Need Help with Adding Fruit to Beer

[HB_ATL73]

Question for all of those who have some experience using fruit in beer.

I am looking to brew up a beer using Apricots- A request from my brother who wants me to brew for him.

First thought was to use a wheat beer as the base but he does not enjoy the qualities/characteristics of yeast flavor/aroma. So my next idea was to use a clean/simple saison as a base. I think saison characteristics could go well with apricot. Any other suggestions are welcome.

I want to have as many fresh fruit character in the beer as possible so I think adding into the primary or even the keg is my best option, although I have minimal knowledge on using fruit in beer.

An additional note- I would like to stay away from using natural fruit flavoring.

 

[Soulshine2]

there is a chart for using certain fruits , as to lbs per gallon...apricots are what I would consider a mild addition in comparison to something like citruses or tart fruits like blackberries or cherries. Remember too that the added fruit will also add a degree of fermentable sugar so when you add it , it will take off again. Of course it also depends on if you want a hint of flavor or an in your face flavor or are you adding something else that would somehow compliment that fruit like vanilla . I know it may sound strange but I would plan on adding a touch of a lemon or lime to apricot as a small trace of citric acid can help bring that mild flavor forward. Had I left out the lime (juice and zest)from my blackberry kettle sour, I think it would have left the flavor sort of flat or one dimensional.
To answer your question I hope...I would add pureed apricot in a 2 lb/ gallon in a secondary . You may want to split the batch and not add any to one of those , load one up and then mix at bottling/kegging to get the right balance of flavor .

 

[HB_ATL73]

Thanks for the tips. I am looking for a something more than a hint of flavor but not so fruity that it tastes like a shandy/radler.

I agree that apricots are more of a mild addition. Would you suggest using a puree or juice as a way to accomplish getting fruit flavor? I was thinking maybe just using apricot juice in the keg for priming and natural carbonation.

Would this result in enough fruit character coming through?

 

[Soulshine2]

when I added my blackberries i had already frozen them immediately after picking,so when they thawed the skins were already sort of burst, I did nothing more than add them to the secondary. You might want to puree fresh ripe (Id find some that are Organic) apricots to make the available sugars easier for the yeast to ferment. Unless youre using 100% pure juice I would be skeptical if anything was added such as HFCS .

 

[HB_ATL73]

. Unless youre using 100% pure juice I would be skeptical if anything was added such as HFCS .

Absolutely- would be going for no HFCS or other preservatives

 

[Jag75]

I did a peach ale for my wife and added 5 lbs and racked ontop . I didnt get a real peach flavor I wanted so I added 2 lbs of pureed apricots . The apricot took over . Had to back sweeten a bit because it got a little too dry . All in all it turned out pretty decent . I have learned that brewing with fruit can be a pain.

 

[Dgallo]

I prefer to freeze the fruit and then purée it. Freezing causes the cells in the fruit to rupture and pureeing the fruit helps to increase the surface area that will be in contact with the fruit. Both processes help increase your extraction. I’d say between 1-1.5lbs per gallon. Now styles that will work well would be a Golden sour, Pale ales, IPA, Blonde Ales, Saison, wheats and wilds. I personally would do a sour or pale ale for a fruit as delicate as apricot. I’d also pair a yeast will stone fruit character like A04 or 1318(any variant of either yeast will work great too). if you do go with the saison, I’d use 1.5-2 lbs per gallon to insure you a nice profile.

 

[HB_ATL73]

so I added 2 lbs of pureed apricots . The apricot took over . Had to back sweeten a bit because it got a little too dry.

Can you be more specific when you added the apricot? and what puree?

Did you make your own puree with 2lb of fresh apricots or was it a store bought puree?

 

[HB_ATL73]

Thanks! @Dgallo

 

[Jag75]

Can you be more specific when you added the apricot? and what puree?

Did you make your own puree with 2lb of fresh apricots or was it a store bought puree?

Yes I made puree out of the 2lbs of apricots , I believe they were frozen . The reason I did this was because I read a thread that adding the apricot will help sweeten out the peaches . Peach was more tart then sweet .

I added the apricot puree about a week before I kegged it

 

[OriolesMagic]

So yesterday I was brewing a pale ale and was thinking of adding some blueberries. I was thinking of waiting two weeks until fermentation slows. I have a bag of frozen blueberries so I was going to puree them in the food processor and then add it to my carboy and let it mix for a third week before bottling. I do not have a second vessel so I cannot rack to a secondary fermentation. Any advice you might have would be appreciated.

 

[Dgallo]

So yesterday I was brewing a pale ale and was thinking of adding some blueberries. I was thinking of waiting two weeks until fermentation slows. I have a bag of frozen blueberries so I was going to puree them in the food processor and then add it to my carboy and let it mix for a third week before bottling. I do not have a second vessel so I cannot rack to a secondary fermentation. Any advice you might have would be appreciated.

Don’t wait so long to add them. Add them on day 5. Helps prevent any oxidation. 1-1.5lb per gallon is

 

[OriolesMagic]

Should I worry about introducing unwanted bugs? I am thinking it will be fine with frozen berries.