Apricot APA

i brewed my version of an APA in two versions. one version, instead of dry hopping, i added a 3lb can of oregon apricot puree. well i racked the batch on top of that in the secondary 9 days after i started the primary. it appears as though the fermentation process has started again. there is a new layer of foam on top and the airlock is bubbleing again. when i transfered the beer to the secondary, i used my siphon and did like normal, keeping the siphon above the yeast cake on the bottom making sure not to suck it up. is this new fermentation going to alter my ABV? and will it give me any off flavors? the o.g was around 1.062 and gravity while racking was 1.010 (not including the puree)

Yes, it will alter your ABV, and I suppose it would depend on what you mean by "off flavors". The flavor will change, but that was the idea, right? Fruit purees consist of a large portion of sugar, which means once you rack onto it, the yeast will go to town. Since they're simple sugars, they shouldn't have any major impact on flavor itself, but they will produce a fair bit of alcohol.

this is my first fruit beer. but yeah, i want the apricot flavor. i was talking more about if the fermentation of the fruit sugars themselves would put off an off flavor. like a taste of fruit left on the counter and left to rott? im still new to the idea of adding fruit

I don't think you should really get anything negative from it; I'd imagine the fermentation would be relatively clean, so the worst that would result is a bit of an alcohol burn from the higher ABV, which would wear off as it conditioned. Apricot's a pretty strong flavor, so I think you should get a decent hit from it. I'd suggest letting the second round of fermentation finish, then drawing a gravity sample to see where the flavor and ABV is at. Continue drawing a sample periodically until the flavor's gotten to where you're satisfied.

i appreciate your insight. i was worried at first. my hopes are to bring this brew to a family gathering. what should i expect with the gravity? after i racked the primary on top of the apricot, i didnt measure the gravity. but i did measure it before.

It might come down a point or two, but I really wouldn't expect anything drastic from it. Some purees are more fermentable than others, but really, the bulk of the liquid is always going to be the beer itself; a few pounds of simple sugars shouldn't be a huge shift.

If the resulting alcohol flavor is a bit overwhelming, you might want to let it condition for a bit longer than you would normally, but that's about all I'd worry about.

I'm brewing an APA tomorrow evening...now I'm debating on picking up some apricots for secondary. Have you had an apricot APA in the past that you enjoyed, or are you just experimenting with it? It sounds like it would be tasty, and a good one to give to people who can't handle porters or stouts. Good summer brew probably.

adamlikesbeer said:

I'm brewing an APA tomorrow evening...now I'm debating on picking up some apricots for secondary. Have you had an apricot APA in the past that you enjoyed, or are you just experimenting with it? It sounds like it would be tasty, and a good one to give to people who can't handle porters or stouts. Good summer brew probably.

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Ive done a few saisons with apricots and they add a nice delicate sweet flavor to it. Also a bit of tartness that fades after a few weeks. Really nice fruit to brew a summer time beer with. Guava is also a good one for Saisons as well

adamlikesbeer said:

I'm brewing an APA tomorrow evening...now I'm debating on picking up some apricots for secondary. Have you had an apricot APA in the past that you enjoyed, or are you just experimenting with it? It sounds like it would be tasty, and a good one to give to people who can't handle porters or stouts. Good summer brew probably.

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with some summit hops. sounds pretty tasty.

so far this beer has been pretty good. everyone that tried it, loved it.

I'm doing a Belgian Apricot ale right now. Just posted a recipe earlier today. Also author of the following thread. https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f37/another-apricot-pale-ale-thread-180703/ The Apricots add a little extra ABV, but not much. In my experience, I would rather puree up fresh fruit rather than use the premade puree or apricot extract. Won a silver medal at a contest last year with a score of 35/50 for the recipe in the thread.