Peach Hefeweizen

[sross]

Hey home brew talk! I have been brewing for a couple months now and i am starting to make my own recipes and would like some advise on it before i launch money into the project. I am going to brew a fast peach (or nectarine) hefeweizen with a friend to show him a little how brewing works. This is the recipe for a 5 gallon batch. I am also maybe debating putting in some honey too. tell me what you think please.


6.6lbs of light wheat liquid malt extract
8 large peaches (pitted but not skinned; to be pureed and bought to 160 degrees on the stove)
.5oz Hallertau @ 60 mins
1oz Saaz @ 20
.5oz apollo @10
Wyeast 3068

 

[I_B_Mongo]

1. Not sure if that will be enough peaches. Depends on how much peach taste you want, but remember, peach is a delicate flavor. It'll take a lot to make it noticeable.

2. Don't heat the peaches. It'll give you beer a cooked taste. You can cut them up and freeze them over night to help kill off any nasties. Also, the freezing action will help break up cell walls of the fruit.

3. If you're looking for honey taste, mash a half lb of honey malt. Honey its self is almost completely fermentable. It won't leave much, if any honey taste, it will only dry out your beer and raise the ABV.

Good luck on your brew day, and good job helping teach your friend!

 

[huge1s]

I just did a peach hefe. I modified a hefe kit by racking onto a secondary with 5 pounds of peaches. It was my first home brew, but came out really well. You can taste the peaches, but it doesn't over power the brew. I just bought frozen peaches (sliced) and put them all on a pan, stuck it in the oven at 250 for 15-20 minutes to defrost them. I mashed them a bit with a potato masher (not too much... just to break them up a bit) then racked onto them. Peaches are not a strong flavor, so I would suggest doing more than you are thinking.

 

[sross]

i will definitely throw a larger amount of frozen peaches in now that i find at the supermarket and maybe some of the peaches that are getting a little too ripe in my kitchen. Maybe i should just open up the bucket after 3 days or so and then add the peaches (the last time i brewed with the fruit all at once it was bananas and it was going so strong it breached the airlock). when i brew them i usually don't do secondary with the hefes. can i throw the bags right the bucket straight out of the freezer? also lastly, you think that orange zest would fit in this one or would it just hide the peach?

 

[huge1s]

i will definitely throw a larger amount of frozen peaches in now that i find at the supermarket and maybe some of the peaches that are getting a little too ripe in my kitchen. Maybe i should just open up the bucket after 3 days or so and then add the peaches (the last time i brewed with the fruit all at once it was bananas and it was going so strong it breached the airlock). when i brew them i usually don't do secondary with the hefes. can i throw the bags right the bucket straight out of the freezer? also lastly, you think that orange zest would fit in this one or would it just hide the peach?

Again... this was my first brew (so take my advice with a grain of salt) but I think you would be fine waiting until things settle down in primary and then essentially starting a secondary without racking into a secondary container (just toss the peaches in). My hefe has a hint of sourness from the peaches along with the "peachy" flavor. I would think you could go either way on the orange zest but would be a bit tentative on making it too sour. One thing I would do differently is to put the fruit in a bag. I had a bunch of peach junk floating and suspended in my beer even after racking to my bottling bucket. I sanitized a strainer and scooped out all the floating junk.... It would have been easier to just put the peaches in a bag.

 

[Bierliebhaber]

I know you're shooting for a peach hefe here, but another option is apricot. Apricot comes out tasting a lot like peach, but apricots have a stronger flavor. My wife origially wanted me to make a peach hefe for her, but I made an apricot one instead because the research indicated that peach was a very soft flavor. Now, she demands apricot hefe annually. I use Oregon Fruit puree (now relabeling to Vintners). One can does the job. It's your beer and your call, but apricot is just a way to get a stronger peach-like flavor.

 

[biochemedic]

2. Don't heat the peaches. It'll give you beer a cooked taste. You can cut them up and freeze them over night to help kill off any nasties. Also, the freezing action will help break up cell walls of the fruit.

Not that this will matter as much in a hefe, but heating will also set pectin that will contribute to a lot of haze. Even if you don't heat though, you might want to consider adding some pectic enzyme. I use it whenever I make any brew with fruit...definitely no downside to adding it.

3. If you're looking for honey taste, mash a half lb of honey malt. Honey its self is almost completely fermentable. It won't leave much, if any honey taste, it will only dry out your beer and raise the ABV.

While it will definitely raise ABV and possibly increase perception of dryness/decrease body, it is possible to get honey flavor and aroma from honey itself...the problem is that if it is added right from the start, the main vigorous primary ferment will drive off the delicate aromatics. If you add honey after the primary is almost done, you will retain much more honey flavor/aroma...

 

[huge1s]

I know you're shooting for a peach hefe here, but another option is apricot. Apricot comes out tasting a lot like peach, but apricots have a stronger flavor. My wife origially wanted me to make a peach hefe for her, but I made an apricot one instead because the research indicated that peach was a very soft flavor. Now, she demands apricot hefe annually. I use Oregon Fruit puree (now relabeling to Vintners). One can does the job. It's your beer and your call, but apricot is just a way to get a stronger peach-like flavor.

Agreed! I read somewhere that apricots taste more "peachy" than peaches in beer. I drink Pyramid Apricot Ale, and the comparison to the beer I just made is pretty similar, but mine is a little more sour than the apricot ale. Apricots around my area were twice as much as frozen peaches... so I used peaches. I think I spent something like $9 for 5 pounds of peaches. I had considered the Oregon Fruit route as well, but wanted to keep the cost down.

 

[Soma]

Peaches don't come through very well in beer, definitely up the quantity.

 

[HH60gunner]

I've always been told that if your going to do a fruit beer and actually want to taste a hint of the fruit, to use about a pound per gallon of beer. I did this on my blood orange hefe and it came out great.

 

[sross]

The plan as of now is to buy some really ripe peaches puree them and then freeze them i am putting in about 6 and a half pounds in. We are about to go to the brew store. If i ever have any questions from now on about my brews i will be sure to ask everyone again.

 

[scootette]

Thanks for this thread!
I plan on brewing a peach/ginger hefe tomorrow. It will be my second batch ever. I have 6lbs of peaches and about 2oz of ginger. I plan on grating the ginger and adding it along with peach puree (in a bag, per suggested above) after initial fermentation. I don't want to do a secondary unless there's no way around it. That sound like a good plan?

 

[hypoboxer]

Can you remember how long this fermented for? Mine has been in there two weeks and it would appear activity has halted.

 

[CHAOGE]

So were you able to get O'Dell's to fill your corny? Just got my kegging system up and running and was wondering the same thing.