Candi Syrup Questions.

At NHC I got a container of tart cherry candi syrup from cascade beer candi .com

I have two 5 gallon batches of Flanders Red that have been sitting in the closet since November. They have nice pellicle on both of them and it looks like one may be starting to drop the pellicle a little.

I wanted to see about adding the Cherry Candi but don't want to ruin my flanders red.

Would you just poor it in? I was thinking of either putting it in just one or 1/2 into both? Should I wait until the pellicle drops or just go for it?

Thanks for your help!

Jeff

Not entirely sure what that is but it's probably fine to go directly into the fermentor. You might want to taste it before pitching to see how it tastes. Are there instructions for how much to use? Maybe google around for the product and see how other people used it.

Definitely give it a taste first.

It says on there website 1 lb per 5 gallons but it says to start with 1/2 lb per 5 gallons and add to taste. I was just worried about knocking the pellicle down causing issues with oxygen when I add it. I tasted a sample of it at NHC and it has a great tart cherry profile that I think will be nice in the Flanders Red. Since I have 2 carboy's of Flanders I think I will just add the whole thing to one and that way I can blend it if needed. Any issues with the Pellicle or oxygen that I would need to be concerned with if I just dump it in?

Pour with care. Disturb as little of the pellicle as possible. It will grow back.

Does disturbing the pellicle really matter to homebrewers? I can see the issue in a barrel with head space, but in a carboy? Gotta figure the wood has a lot more acetobacter than glass. Never tried just wondering.

I used 1lb. in a Orval clone I bottled two weeks ago. I'm really excited to see how the cherry candi and Brett B. mix. I boiled it with a little water and added it to primary at high krausen. They have other flavor too.

The sugar will ferment creating CO2 and expelling any O2, and form a new protective blanket on the beer. Don't worry about disturbing the pellicle.

Please be careful with anything made with stone fruit pit kernels. Cherry pits including the Mahaleb species pits (as used in this syrup) are poisonous. Heating will not alter the cyanogenic compounds found in all Cherry pits. Small amounts of cyanogenic (cyanide) compounds can be cumulative if drinking this beer frequently. The body can process out only so much cyanide at a time.

Not trying to start a fight but.... Yes most stone and pome fruits have cyanide in the seeds, but I have yet to see any actual numbers. I don't believe any studies have been done on levels of cyanide, plus lots of people swallow pits/seeds without getting sick. Hell the common poinsettia was thought to be highly poisonous until a few years ago. I am more afraid of salt, seriously check the lethal dosage it's crazy low, lower then most chemical used on a golf course.

CSI said:

Please, please be careful with anything made with stone fruit pit kernels. Cherry pits including the Mahaleb species pits (as used in this syrup) are poisonous. Heating will not alter the cyanogenic compounds found in all Cherry pits. Small amounts of cyanogenic (cyanide) compounds can be cumulative if drinking this beer frequently. The body can process out only so much cyanide at a time.

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So are you saying that because I added 8 lbs of whole tart cherries (with pits) to my Flanders Red and drank my beer that I should probably be dead? Whoops, still alive.:cross:

#whatdoesntkillyoumakesyoustronger

You would probably make fantastic friends with the guy who, about a month back, insisted that honey needs to be boiled before use in beer and mead because of botulism.

emjay said:

You would probably make fantastic friends with the guy who, about a month back, insisted that honey needs to be boiled before use in beer and mead because of botulism.

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LOLZ.

Back to the OP, yes, I'd use that tart cherry syrup in a Flanders Red. Let us know how it turns out, I may want to pick some up!

I will post an update to let everyone know but it will be another 3 months or so.

Jeff

AmandaK said:

LOLZ.

Back to the OP, yes, I'd use that tart cherry syrup in a Flanders Red. Let us know how it turns out, I may want to pick some up!

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I was hoping for a stronger cherry flavor out of it. there is just a hint. I will see how it develops with the brett. I think using it at bottling or in a lighter beer style might help too.

AmandaK said:

So are you saying that because I added 8 lbs of whole tart cherries (with pits) to my Flanders Red and drank my beer that I should probably be dead?

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You may consider using an alternate product. Montmorency or North Star pure organic Cherry concentrate will give your Flanders a far richer Cherry tartness without the hassle of an amygdalin back-palate and the bitterness of cyanide, (neither a great affect for a Flanders Red). With the concentrate you get less cherry sugar and more cherry tartness.

emjay said:

You would probably make fantastic friends with the guy who, about a month back, insisted that honey needs to be boiled before use in beer and mead because of botulism.

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Here's the CDC's position:

http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxguides/toxguide-8.pdf

An unrelated discussion about 'honey' is a bit of a poisoning of the well don't you think? And now back to South Park followed by a marathon of the Trailer Park Boys...ehye?

MudduckBrewing said:

Not trying to start a fight but.... Yes most stone and pome fruits have cyanide in the seeds, but I have yet to see any actual numbers. I don't believe any studies have been done on levels of cyanide, plus lots of people swallow pits/seeds without getting sick. Hell the common poinsettia was thought to be highly poisonous until a few years ago. I am more afraid of salt, seriously check the lethal dosage it's crazy low, lower then most chemical used on a golf course.

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Bill, here are the CDC toxicology guidelines for stone fruit kernels. Unlike variable science the presence of known quantities of cyanide is a factor in food production and is prohibited in the US. The common Mahaleb root stock Cherry (kernel contains 1.3 µg/dL). 10 pits equates to abnormally high levels of cyanide. 50 pits is toxic). Toxicity is not the same as lethality. So normalcy bias aside, this is the science.
http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxguides/toxguide-8.pdf

Hey, who says we can't flirt with cyanide right?

Water and air have some as well. Should I also stop drinking and breathing those? I also didn't see the numbers for your cherries listed there, where are you pulling those from? We also all know that smoking is bad for you, but the levels of cyanide in there should kill me on contact according to your 'number-crunching' and FUD spreading.

suprchunk said:

Water and air have SOME as well. Should I also stop drinking and breathing those? I also didn't see the numbers for your cherries listed there, where are you pulling those from? We also all know that smoking is bad for you, but the levels of cyanide in there should kill me on contact according to your 'number-crunching' and FUD spreading.

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PPPPPFFFFFTTTTTT!!!!!! That's hilarious!

I think you've had enough when you can't read anymore...