Apricot Golden = tart

Brewed 3 weeks ago

4# cooper's light DME
2# clover honey
0.5# Crystal 20 (steeped)
0.5oz Saaz and Hallartau @ 60
0.5oz Saaz @ 20
0.5 Hallartau @ 2
WLP005 pitched from a 1L starter

(yeast and hops are what I happened to have spare when I got the bug to make a beer )

Transferred to secondary @ 10 days and added 5# of 160 degree water pasturized pitted apricots and about 2quarts of water. Secondary fermentation took about a day to take off - now, 10 days later, the beer tastes great, but is more tart than I care for. I don't suspect infection nearly as much as I suspect early-season apricots.

Anyone know a good way to reduce acidity without introducing off-flavors?

Where did the gravity finish? Dryness can exaggerate tartness, so you could try backsweetening it with maltodextrine.

Other than backsweetening, I don't think there is much you can do with the tartness.

Ah, I knew I forgot something in my rundown!

OG was 1.048
SG was 1.010 when I transferred from the primary
FG is now 1.008 (I imagine it's lower due to the added water)

Backsweetening it is a viable option if the tartness is a deal breaker for you. It will definitely help balance it out.

The tartness isn't so much a dealbreaker for me as it is for the SWMBO, who is the reason I was fruiting a beer in the first place.

I had the same problem with a similar batch.
I used fresh apricots from the grocery store that weren't ripe enough.
After the sugar femented the tartness was overpowering.
I added 8oz of lactose to balance.
It's drinkable now, but it still has some tartness and a "green fruit" component to the flavor.

Next time I'll pop the ripest into the freezer while waiting for the others to be ready.