rodwha

Recipes 

SWMBO wants me to make her a cherry wheat for spring. I've read a little about how some have added the cherry flavor. Some use 4-8 oz of cherry extract in the bottling bucket, and some will dry hop with them for a week. I've also seen in the brew calculator that pureed cherries would be steeped.

I've heard that some have had problems with fruit floating in the beer, that because it's exposed it can grow nasty stuff on it. That disturbs me.

SWMBO has a bunch of cherries that she canned and froze. And that sounds better to me, but it seems as though you may need a lot of cherries (7-10 lbs). That seems a bit much to me. I believe that was with the dry hopping version.

Is steeping 3 lbs of pureed cherries enough? Will it give a cherry flavor?

I had come up with 4 lbs Bavarian wheat DME, 1 lb light DME, 3 lbs pureed cherries steeped, 1 oz Willametter, and WLP 320 in a 4.5 gal batch.

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RandomBeerGuy

Recipes 

This is what I do im sure it can be done many ways. I've made a cherry wheat that got first place at a comp. I used a puree and added it during the last 3 mins of the boil. It creates a reddish like tint to the brew and adds a very small amount of tartness then during keg/bottle I add the natural flavoring you get from your LHBS. Its always a hit with the ladies.

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rodwha

Recipes 

Do you get much cherry flavor from the puree? Or is that why you are adding extract before bottling?

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RandomBeerGuy

Recipes 

Puree is not adding that classic "cherry flavor" it adds more of a tartness like a cherry would if you ate one. The flavoring gives it the "cherry flavor" your looking for .

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rodwha

Recipes 

SWMBO has 2 oz of cherry extract. She also has a lot of cherries canned/frozen. Would the 2 oz of extract be enough to give it some cherry flavor? And should I steep some pureed cherries as well?

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"Anyway on the wall was this sign. People who drink light beer don't really like beer. They just like to piss a lot."

"Were I to leave where else would I go? Your words of life and of truth You hold." - Third Day

RandomBeerGuy

Recipes 

Extract go 4oz, 2oz would just be a tease unless that's what you want to go for. As for the puree not 100% on steeping I only do 3 min boil for the "real" fruit. So that is up to you. Its not going to hurt your brew to toss it in at the end of the boil. If I was going to steep I would do it at flameout.

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rodwha

Recipes 

I'll have her get more extract and skip the cherries.

Thanks for your help!

__________________
"Anyway on the wall was this sign. People who drink light beer don't really like beer. They just like to piss a lot."

"Were I to leave where else would I go? Your words of life and of truth You hold." - Third Day

dadshomebrewing

Recipes 

be careful with the real fruit

i recently made a cranberry pale ale with actual cranberries.

worst beer i've produced to date... will be a very long time before i put fruit in a beer again

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In the fermenters: nada

In the bottle: Out of Camber Amber Ale / California Cream of 3 Crops / Wize Ole Dunkel

In the fridge(and the glass): Pilsner-Urquell(AG) / Brew Free or Die Pale Ale / Christmas Cranberry / Wizened Hefe / Mead (2) / Full Sail Pale Ale / No Quarter Porter / Bad, Bad, Leroy Brown Ale (on the South Side of Chicago)

On Deck:

RandomBeerGuy

Recipes 

Adding real fruit is ok as long as you dont overdue/boil it. I too would say a fruit pale would be nasty stick with a wheat base.

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rodwha

Recipes 

I don't care for cherry whatsoever. Wheat beers I am somewhat particular about. This is all for her!
I had a friend's cherry wheat and I passed the rest on to SWMBO. His were very mildly cherry flavored.

__________________
"Anyway on the wall was this sign. People who drink light beer don't really like beer. They just like to piss a lot."

"Were I to leave where else would I go? Your words of life and of truth You hold." - Third Day