Difference between revisions of "Soured Fruit Beer"

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m (Rearranging a bit and moving notes)
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2nd steepings - ref Jester King, Upright, Rare Barrel...
 
2nd steepings - ref Jester King, Upright, Rare Barrel...
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==Fruit Varieties==
 
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* Cherries - Both sweet and sour varieties of cherries are available. Generally sour cherries are used in beer. They are more difficult to find and to source some you may need to look into smaller local farmers or frozen or juice options. Varieties of sour cherries include Schaerbeekse (traditional in lambic), Montmorency, Morello and Amarelle.
 
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* Raspberries - Raspberries can pair well with both pale and darker sour beers.
 
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* Plums -
 
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* Apricots -
 
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* Peaches -
 
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* Grapes -
 
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* Rhubarb - I know, it's not a fruit. Too bad. We're going to give you some suggestions here anyway.
 
  
 
==Aging Vessels==
 
==Aging Vessels==
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* Juice - Make sure there is no sugar or preservatives added <ref name="kohlmorgen"></ref>.
 
* Juice - Make sure there is no sugar or preservatives added <ref name="kohlmorgen"></ref>.
  
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==Methods of Adding==
+
==Fruit varieties and usage suggestions==
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(in progress)
+
===Specific notes on select fruit varieties===
 +
 
 +
* Apricots - Noyeaux, getting pretty acidic.
 +
* Autumn Olive - This is shrub producing small tart fruits native to Asia and found naturalized in eastern US (though it is considered invasive).
 +
* Black Currants - Finding black currant juice without added sugar can be difficult because of the juice’s high acidity. Keep this in mind when tasting the juice, as the amount of added acidity after refermentation can make the beer unpalatable <ref name="MTF_Thread"></ref>.
 +
* Blackberries - Adds citric acidity; milder flavor compared to raspberries.  Works well mixed with cherries.
 +
* Cherries - Both sweet and sour varieties of cherries are available. Generally sour cherries are used in beer. They are more difficult to find and to source some you may need to look into smaller local farmers or frozen or juice options. Varieties of sour cherries include Schaerbeekse (traditional in lambic), Montmorency, Morello and Amarelle. The stones also produce some character and can add to the beer, so you may want to consider leaving the pits in with some or all of the fruit.
 +
*Fuyu Persimmon - Works well with fruity ''Brett'' character.
 +
* Grapes - Wine grapes are preferable for their depth of flavor compared to table grapes. Consider both the influence of the juice of the fruit as well as the potential to pull tannins and flavor/aroma from skins. Some homebrewers have experimented successfully with blending finished wine with beers --mad fermentationist--
 +
* Loquot - Leave out pits.
 +
* Passionfruit - When using whole fruit, use the pulp only.
 +
* Pineapple - Leave the skins out.
 +
* Raspberries -  Advice: use a fine-mesh bag for whole fruit or a fine-mesh strainer for puree since seeds/skins may not settle even with extended aging.  Frozen products tend to be more consistent than fresh <ref name="MTF_Thread"></ref>. Raspberries can pair well with both pale and darker sour beers.
 +
* Rhubarb - I know, it's not a fruit. Too bad. We're going to give you some suggestions here anyway.
 +
 
  
−
==Amount Suggestions==
+
===Usage Suggestions===
 
"Contact time" in the table below is for mixed fermentations with [[Brettanomyces]].  Kettle sours or beers that do not contain live ''Brett'' can have a much shorter fruit contact time (generally 1-2 weeks).  All contact times are assumed to be applied in secondary, and at the end of aging.  Keep in mind that this is just a general guideline for usage amounts.  Brewers should consider their base beer's characteristics such as abv, flavor profile, acidity levels, etc. when considering how much fruit to add. It is common for lambic brewers to age much higher fruit to beer ratios and then blend back with unfruited lambic to the desired g/L amount. If you are really trying to nail the perfect fruit amount, applying this sort of technique could be useful (assuming you have suitable beers around to blend back). This will allow you to try different blend ratios to determine the appropriate amount of fruit for your beer and desired outcome.
 
"Contact time" in the table below is for mixed fermentations with [[Brettanomyces]].  Kettle sours or beers that do not contain live ''Brett'' can have a much shorter fruit contact time (generally 1-2 weeks).  All contact times are assumed to be applied in secondary, and at the end of aging.  Keep in mind that this is just a general guideline for usage amounts.  Brewers should consider their base beer's characteristics such as abv, flavor profile, acidity levels, etc. when considering how much fruit to add. It is common for lambic brewers to age much higher fruit to beer ratios and then blend back with unfruited lambic to the desired g/L amount. If you are really trying to nail the perfect fruit amount, applying this sort of technique could be useful (assuming you have suitable beers around to blend back). This will allow you to try different blend ratios to determine the appropriate amount of fruit for your beer and desired outcome.
  
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! Fruit !! Juice !! Concentrate !! Purée !! Dried !! Whole !! Contact Time !! Notes !! Commercial Examples
 
! Fruit !! Juice !! Concentrate !! Purée !! Dried !! Whole !! Contact Time !! Notes !! Commercial Examples
 
|-
 
|-
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| Tart Cherry || 12-24 fl oz/gal || || 0.5 lb/gal <ref name="MTF_Thread">[https://www.facebook.com/groups/MilkTheFunk/permalink/1167993543228858/ Conversation on MTF about adding fruit to sour beer.  10/23/2015.]</ref> || || 1-2.5 lbs/gal || 3 weeks juice/6-8 weeks whole <ref name="MTF_Thread"></ref> || Optional: leave pits in for some or all fruit. || 200 g/l (1.67 lbs/gal) Cantillon Kriek, 300 g/l (2.5 lbs/gal) Cantillon Lou Pepe Kriek
+
| Tart Cherry || 12-24 fl oz/gal || || 0.5 lb/gal <ref name="MTF_Thread">[https://www.facebook.com/groups/MilkTheFunk/permalink/1167993543228858/ Conversation on MTF about adding fruit to sour beer.  10/23/2015.]</ref> || || 1-2.5 lbs/gal || 3 weeks juice/6-8 weeks whole <ref name="MTF_Thread"></ref> || || 200 g/l (1.67 lbs/gal) Cantillon Kriek, 300 g/l (2.5 lbs/gal) Cantillon Lou Pepe Kriek
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Raspberry || || || || || 1-2.5 lbs/gal || 6-8 weeks || Advice: use a fine-mesh bag for whole fruit or a fine-mesh strainer for puree since seeds/skins may not settle even with extended aging.  Frozen products tend to be more consistent than fresh <ref name="MTF_Thread"></ref>. || 200 g/l (1.67 lbs/gal) Cantillon Rose de Gambrinus, 300 g/l (2.5 lbs/gal) Cantillon Lou Pepe Framboise
+
| Raspberry || || || || || 1-2.5 lbs/gal || 6-8 weeks || || 200 g/l (1.67 lbs/gal) Cantillon Rose de Gambrinus, 300 g/l (2.5 lbs/gal) Cantillon Lou Pepe Framboise
 
|-
 
|-
 
| Apricot || || || || || 1-2.5 lbs/gal || 6-8 weeks || || 300 g/l (2.5 lbs/gal) Cantillon Fou Foune
 
| Apricot || || || || || 1-2.5 lbs/gal || 6-8 weeks || || 300 g/l (2.5 lbs/gal) Cantillon Fou Foune
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| Blueberry || || || || || 2-3 lbs/gal || 6-8 weeks || ||  
 
| Blueberry || || || || || 2-3 lbs/gal || 6-8 weeks || ||  
 
|-
 
|-
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| Blackberry || || || || || 0.7-3 lbs/gal <ref name="MTF_Thread"></ref> || 6-8 weeks || Adds citric acidity; milder flavor compared to raspberries.  Works well mixed with cherries. ||  
+
| Blackberry || || || || || 0.7-3 lbs/gal <ref name="MTF_Thread"></ref> || 6-8 weeks ||  ||  
 
|-
 
|-
 
| Elderberry || || || 0.5 lbs/gal <ref name="MTF_Thread"></ref> || || || 6-8 weeks || ||  
 
| Elderberry || || || 0.5 lbs/gal <ref name="MTF_Thread"></ref> || || || 6-8 weeks || ||  
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| Zante Currant || 5-10 fl oz/gal || || || 0.2-0.4 lbs/gal || || 4-8 months <ref>[http://russianriverbrewing.com/brews/consecration/ Russian River Consecration Description.  Retrieved 10/21/2015.]</ref> || ||  
 
| Zante Currant || 5-10 fl oz/gal || || || 0.2-0.4 lbs/gal || || 4-8 months <ref>[http://russianriverbrewing.com/brews/consecration/ Russian River Consecration Description.  Retrieved 10/21/2015.]</ref> || ||  
 
|-
 
|-
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| Black Currant || 24-36 fl oz/gal <ref name="MTF_Thread"></ref> || || || || || 3 weeks juice/6-8 weeks whole || Finding black currant juice without added sugar can be difficult because of the juice’s high acidity. Keep this in mind when tasting the juice, as the amount of added acidity after refermentation can make the beer unpalatable <ref name="MTF_Thread"></ref>. ||
+
| Black Currant || 24-36 fl oz/gal <ref name="MTF_Thread"></ref> || || || || || 3 weeks juice/6-8 weeks whole || ||
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Passion Fruit || || || || || 1-1.5 lbs/gal <ref>[https://www.facebook.com/groups/MilkTheFunk/permalink/1167488763279336/?comment_id=1167496586611887&offset=0&total_comments=5&comment_tracking=%7B%22tn%22%3A%22R0%22%7D Conversation with Manny Jannes and Kristopher Johnson (Green Bench brewer) on passion fruit additions on MTF.  10/22/2015.]</ref> || 6-8 weeks || When using whole fruit, use pulp only. ||
+
| Passion Fruit || || || || || 1-1.5 lbs/gal <ref>[https://www.facebook.com/groups/MilkTheFunk/permalink/1167488763279336/?comment_id=1167496586611887&offset=0&total_comments=5&comment_tracking=%7B%22tn%22%3A%22R0%22%7D Conversation with Manny Jannes and Kristopher Johnson (Green Bench brewer) on passion fruit additions on MTF.  10/22/2015.]</ref> || 6-8 weeks || ||
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Autumn Olive (Autumn Fruit) || || || 1-1.5 lbs/gal <ref name="MTF_Thread"></ref> || || 2 lbs/gal <ref name="MTF_Thread"></ref> || 6-8 weeks || found in eastern US ||
+
| Autumn Olive (Autumn Fruit) || || || 1-1.5 lbs/gal <ref name="MTF_Thread"></ref> || || 2 lbs/gal <ref name="MTF_Thread"></ref> || 6-8 weeks || ||
 
|-
 
|-
 
| Pomegranate || 8 fl oz/gal <ref name="MTF_Thread"></ref> || || || || || 6-8 weeks || ||  
 
| Pomegranate || 8 fl oz/gal <ref name="MTF_Thread"></ref> || || || || || 6-8 weeks || ||  
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Pineapple || || || || || 1 pineapple/gal <ref name="MTF_Thread"></ref> || 6-8 weeks || Chopped; leave skin out ||
+
| Pineapple || || || || || 1 pineapple/gal <ref name="MTF_Thread"></ref> || 6-8 weeks || ||
 
|-
 
|-
 
| Cantaloupe || || || 0.5 lb/gal <ref name="MTF_Thread"></ref> || || || 6-8 weeks || ||
 
| Cantaloupe || || || 0.5 lb/gal <ref name="MTF_Thread"></ref> || || || 6-8 weeks || ||
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| Watermelon || 64 fl oz/gal <ref name="MTF_Thread"></ref> || || || || || 6-8 weeks || ||
 
| Watermelon || 64 fl oz/gal <ref name="MTF_Thread"></ref> || || || || || 6-8 weeks || ||
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Loquat || || || || || 2 lbs/gal || 6-8 weeks || Leave out pits. ||
+
| Loquat || || || || || 2 lbs/gal || 6-8 weeks || ||
 
|-
 
|-
 
| Mango || || || || || 2 lbs/gal || 6-8 weeks || ||
 
| Mango || || || || || 2 lbs/gal || 6-8 weeks || ||
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Fuyu Persimmons || || || 2.5 lbs/gal <ref name="MTF_Thread"></ref> || || || 12 weeks <ref name="MTF_Thread"></ref> || Works well with fruity ''Brett'' character. ||
+
| Fuyu Persimmons || || || 2.5 lbs/gal <ref name="MTF_Thread"></ref> || || || 12 weeks <ref name="MTF_Thread"></ref> ||  ||
 
|-
 
|-
 
|}
 
|}

Revision as of 09:49, 1 November 2015

The acidity and fruity characteristics in many mixed-fermentation beers make them good candidates for fruit additions. It is not recommended to put fruit into a beer to cover up some major flaw or off character. Fruit can complement a good beer but it will likely not fix problems. Quality fruit is expensive and you'll want to start from a good base if you are going to invest the time and money in good fruit for a beer.

2nd steepings - ref Jester King, Upright, Rare Barrel...

Aging Vessels

In wood or steel (or glass or plastic)?

Forms of Fruit

(in progress)

Fruit is available to the brewer in multiple different forms.

  • Whole or sliced fresh - Use a CO2-purged keg or minimize headspace in a carboy. Mold and acetic acid bacteria can grow on the skins of floating fruit [1]. It is a good idea to swirl the fermenter every few days or to keep the alcohol in contact with the fruit. If using a barrel or larger fermenter, use a punch-down technique.
  • Whole or sliced frozen - Freezing fruit has a few main potential benefits. First, freezing fruit helps to break down cell walls, which may make the fruit easier to access for yeast and bacteria in the beer. Freezing fruit can also knock back the microbes present on the fruit. Note however that freezing does not kill all the microbes on the fruit. Finally, freezing fruit allows the brewer (especially the homebrewer) to take advantage of local and seasonal fruits when they may not have a use ready for those fruits in season. IQF - Individually quick frozen ref Jester King
  • Pureed fresh
  • Aseptic puree
  • Concentrates and extracts - Concentrates can lose aromatics due to the process, and are generally not as recommended. Some manufacturers such as Kings Orchards uses a process that reintroduces the aroma back into the concentrate [1].
  • Juice - Make sure there is no sugar or preservatives added [1].

Fruit varieties and usage suggestions

Specific notes on select fruit varieties

  • Apricots - Noyeaux, getting pretty acidic.
  • Autumn Olive - This is shrub producing small tart fruits native to Asia and found naturalized in eastern US (though it is considered invasive).
  • Black Currants - Finding black currant juice without added sugar can be difficult because of the juice’s high acidity. Keep this in mind when tasting the juice, as the amount of added acidity after refermentation can make the beer unpalatable [2].
  • Blackberries - Adds citric acidity; milder flavor compared to raspberries. Works well mixed with cherries.
  • Cherries - Both sweet and sour varieties of cherries are available. Generally sour cherries are used in beer. They are more difficult to find and to source some you may need to look into smaller local farmers or frozen or juice options. Varieties of sour cherries include Schaerbeekse (traditional in lambic), Montmorency, Morello and Amarelle. The stones also produce some character and can add to the beer, so you may want to consider leaving the pits in with some or all of the fruit.
  • Fuyu Persimmon - Works well with fruity Brett character.
  • Grapes - Wine grapes are preferable for their depth of flavor compared to table grapes. Consider both the influence of the juice of the fruit as well as the potential to pull tannins and flavor/aroma from skins. Some homebrewers have experimented successfully with blending finished wine with beers --mad fermentationist--
  • Loquot - Leave out pits.
  • Passionfruit - When using whole fruit, use the pulp only.
  • Pineapple - Leave the skins out.
  • Raspberries - Advice: use a fine-mesh bag for whole fruit or a fine-mesh strainer for puree since seeds/skins may not settle even with extended aging. Frozen products tend to be more consistent than fresh [2]. Raspberries can pair well with both pale and darker sour beers.
  • Rhubarb - I know, it's not a fruit. Too bad. We're going to give you some suggestions here anyway.


Usage Suggestions

"Contact time" in the table below is for mixed fermentations with Brettanomyces. Kettle sours or beers that do not contain live Brett can have a much shorter fruit contact time (generally 1-2 weeks). All contact times are assumed to be applied in secondary, and at the end of aging. Keep in mind that this is just a general guideline for usage amounts. Brewers should consider their base beer's characteristics such as abv, flavor profile, acidity levels, etc. when considering how much fruit to add. It is common for lambic brewers to age much higher fruit to beer ratios and then blend back with unfruited lambic to the desired g/L amount. If you are really trying to nail the perfect fruit amount, applying this sort of technique could be useful (assuming you have suitable beers around to blend back). This will allow you to try different blend ratios to determine the appropriate amount of fruit for your beer and desired outcome.

Don't be afraid to experiment outside of these guidelines.

Fruit Juice Concentrate Purée Dried Whole Contact Time Notes Commercial Examples
Tart Cherry 12-24 fl oz/gal 0.5 lb/gal [2] 1-2.5 lbs/gal 3 weeks juice/6-8 weeks whole [2] 200 g/l (1.67 lbs/gal) Cantillon Kriek, 300 g/l (2.5 lbs/gal) Cantillon Lou Pepe Kriek
Raspberry 1-2.5 lbs/gal 6-8 weeks 200 g/l (1.67 lbs/gal) Cantillon Rose de Gambrinus, 300 g/l (2.5 lbs/gal) Cantillon Lou Pepe Framboise
Apricot 1-2.5 lbs/gal 6-8 weeks 300 g/l (2.5 lbs/gal) Cantillon Fou Foune
Nectarine 1-2 lbs/gal 6-8 weeks
Strawberry 0.5-1 lbs/gal [2] 2-3 lbs/gal 6-8 weeks
Blueberry 2-3 lbs/gal 6-8 weeks
Blackberry 0.7-3 lbs/gal [2] 6-8 weeks
Elderberry 0.5 lbs/gal [2] 6-8 weeks
Plum 2-3 lbs/gal 6-8 weeks 250g/l (2 lbs/gallon) Tilquin Quetsche (contact time of 4 months)[3]
Peach 0.5-2 lb/gal [2] 1-2 lbs/gal 6-8 weeks
Rhubarb 0.5 lb/gal [2] 6-8 weeks
Pear 6-8 weeks
Guava 1-2 lbs/gal [2] 6-8 weeks
Grape (Table)
Grape (Wine) 2-3 lbs/gallon 300 g/l (2.5 lbs/gal) Cantillon St. Lamvinus and Vigneronne
Zante Currant 5-10 fl oz/gal 0.2-0.4 lbs/gal 4-8 months [4]
Black Currant 24-36 fl oz/gal [2] 3 weeks juice/6-8 weeks whole
Passion Fruit 1-1.5 lbs/gal [5] 6-8 weeks
Autumn Olive (Autumn Fruit) 1-1.5 lbs/gal [2] 2 lbs/gal [2] 6-8 weeks
Pomegranate 8 fl oz/gal [2] 6-8 weeks
Pineapple 1 pineapple/gal [2] 6-8 weeks
Cantaloupe 0.5 lb/gal [2] 6-8 weeks
Prickly Pear 0.5 lb/gal [2] 6-8 weeks
Apple 0.5 lb/gal [2] 6-8 weeks
Watermelon 64 fl oz/gal [2] 6-8 weeks
Loquat 2 lbs/gal 6-8 weeks
Mango 2 lbs/gal 6-8 weeks
Fuyu Persimmons 2.5 lbs/gal [2] 12 weeks [2]

See Also

Additional Articles on MTF Wiki

External Resources

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Conversation with Kyle Kohlmorgen on MTF regarding fruit. 10/23/2015.
  2. ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 2.16 2.17 2.18 2.19 2.20 Conversation on MTF about adding fruit to sour beer. 10/23/2015.
  3. ↑ Tilquin Facebook Post 22-Sept-15
  4. ↑ Russian River Consecration Description. Retrieved 10/21/2015.
  5. ↑ Conversation with Manny Jannes and Kristopher Johnson (Green Bench brewer) on passion fruit additions on MTF. 10/22/2015.
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