Cherry Imperial Stout
stridex
brother and wife, even friends. I decided to hold a yearly (to begin this
year) family homebrew day on Thanksgiving day. The guys will brew and
consume beer while simultaneously frying a turkey and the ladies will
socialize and do some cooking of their own. :P The feedback so far has
been great; everyone is excited! Now then, I decided to brew a nice
imperial stout. My idea is that it will be in the secondary for 9-10
months, and we'll get to crack the bottles open next year when we do this
again. How exciting to taste a beer you brewed at the same time the year
before!
Anyways, I would like to try to experiment with adding cherries to a
small portion of the stout. It's an all-grain recipe with a fairly high
gravity (SG: 1.082-1.086). I figure I can get about 6.5 gallons in the
primary. That ought to leave me about 4.5 gallons for a large batch of
imperial stout and about a gallon for the cherry version. I will rack to
two carboys (5 gallon and 1 gallon). Now my question is: what's the best
way to add how much of what kind of cherries? :D I've read that it's best
to use frozen cherries and just rack on top of that in the secondary. Any
other ideas/suggestions? And how much should I use for a gallon batch?
Thanks!
Joel
>Anyways, I would like to try to experiment with adding cherries to a
>small portion of the stout. It's an all-grain recipe with a fairly high
>gravity (SG: 1.082-1.086).
>way to add how much of what kind of cherries? :D I've read that it's best
>to use frozen cherries and just rack on top of that in the secondary. Any
>other ideas/suggestions? And how much should I use for a gallon batch?
I have a sour/pie cherry tree in my yard, and have used
them in a variety of ways. My advice is based on my experiences
and taste, so of course YMMV.
I would start with two pounds of cherries per gallon for such
a big, robust beer style. If after sitting on the cherries for
2-3 weeks you think more is warranted you can always add more.
When I use cherries in anything, I do it as you suggest-- put
partially thawed frozen fruit in secondary. If using fresh fruit
you can pit or not as you like; moderately long periods on cherries
with pits can lend an almond hint to the beer.
Finally, I would also not use sour cherries-- I don't like the
end result of high roast, moderately high bitterness, and sourness
that comes from that particular combination. However, if you've
had and enjoyed something like Bell's Cherry Stout, ignore this
advice and feel free to go with tart/sour cherries.
HTH.
--
Joel Plutchak
"New opinions are always suspected, and usually opposed, without any
other reason but because they are not already common." - John Locke
John Krehbiel
I have used sour (pie) cherries with success. I bought about 5 pounds
and froze them until I was ready to use them. When the stout was in
secondary, I defrosted/pasteurized the cherries in a big pan on the
stove (what a wonderful smell!).
I racked the stout onto the cherries and allowed the yeast to ferment
the sugar out, then racked into another fermenter to get rid of
floating gunk.
I found the cherry flavor to be very intense at first, but after a few
weeks, it was quite good and well balanced. The stout recipe I used
was for a sweet stout, mashed high (158 I think). I didn't, but you
might consider adding lactose.
I also planted a cherry tree, BTW. This summer, I watched as a couple
of dozen cherries developed. Then, just as I was about to pick them,
the birds ate each and every one. Next year, I put a net on the tree.