I did DB's Dunkel (AKA Banana Bread Ale). Iam not certain that I got the Banana flavor I hoped for so I am going to add Banana's to the Secondary with a Vanilla Bean or two. I am planning on using real Bananas. I am going to sanitize them in Star SAn or blanching them by boiling them for a minute or two. I am thinking #3/5g. Has any one ever done this? I am thinking as long as the Banana's are ripe they should be good to go. I am thinking that they should not be too ripe ( as in brown and spotty).
It would probably be best to cut them up and dunk them in vodka for a day or so, then add the entire mixture to the carboy. Boiling them will affect the taste, and I'd worry about them affecting the chemistry of the starsan.
It would probably be best to cut them up and dunk them in vodka for a day or so, then add the entire mixture to the carboy. Boiling them will affect the taste, and I'd worry about them affecting the chemistry of the starsan.
what about steaming them for a few min? Here is what I saw on another forum.
OK i've just racked the stout onto the bananas. Here's what i did:
Chopped the bananas into slices and put them in a big pan
Added 1/2 a teaspoon of sodium metabisulphate and about 1.5 litres of water
Brought this to the boil, turned the heat down low, put the lid on and let it simmer for 20 minutes
The bananas were pretty soft, but had not turned completely to mush.
ya think the alcohol is enough to kill any nasties?
Yes, that is exactly what I am thinking. > 2% is considered to be enough. Furthermore, I've been told that the beer/yeast easily breaks down the tough skins of most fruits, so bananas shouldn't me much of a challenge.
And I wouldn't boil them for sure. I think this has the possibility of changing the nature of the banana.
There's a weird "beer" from Africa that uses millet and bananas with a yeast that simultaneously does the starch-to-sugar-conversion and fermentation at the same time. I bring this up because I am fond of dropping bits into conversations that are sort of related, but not really. Carry on.
If it were me I'd just peel and drop in secondary.
+1. Amen to that. The inside of the banana isn't mating grounds for bacteria until the peel has been compromised. As long as it goes from peel to secondary there should be no problems. As far as steaming them and squirting star san on them. Im afraid that is going to throw a little unwanted flava into the mix. IMO. Let us know how it turns out.
+1. Amen to that. The inside of the banana isn't mating grounds for bacteria until the peel has been compromised. As long as it goes from peel to secondary there should be no problems. As far as steaming them and squirting star san on them. Im afraid that is going to throw a little unwanted flava into the mix. IMO. Let us know how it turns out.
Yeah that is what i am going to do. Makes good sense to me. They will get some star san on them in the carboy. so I am RDWHAHB with an Isolation Ale.
Using real Bananas in Secondary??
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