On 2019-07-21 15:33:51 +0000, Baloonon said:
>>
>
> What would you recommend as a first time experiment?
>
> I'm thinking of leaving behind at bottling time a gallon of an upcoming
> semi-Festbier (Munich/Vienna malt, Hallertau hops, lager yeast) and adding
> fruit. I'm thinking I'd want something not too assertive. Peaches and
> apricots should be in season when I brew, but I'm open to alternatives.
>
> I'm not interested in going the Lambic/wild yeast route, I just want to add
> a bit of a fruit accent, if I do it.
>
> This article gives me an idea of technique, but I'd be happy to get any
> other advice or ideas on things to try.
>
>
https://byo.com/article/fruit-brew-part-2-techniques/
I make a blueberry blond every year, which was my first fruit beer. You
might consider that, in that it is a very mild fruit. Maine berries
should be ripening soon, but frozen friut is nigh as good. I have a
very old hand-cranked crusher, but you can use your clean hands to
crush the fruit as well. Peaches or apricots sound like a great choice
as well.
I never have problems with infection, as the article suggests. I think
it is more than the alcohol content and the pH. The reactiviation of
fermentation by the added fruit I think competes with any pathogens
that might be present. I do the scondary in a fermemtation bucket in
that separating the liquid from the pulp in a carboy is a total PITA --
just take my word for it (live and learn!). Once or twice daily, push
down any cap that forms with a large, sanitized spoom. After secondary
on the fruit for maybe a week, I skim out as much of the pulp as
possible with a sanitized strainer, then rack into a carboy to
condition for up to a few more weeks.
Fruit beers are one of the only times I add sulfite to beer. By the
time of the "tertiary" fermentation, there is usually a good bit of
head space in the carboy, which makes me nervous about oxidation. About
10 ppm is sufficient to be an effective antioxidant. This step is, of
course, optional.
This year I decided to brew my first kettle sour after 30 some odd
years of brewing. I thought my blueberry recipe would be a good
candidate, and the first few sips from the keg have been promising!
--
Bill O'Meally