I'm going totally bananas!!!

I have two beers in carboys, both still on the yeast, three weeks old... One is a blend of a stronger beer and a weaker beer both brewed with the same hop schedule.. and the other is just the weaker beer, also brewed with the same hops schedule..

These were all botched attempts at a stone IPA... (low gravity), so they are pretty hoppy (sans dry hop at this point)..

One is a brew with an OG of 1.051, the other 1.055...

I want to banana one of them with fresh banana.. Which one would be a better candidate.. Should I use the lower OG one, or the higher? I'm asking because I'm not sure what the banana will balance against better, the hops or the alcohol..

Also, I'm told I should puree the bananas in vodka and ferment in the fridge before pouring in the beer... I'm gonna use 4 bananas in a five Gallon beer for this first attempt.....

How much vodka, and for how long? Also, won't putting it in the fridge 'prevent' fermenting?

One of these beers, I plan to keg tonite, and then pour the banana in the other while it is still sitting on the yeast (whenever it's ready) while I wait for another corny to get emptied......

fruit in beer.. uncharted ground for me...

Freezing fruit then letting it thaw out breaks it down faster. The Vodka sanitize it. It wont ferment untill you put it in the beer.

So do I puree it then freeze it? Or freeze it, then puree it? When do I add vodka and how much?

Can I add it to the beer immediately? Or do I have to let it sit in the vodka for a while? Do I puree it it with the vodka or without? and do I puree it frozen or wait for it to thaw? Do I have to sanitize the blender, or will the vodka handle that?

How long do I leave it on the yeast, before transferring it all to the corny?

Sorry, I kind of need a step by step intro to this right now...

I'll try and make it as easy as possible for those with the know how..

Re-arrange the numbers for me as needed..

1) peel 4-5 bananas
2) slice banana
3) freeze banana overnight (or?)
4) sanitize blender
5) put frozen banana in blender
6) add (1 oz? 4 oz? 8 oz? pint?) vodka and blend
7) pour in carboy and reinstall airlock...
8) leave on yeast (1 more week? 2 more weeks? or?)
9) Transfer to keg and carbonate

Is that right? Did I leave anything out? Is the order correct?

Thanks,

Hep me Rhonda,
Hep, Hep Me Rhonda...
Hep... Me... Rhonda... Yeah..
Add some fruit to my beer....

Hep Me Rhonda..
Hep, Hep Me Rhonda..

Hep Me Rhonda..
Hep, Hep Me Rhonda..

Okay, so I chopped up 4 bananas yesterday afternoon, and put them in a bowl and stuck them in the freezer... snuck in and ate a few of the little frozen nuggets over night.. Had to make sure they were freezing properly you know..

Pulled the bowl of frozen banana out a bit ago, and poured a cup of cheap vodka (smirnoff) on them, and am now waiting for them to thaw..

There's some room left in the bowl for more liquid, and I'm thinking, "I wonder what Kahlua would taste like in a beer?"... I'm thinking Banana and Kahlua might be a pretty complimentary flavor.. I have this bottle of Kahlua especial I bought a couple years ago that I wasn't crazy about (I like regular Kahlua better), and I'm wondering if adding this to the banana/vodka might add a little flavor to the mix in a good way.. Probably a cup of it is what I have room for in the bowl...

What do you think? Anyone ever try this?.. Or is this just too much for this beer?

It's a low OG IPA (1.055) so I'm thinking it could use a little something to boost both sweetness and alcohol a bit... But this is my first foray into 'experimenting' so I'm kinda like a blind man looking for the light switch here...

Thanks

Well, with no further input, I went ahead and pureed the banana/vodka concoction with my hand blender, and poured it in the carboy... Hope I didn't do anything wrong...

Unless advised otherwise by those in the know, I'm gonna let it sit on the yeast until next weekend, and then rack it into a corny and put it under pressure... That means the beer will have been on the yeast for a month, and the banana for a week...

If I see evidence of a second vigorous ferment, I guess I'll find a way to cool it down until it behaves... Maybe set it outside for a bit where the highs are in the low forties...

It looks like everything should be good. Next time try racking to secondary when you add fruit, it helps clear up the beer.

Running low on things to rack 'to'... LOL

All the puree is sitting on top.. I assume this is normal.. Will it all settle out to the bottom over time?

You dont HAVE to rack to secondary but it does help clear it up. I would only suggest that when you add fruit or dry hopp. Ya it should settle out in a few days.

There's a small layer of new krausen on top (about 1/2") I hope all the banana flavor doesn't get eaten up... Oh well, as long as the beer doesn't get infected (not likely at this point, I think), then at the very least, this is a god learning experience for next time... And the beer needed more alcohol/body anyways,,,

I would be careful with Kahlua. If it has any cream base in it, the stuff will curdle when it hits the more acidic beer. I know cause I wanted to do a stout with Godiva chocolate liqueur and first tried it in a single pint...stuff curdled like a car bomb. very disappointing. I ended up using dark creme de cacao, not as good as I would have liked, but it worked.

I wasn't aware Kahlua had any creme in it.. I always thought it was just brandy and coffee beans... Glad I didn't take a chance and try it....

I thought it did. but I could be wrong. to find out, just pour a shot into a pint of beer (doesn't matter what kind) if it doesn't curdle, you're golden, just add it to the keg.

I know this is an old thread, but I thought I would say... A Youngs double chocolate stout poured on top of a shot of kahlua is awesome! It most certainly does not curdle!

There's a small layer of new krausen on top (about 1/2") I hope all the banana flavor doesn't get eaten up... Oh well, as long as the beer doesn't get infected (not likely at this point, I think), then at the very least, this is a god learning experience for next time... And the beer needed more alcohol/body anyways,,,

Click to expand...

How did this turn out?