 it has slowed right down. Most research I have seen says to leave on the fruit for 2-3 weeks. At this rate there won't be any activity. Is it normal for the activity to die right down or is my ferment stalling?

Do I still leave it on the fruit still (I assume yes)?
Do I have to re pitch yeast?
Or is it just happening slower as the yeast has to breakdown the more complex sugars in the fruit?

Any advice from someone who has done this before would be great!! Thanks again!!

 

[shacked]

Hi mate,

When you say fresh wort sour beer, have you added any bacteria or brettanomyces (wild yeast)? OR did you just add US-05? Or was your wort pre-acidified (i.e. kettle soured)?

I wouldn't be worried about lack of airlock activity in secondary and a slow down is nromal. Most of that airlock activity that you have seen in the first 2 days will be CO2 in solution escaping plus some re-fermentation of the fruit. You are predominately looking for flavor extraction now.

For a US-05 only beer, I would go 2 weeks maximum and just taste along the way. When the beer tastes like you want it - keg it. If bottling, monitor gravity carefully; when stable, bottle. I always use champagne style bottles for fruit beers and sours (because I'm paranoid).

If you have live bacteria and/or brett, I've left beer on fruit for up to 10 weeks. I've also reused fruit from one batch to a second batch.

 

[Scott_H]

Hi mate,

Thanks for the reply. It's a kettle soured Berliner wiesse. ( I'm a tad new to venture into wild yeasts). My plan was to leave it on secondary for 10-14 days max but got a tad worried over the lack of activity and having no yeast left at the end for carb etc.

I'll be bottling it, I assume I am monitoring the sg carefully to avoid bottle bombs, rather than no yeast left to carb the beer?

Do I need to worry about an infection/mould on the floating and stuck on the side fruit or does the rich co2 environment keep that at bay?

Thanks again!

 

[shacked]

2 weeks will be sweet mate, I wouldn't worry a lack of yeast for carbonation.

There *might* be some wild yeast or bacteria resident in your fruit (depending on where you got it from) and this might take a long time to show up as they generally move pretty slowly - I think purees will be fine. Monitor your gravity and consider heavy bottles or PET (PET for short term only).

I did a cherry wheat beer a couple of years ago that I bottled and it was great, however after 6 months I had gushers and I also had my one and only bottle bomb (so far!).

For my fruit beers, I gently swirl the carboy to get the fruit to drop below the surface to avoid mould. Probably no need if you are only aging for a couple of weeks. You could also consider flushing your vessel with CO2 but I wouldn't bother.

Report back with your results! Sounds like a tasty brew

 

[Scott_H]

Thanks mate you are a legend! I'll let you know how it turns out!

 

[Scott_H]

Hey Mate,

Bottled the Raspberry beer no issues was about to gelatin the cherry beer when I saw this.

Tastes great and smells perfectly fine and does not look like mold. I don't think its infected but not 100%. Should I be concerned? I sanitized Everything a million times I'm assuming its a bacteria off the fruit?

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B8NgXpYlEwUNMTVtYU1BUzBUNlk

 

[barls]

thats a pelicle. if its still tasting good do for it. its just ether brett or something similar has gotten in there at some point.
check your gravities and make sure its finished as it may cause bottle bombs if its too high.

 

[fdsaasdf]

My uninformed opinion is that is a pellicle. this is a pretty handy resource: http://www.milkthefunk.com/wiki/Mold

 

[shacked]

Agree with the other folks about a pellicle.

I'd take a gravity sample and also taste the sample. If it's good check gravity again in a week or two and make sure it's stable.

Wild yeast and bacteria can move a lot slower than "standard" brewing yeast (sacc) so may take some time to ferment out.

Again, I'd suggest PET or champagne style bottles just as a precaution.

 

[GalBrew]

I would go to he Milk the Funk wiki and have a look at the packaging section.

 

[bevan]

I've started with a fresh wort sour beer in primary and waited for that to complete.

Do you mind telling us where you got your FW sour from and who makes it.

 

[Scott_H]

Thanks Everyone!

Gravity has been stable for weeks now at 1.010 ( Has been the same since primary fermentation has stopped.) I think i'll bottle it in my stronger thicker bottles and pray that I don't end up with bottle bombs or gushers!

 

[Scott_H]

Do you mind telling us where you got your FW sour from and who makes it.

There is a place in Yarraville, Melbourne called grain and grape they do a Berliner Wiesse amongst other fresh worts. Link Below: - making a sour beer from scratch is beyond my skills so this worked well!

http://www.grainandgrape.com.au/products/category/DGGKTHHG-fresh-wort-kits/1ARTISANALE%20BERLINER%20W--artisanale-fresh-wort-kit-berliner-weisse

 

[bevan]

I've been there a number times but hadn't looked at their FW's. Thanks for that!
Edit: tiredly fix up words