fruit beer recipe advice

I've made quite a few batches of Watermelon Wheat (extract) using just watermelon extract as flavoring with pretty good results. I usually use Hallaurta (sp?) Hops....

Anyways, I stocked up on some Saaz and Cascade hops and was looking for advice on a recipe using 1 or both of these hops. Low IBUs and drinkability is the goal.

I was thinking Saaz for 60 (1oz) and cascade for 15 (1oz).......... extract would be half wheat/ half light lme.

Any advice?

i brewed a wheat (partial) that i added red grapefruit to---hallertau for bittering & cascade for flavor/aroma. plan on dry hopping with amarillo. just an experiment.

i used saaz for sam calagione's blood orange wheat with good results.

antony said:

i brewed a wheat (partial) that i added red grapefruit to---hallertau for bittering & cascade for flavor/aroma. plan on dry hopping with amarillo. just an experiment.

i used saaz for sam calagione's blood orange wheat with good results.

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Blood orange wheat huh? Care to share that recipe?

definitely. it's from the 'extreme brewing' book but there's a write up here. its an extract, worked really well for me. i think i'd go a bit heavier on the orange next time but give it a go.

it was ready crazy quick too, think we were drinking three weeks or so after brewing. good luck.

KEG 1 - Orange Marmalade Pale Ale

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what'd you do for that orange marmalade pale ale?

antony said:

what'd you do for that orange marmalade pale ale?

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Just made a basic PALE ALE, and added I think 16oz 100% pure marmalade at 15 minutes left in th boil. Did notice much orange flavor with a 5G batch.

I also did a 15 gallon batch and added 2 - 16oz jars and still didn't notice alot of orange flavor.

Im hoping the BO Hef might be what Im looking for

antony said:

definitely. it's from the 'extreme brewing' book but there's a write up here. its an extract, worked really well for me. i think i'd go a bit heavier on the orange next time but give it a go.

it was ready crazy quick too, think we were drinking three weeks or so after brewing. good luck.

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With the oranges, did you grate the all the white off the peels?

And as far as more, you think doubling it to 8 or maybe 6?

yup, try to not get any pith (the white part)--I actually just zested the entire thing--figure'd more surface area would be better.

I didn't get too much orange from it to be honest. I'll try six next time & probably rack into secondary for several days along with some more orange/zest--I think that might improve things. If I'm really ambitious I may get 1/4 cup of vodka & cram as much zest as I can get into it & leave that for a week before I add it to secondary.

keep me posted, I'm curious as to how it turns out.

i've heard good things about dried orange peel too, may try & pick some of that up if you're out & about and up for experimenting.

I wonder if regular oranges or those things called "cuties" would work if I can't find blood oranges?

i think any citrus would work to varying degree. cuties, if i remember correctly, are smaller & milder--you should probably plan on being heavy handed with them.

blood oranges are in season, i found some at a shop called 'sprouts'. not sure what you have around you but try for a high-end/organic shop. if you can't find them i'm sure anything similar would work. i thought about a tangelo wheat or even better a citron/buddha's hand.

Yeah, I make a similar recipe adding whole oranges to a Wit. I have used regular generic Florida oranges and navels. Both worked great. Definitely go heavy on the zest, but get as much white pith off the zest and segments as you can. It gets very bitter.

Cuties have such a thin skin, I think they'd be hard to zest. But then again, they have so little pith it may be irrelevant.

Good point sittingduck.....I think maybe puree up about 6 of them (whole thing) in the ninja and steep it and throw it in the fermenter ...

Hefen-cutie?

I wonder about using fresh squeezed oj in the boil/ferment?

thought i read somewhere that you get more flavor & aroma with the oils from the zest & that the fruit worked better after the boil. i think...

I think if you add to the boil you're going to boil off a lot of volitile oils. In fact.l, I don't get a super- strong orange note adding at the beginning of the fermentation. You will probably get more Orange adding it after active fermentation.

Also, I totally want to make a hefe-cutie now.

I used orange juice in a cider. I DO NOT recommended it in any way shape or form, it detracts from all the goodness in your booze. I also used normal oranges, they worked out great in my Hefe.

I'm gonna have to do a 1 gallon hefen-cutie batch for grins.

I think Ill peel then, remove what little pith they have and then purree 2 whole ones (peel and all) and then do what?

Boil 15? or in the the fermenter? or steep then in the fermenter?

What do you guys think?

TommyB said:

I'm gonna have to do a 1 gallon hefen-cutie batch for grins.

I think Ill peel then, remove what little pith they have and then purree 2 whole ones (peel and all) and then do what?

Boil 15? or in the the fermenter? or steep then in the fermenter?

What do you guys think?

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I think I would be a little pithed off if I had to make that.

I think Ill peel then, remove what little pith they have and then purree 2 whole ones (peel and all) and then do what?

Boil 15? or in the the fermenter? or steep then in the fermenter?

What do you guys think?

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I think you add the fruit/zest to secondary for a while or in primary after fermentation's complete. I wouldn't add anything to the boil.

I boil the zest and fruit segments on a little water for fifteen, twenty minutes in a separate pot, then add it all to the fermenter with the wort.