Good way to pasteurize Cherries??

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syd138

syd138

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I want to try out mixing some cherries in with the next weissen I make.

Does it make sense to boil about a gallon of water in a separte pot, let it get to 170, then throw a few pounds of cherries in there, and letting them steep?

Then put that in the primary and put the wort in next?
 
You don't need to boil first, about 30 minutes at 170-180ish should do the trick.

Or, you could go with a can of Oregon fruit puree. Sterilized in the can with no pits or skins, just pour it right in. Also, you may want to wait until you rack to secondary, put in in then rack on top.
 
See, in the Joy of Homebrewing he says to throw the cherries in at the end of the boil and let them steep.. but then you have the boile hops sitting in the carboy for a couple weeks untill you rack it.

So if you steep the cherries separately, then you won't have that problem correct?
 
Couldn't you just bathe the cherries in a campden tablet solution and then put them directly into the secondary.

I'm curious about this too as I could see puttin cherries into a batch of beer or doing a cherry cider when they are in season.

(I have a cherry pie in my oven as we speak.)
 
Personally, anytime I've ever used fruit (4 or 5 batches), I always put it in the secondary after at least a week and a half with no sanitizer. I rack the beer right on top of the fruit. I've never had an infection. I have always assumed that there was enough alcohol to kill whatever was hanging out in my fruit. Maybe I'm lucky, maybe it actually doesn't need to be sterilized, I'm not sure but the beer is always good with no infection.
 
eschatz said:
Personally, anytime I've ever used fruit (4 or 5 batches), I always put it in the secondary after at least a week and a half with no sanitizer. I rack the beer right on top of the fruit. I've never had an infection. I have always assumed that there was enough alcohol to kill whatever was hanging out in my fruit. Maybe I'm lucky, maybe it actually doesn't need to be sterilized, I'm not sure but the beer is always good with no infection.
Click to expand...

I've heard this exact thing and started to mention it but then I realized that I wasn't sure it was true. What if there is wild yeast that can ferment sugars that beer yeast doesn't? Not a infection exactly but possibly some nastiness, yes?
 
dontman said:
I've heard this exact thing and started to mention it but then I realized that I wasn't sure it was true. What if there is wild yeast that can ferment sugars that beer yeast doesn't? Not a infection exactly but possibly some nastiness, yes?
Click to expand...

I think the best thing is canned pasteurized fruit or Camden tablet soak. I have a leaning to the soak. I made several ciders were I used canned oregon fruit and I wound up having a wild and tart cider. Gushers in the bottle after they passed 1.000. - No Good. I am totally anal on sanitation. I've yet to get a beer infection after 3+ years of brewing

Extract is a good alternative too.
 
I just made a cherry wheat. I pasteurized the cherries by mashing them in a pan, adding a few cups of water then heating and holding them at about 180f for about 20 minutes. Also, you want to put fruit in the secondary not the primary or else you will develop a wine-type flavor.
 
The delicious apricot wit in my fridge right now was actually made by boiling in Oregon apricot puree, not adding it during the secondary. Still get plenty of fruit flavor and the natural citrus of the wit compliments it nicely.
 

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