Using grapefruit juice in your brew

CarverBeer · Jan 31, 2014

I am thinking about making a very citrusy hopped IPA and i want to use grapefruit juice to compliment that flavor... I'm wondering at what point would you use it to get that grapefruity taste? Im thinking of using it during the boil.

stonecutter2 · Jan 31, 2014

I think Liberty hops have a grapefruit like flavor. Use a 10 minute addition or so. Not sure how grapefruit juice would tolerate boiling.

htc · Jan 31, 2014

They're using lime zest at 5 minutes before flameout and Simply Lemonade after peak fermentation subsides in this thread. I don't know what grapefruit zest has to offer, but I'd add juice in the fermenter.

ong · Jan 31, 2014

CarverBeer said:
I am thinking about making a very citrusy hopped IPA and i want to use grapefruit juice to compliment that flavor... I'm wondering at what point would you use it to get that grapefruity taste? Im thinking of using it during the boil.

I wouldn't use the juice at all. You're going to get some unpleasant soiled citrus flavors, in my opinion. I have used grapefruit and pomelo zest before, which both work well. Comet is also a total grapefruit bomb in a hopstand (the hop, not the cleanser!).

dryboroughbrewing · Feb 1, 2014

I'll second the above poster, use the zest. Or if that is insufficient, try grapefruit extract.

CarverBeer · Feb 1, 2014

I have looked for grapefruit extract but cant find anything. I am going to use citrusy hops. But I'm trying to use grapefruit to compliment that.

BigFloyd · Feb 1, 2014

CarverBeer said:
I have looked for grapefruit extract but cant find anything. I am going to use citrusy hops. But I'm trying to use grapefruit to compliment that.

It won't compliment the flavor. Imagine a very tart, bitter grapefruit taste. That's what you'll get after the yeast eat the sugars in the grapefruit juice.

SaguaroMan · Feb 1, 2014

Hops like Citra, Cascade, Amarillo will give you some pretty good citrus/grapefruit flavors. I'd agree with everyone else about not adding any grapefruit juice.

You might also want to add some lactic acid to your mash, some people say it adds a little tartness to the final product

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estricklin · Feb 1, 2014

Obviously this https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f12/shiner-ruby-redbird-clone-recipe-275145/ thread is not about brewing an IPA with grapefruit juice, but it may give you some insight about using grapefruit juice in your beer. It's definitely worth a try, don't let anyone who hasn't tried it talk you out of it!

tx-brewer · Feb 1, 2014

I just noticed today that Abita has a grapefruit IPA, might want to do some research there

Hammy71 · Feb 1, 2014

tx-brewer said:
I just noticed today that Abita has a grapefruit IPA, might want to do some research there

This isn't too bad. The grapefruit kinda compliments the citrusy hops in the brew. Had it on tap and from the bottle. It doesn't taste like it's zest at all, but straight up juice. Having said this (from Abita's site):

"The strong hop profile and subtle zest of grapefruit make it a good choice with grilled chicken. This brew would also pair well with ceviche or raw Louisiana oysters."

So, zest at around 5-10 minutes. I'd start off with the zest from a couple fruits first to see how that goes.

The link says what kind of grapefruit to use.

http://abita.com/brews/our_brews/grapefruit

brokebucket · Feb 1, 2014

my local brewery (Hardywood Park) did a beer called operation pink, which used Citra hops and grapefruit zest. It had all the grapefruit you could stand. I found it to be terrible, but I am sure some people like it. Anyways, another place you can look into researching.

loucurr · Feb 1, 2014

I made a very drinkable grapefruit pale ale using ruby red grapefruit in the secondary. I juiced 3 large grape fruits but next time I will bump it up to 5 and also add some zest. Give it a try...it's all about what you like to drink.

RonPopeil · Feb 1, 2014

http://www.silly-beer.com/p_pink_en.htm

raabs · Feb 1, 2014

Maybe try some puree at bottling. We use it for casks at work and a few ounces goes a long way.

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SaguaroMan · Feb 1, 2014

Yakima Valley Hops also has an experimental grapefruit hop, FYI

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JayDubWill · Feb 1, 2014

I had Schofferhofer Grapefruit Hefeweizen beer on tap at Epcot, it uses grapefruit extract and tastes pretty good. Very refreshing grapefruit flavor but not overwhelming.

politibrew · Feb 2, 2014

I just dry hopped a blonde ale with about 10 frozen and smashed blood oranges and their peels minus the pith.
I planned on dry hopping it for 3-5days but I took samples every 8 hours and I thought it was perfect after just the 1 day. My girlfriend is a big fan of it and is being more impatient than me with the carb process.

I assume this method would work with grapefruit as well. I used the dry hopper from stainless stell brewing. I am really falling in love with that thing.

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ong · Feb 3, 2014

raabs said:
Maybe try some puree at bottling. We use it for casks at work and a few ounces goes a long way.

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Add unfermented fruit purée at bottling? That will either result in gushers or in outright bottle bombs, unless you reduce priming sugar by the amount of fermentables in the purée.

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Using grapefruit juice in your brew

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