it's tart cherry season in the midwest -- what should I brew with them!

RBlagojevich · Jul 2, 2009

Gonna pick tart cherries on Sunday. What beer should I brew to use them in?

-a dry, tart saison?
-a malty, toffee-ish dubbel?
-a 12% ABV Belgian dark strong to drink at Christmastime?

or something else?

Parker36 · Jul 2, 2009

Trick question, all of the above (plus a wheat)!

RBlagojevich · Jul 2, 2009

how many pounds of cherries are appropriate in a 5-gallon batch? I've never put fruit in my secondary before.

Cpt_Kirks · Jul 2, 2009

RBlagojevich said:
how many pounds of cherries are appropriate in a 5-gallon batch? I've never put fruit in my secondary before.

Depends on how much cherry taste you want. For a mild wheat beer, 3 to 5 pounds, IMHO.

Brewmasters Warehouse · Jul 2, 2009

Be very careful when brewing with tart cherries. I used them once by accident (thought I bought sweet cheeries) and the tart flavor compeltely dominated a wheat beer. I used 2 cans pureed in the secondary and the beer was not bad, but I do not like tart flavor very much. I ended up giving them to a friend, and he enjoyed the beer.

Cpt_Kirks · Jul 2, 2009

Brewmasters Warehouse said:
Be very careful when brewing with tart cherries. I used them once by accident (thought I bought sweet cheeries) and the tart flavor compeltely dominated a wheat beer. I used 2 cans pureed in the secondary and the beer was not bad, but I do not like tart flavor very much. I ended up giving them to a friend, and he enjoyed the beer.

I'm brewing a big wheat (5 gallons of cherry, 3 gallons of American) with the order you just sent me.

For cherries, I have 3 cans of Kroger tart and one can of Oregon fruit. I used 5.5 pounds last time, that was too much.

RBlagojevich · Jul 2, 2009

Brewmasters Warehouse said:
Be very careful when brewing with tart cherries. I used them once by accident (thought I bought sweet cheeries) and the tart flavor compeltely dominated a wheat beer. I used 2 cans pureed in the secondary and the beer was not bad, but I do not like tart flavor very much. I ended up giving them to a friend, and he enjoyed the beer.

hmm... I think I would like the tartness. What was it that you didn't like about your batch? was it that you were expecting a sweet cherry flavor and it came out unexpectedly sour?

Arkador · Jul 2, 2009

I have only used raspberries and blueberries @ 36ounces/5gal in secondary for 5 days

Recusit8m · Jul 2, 2009

Im glad to see someone posting a thread in regards to sour cherries...I have a Cherry Porter recipe that calls for 5# of Sour Cherries or Choke Cherries...Im in Southern Indiana and Im not sure of what they are...Are the known as sour cherries or is it a different variety under a different name...Pardon my ignorance...lol...Thanks

RBlagojevich · Jul 4, 2009

yeah, they're different from sweet cherries. tart cherries are the ones commonly used in cherry pie. they're relatively more rare, but in season right now.

AzBrewFan · Jul 4, 2009

Choke cherries grow in the south wild. They're nasty imo. Something like Apple <-> Crab Apple.

Ketchepillar · Jul 5, 2009

Supplication clone of course. Russian River Supplication from Russian River Brewing - Ratebeer

captianoats · Jul 5, 2009

Put my vote down for a good cherry popping wheat

it's tart cherry season in the midwest -- what should I brew with them!

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

What should I use these tart cherries in?

a dry, tart, refreshing saison

a malty, toffee-ish dubbel

a 12% ABV Belgian Dark Strong to be consumed in the dead of winter

something else

RBlagojevich

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Parker36

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RBlagojevich

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Cpt_Kirks

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Brewmasters Warehouse

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Cpt_Kirks

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RBlagojevich

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Arkador

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Recusit8m

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