Making a Fruit Beer Without any additional Fermentation from the Fruit?? (Campden?)
 

I've made a few fruit beers and have had to compensate for the additional fermentation brought on when adding the fruit (way drier than I wanted) by adding maltodextrine and lactose. The results were fine, but I want to do something else...

In the future, I want to add the fruit to a fully fermented wort, but first, kill off all the remaining yeast so the fruit isn't fermented at all.

Clearly pasteurization is something I don't want to do. Filtering sounds like a major PITA, but I would consider it if it was the best way to go.

But what about adding some Campden after fermentation is complete? Then adding the fruit to get the right flavor, and once that is achieved, carbing in the keg with CO2?

Thoughts??

.........tumbleweed..........


.......coyote howling........



:D

When have you typically made the fruit additions?

Secondary for a week. Then racked to a 3rd fermenter to clear again for another week or two...

Are you fairly certain your primary fermentation has been competed prior to racking to the secondary in the first place?

Why not just use fruit extract?

I ask because when i've done fruit additions (to the secondary after ferment was complete) i haven't had problems with the fruit bringing the beer down past where it was prior to addition.

To me, it seems logical that if you add fruit to a 100% completed beer, any additional fermentation should only be with relation to the fruit sugars. I could be mistaken, of course.

Hey guys,

Fruit extract is not an option, I don't like the flavor as much...

I only transfer to the secondary after determining that I have hit my Final Gravity... but when adding the fruit, those horny little yeasties go berserk and a full-on fermentation begins again (with krausen, laser-light show... the works!)

The result has been a beer that is much drier than I would like...

Give the primary fermentation plenty of time to finish.

Cold crash the CRAP out of the beer in the primary.

Rack the cold beer from primary on top of the fruit in secondary, taking every precaution to keep as much yeast as possible out of the secondary.

Keep the secondary COLD. Very cold.

After a week, rack to keg, and keep the keg chilled (force carb, of course).

That should reduce secondary fermentation of the fruit and any "wine" off flavors.

:mug:

Thanks Cpt! I like your process a lot... but what if I want to bottle? Even if I do so from the keg so there is no priming sugar involved, when the bottles keep at room temp, wouldn't that stir up any remaining yeast and they'd have at the fruit juices?