Whoops- peach overkill

So a couple months ago I made a berliner weiss which I bottled yesterday. However, I decided to split the batch in half and put half over peaches. The problem is, I think I used too many peaches. I put 2.5 gallons of beer over 6 pounds of peaches.

Any clue what this will do/turn into? It should have a little beer yeast and the Lactobacillus in it.


The worst part of the story (yes it gets worse) is that I bought the latest issue of BYO before bottling yesterday- but I didn't the article on fruit and sour beers until *after* I had put too many peaches in. (One of the posters here actually wrote it- great article Oldsock!)

Berliners are light, so it can be easy to add too much fruit. You can always use the too peachy beer for blending. Just brew 5 more gallons, then combine them to figure out what ratio gives you the right amount of peach flavor. Nothing stopping you from pouring the beer out of the bottles. Time can help as well, fruit flavor will fade as the beer ages.

Glad you liked the article.

Beer can get too peachy? Everyone seemed quite insistent when I was planning mine that I wasn't going to end up with much peach flavor unless I added extract. I didn't, but I do have about 2 lbs of peaches per gallon of beer. That's more than you've got. It's not done yet so I don't know how it is going to turn out, haven't tasted it since I added the peaches.

Babylon said:

Beer can get too peachy? Everyone seemed quite insistent when I was planning mine that I wasn't going to end up with much peach flavor unless I added extract. I didn't, but I do have about 2 lbs of peaches per gallon of beer. That's more than you've got. It's not done yet so I don't know how it is going to turn out, haven't tasted it since I added the peaches.

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It seems like a lot of people read Radical Brewing (Mosher suggests that peaches don't work well in beer) but haven't actually tried it themselves. I got plenty of peach flavor and aroma from 2 lbs per gallon (FYI the OP used more than 2 lbs/gallon), but the beer and freshness/type of peaches will have an impact as well. I used ripe white peaches in a ~6% honey wheat sour.

Thanks for the responses. I'll definitely let it age out and see what happens. If it's too over the top peachy, then I'll probably blend it. My original Berliner Weiss turned out really well, but I did cheat and added lactic acid.

Oldsock said:

It seems like a lot of people read Radical Brewing (Mosher suggests that peaches don't work well in beer) but haven't actually tried it themselves. I got plenty of peach flavor and aroma from 2 lbs per gallon (FYI the OP used more than 2 lbs/gallon), but the beer and freshness/type of peaches will have an impact as well. I used ripe white peaches in a ~6% honey wheat sour.

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I had Mosher's experience using peach. It was very muted and sort of blended into the other flavors. I may not have let it sit long enough or didn't use enough...

ReverseApacheMaster said:

I had Mosher's experience using peach. It was very muted and sort of blended into the other flavors. I may not have let it sit long enough or didn't use enough...

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i'm curious as to what type of peaches were used and how they were prepared. i just bottled my peach braggot yesterday and there wasn't much peach flavor w/ ~8 lbs in 5 gal. i added 3/4 btl of peach schnapps in lieu of corn sugar to amp up the peach flavor.

Ive had the same experience as several others here with lackluster peach flavor, but I wonder if the one critical difference between our bland peach beers and Oldsocks.

It seems that all of ours were "clean" beers and his was a sour, maybe this is a critical distinction between getting peaches to work in a beer?

Maybe it's an aging issue where the peach distinguishes itself over time. I also wonder if crushing peaches to extract and add juice would be more beneficial than tossing in the actual fruit...

I think sour beers showcase fruit much better than something like a big braggot. I also think getting fresh/ripe/local fruit is much better than supermarket fruit or puree, especially for something as delicate as peach. I also did a very long exposure (months) on the sliced, skin-on fruit. It seems like the "best" commerical peach beers are also sours Festina Lente, Festina Peche, Eric's Ale, Yellow Bus etc..

jessup said:

i'm curious as to what type of peaches were used and how they were prepared. i just bottled my peach braggot yesterday and there wasn't much peach flavor w/ ~8 lbs in 5 gal. i added 3/4 btl of peach schnapps in lieu of corn sugar to amp up the peach flavor.

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I actually had a great experience with the Peach Wheat I brewed about 6 weeks ago and tapped 2 weeks ago. The peach flavor complements the wheat beer flavor nicely and isn't overpowering or underwhelming whatsoever. It also have a great aroma. I was hesitant after reading Mosher's comments but am quite glad I didn't pay any attention to him.

My wife bought 15 pounds of fresh Palisade Peaches (from the Western Slope of Colorado) so I took and pureed about 6 pounds (skinned and pitted) with our food processor. I put 1.5 pounds into 4 freezer ziplock bags and freezed the bags. I took 3 pounds out and let thaw and added the pectin and transferred the beer onto the peaches in the secondary for 10 days. Turned out great and I have 3 more pounds ready for batch 2 still frozen. I made a 5.5 gallon batch, a little over 5 gallons after secondary.

I made my recipe a little hoppier than my normal wheat to compensate for the sweetness I anticipated with the peaches (and it tastes f'n terrible before the peaches) but after a couple weeks in the keg it's really quite good.

Does this help at all?

I'm making a peachy pale, and added 2 lbs pureed frozen peaches and 40 oz pureed canned peaches (in light syrup) to secondary. Restarted fermenting like a mofo. I'll post recipe and outcome at kegging time (2-3 weeks).

I used my peaches in a berliner weiss which had lacto and beer yeast in it- it was mildly tart to begin with, although not tart enough for me. I may add lactic acid if I'm not happy with the final result.

The peaches I used were frozen, (not sure what kind) we had cut them up and pitted them prior to freezing. Freezing the fruit breaks down cell walls and makes it easier to extract juice- at least that's what my wife would say. (She makes a lot of fruit wines.)

I'm struggling with deciding how long to let the beer sit on the peaches. I'm afraid that aging it too long will get a "rotten peach" flavor. I'm now at about 4 days, and will probably rack it to tertiary at 5-7 days. Any suggestions?

ArkhamAsylum said:

I'm struggling with deciding how long to let the beer sit on the peaches. I'm afraid that aging it too long will get a "rotten peach" flavor. I'm now at about 4 days, and will probably rack it to tertiary at 5-7 days. Any suggestions?

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My beer was on the peaches for ~6 months without issue.

I have been searching for this topic...a chef I know has 3 boxes of fresh peaches grown from a local friend and offered to give them to me! I was wanting to add it to my honey ale...I want to Purée it and add it to secondary, my concern is should I add it to secondary if fermentation is going to start up again, as some of you have stated? Or should I transfer to a bucket for a week or so? Any suggestions would help thanks

If you add to primary, there's a good chance of getting a massive explosion. If you add to secondary, you'll probably restart fermentation, but there's nothing wrong with doing a tertiary fermentation. That's my technique for fruity beers. Also, if you add to secondary, there's a lower chance of the fruit infecting the beer with any internal microbes.

Thakog said:

So a couple months ago I made a berliner weiss which I bottled yesterday. However, I decided to split the batch in half and put half over peaches. The problem is, I think I used too many peaches. I put 2.5 gallons of beer over 6 pounds of peaches.

Any clue what this will do/turn into? It should have a little beer yeast and the Lactobacillus in it.


The worst part of the story (yes it gets worse) is that I bought the latest issue of BYO before bottling yesterday- but I didn't the article on fruit and sour beers until *after* I had put too many peaches in. (One of the posters here actually wrote it- great article Oldsock!)

Click to expand...

I brewed a peach saison this summer. 5 gallons of beer with over 10 pounds of peaches. Believe it or not... not that peachy. Peach flavor was subtle and tart. Over 5 pounds went into the boil and then 5 pounds in the secondary for a couple weeks.

I racked it to secondary today over 3.5 to 4 pounds of peach puree...I'll let it sit for a week and then keg.

I will say this for peaching on secondary. Use large chunks of peaches instead of puree; much easier cleanup.

to late thanks for the advice though

GillandCo said:

I racked it to secondary today over 3.5 to 4 pounds of peach puree...I'll let it sit for a week and then keg.

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a week? that's it? i would advise a bit more time just to let the peach flavor have a chance to settle in and rise to the surface. bottle some and i bet over time the peach will get stronger in flavor. a bell curve effect if you will

jmkratt said:

I actually had a great experience with the Peach Wheat I brewed about 6 weeks ago and tapped 2 weeks ago...I took 3 pounds out and let thaw and added the pectin and transferred the beer onto the peaches in the secondary for 10 days. Turned out great...

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i call nans. there's no way you flavored 5 gal with .6lb/gal and it was that complimenting. improbable unless those peaches are super peaches!

Homebrewtastic said:

I brewed a peach saison this summer. 5 gallons of beer with over 10 pounds of peaches. Believe it or not... not that peachy.

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^^^this. unless less is more which can totally be possible or the bell curve theory is correct and you tasted it at the peak

Less isn't more with peaches. Peaches are extremely fermentable. With little residual sugars from the peaches there is going to be less flavor. That's why most people forgo peaches and recommend using apricots.

I'm going to be kegging it...and after 24hrs have noticed no airlock activity in secondary, I might give it 2 weeks but ill taste it after 1 and make a decision based off that.

Keep in mind that after it's done fermenting the sugars, you'll still pull some peach flavor from the fruit if you use real peached. If you use extract, you probably aren't gaining much by letting it age.

Posting as promised.

Pale Peach Bum (5 gal Extract)
1/2# Caramel 10L
1/2# Caramel 20L
1/4# Carapils
8# Pale DME (liquid)
1 oz Cascade (5.1%)
1 oz Willamette (4.9%)
Irish Ale Yeast (WLP004)

2# frozen peaches
60oz canned peaches

Prep: 1L starter

Steep: 20 mins @ 155F
Hops: 1/2 oz Cascade @ 60 & 45; 1/3 oz Willamette @ 30, 15, 5
1 tbsp Irish moss @ 15

OG: 1.063
SG: 1.012 (4 days primary)

Puree all peaches and simmer 15 mins; add 1 tbsp pectic enzyme; racked onto in secondary.

FG: 1.009 (7 days secondary)

Aged room temp in tertiary for 3 weeks, then kegged with 1 tbsp gelatin.
Served 40F, moderate carbonation.

Notes:
Moderate malt character consistent with steeping grains; very mild hop aroma/flavor.
Mellow fruitiness from yeast.
Strong tart peach aroma (especially as it warms); peach taste a bit on the sweeter side.
You can definitely tell there were some canned peaches in there.
Nice clarity coming out of tertiary, but chill haze hit it hard.

Modifications for next time:
Go a little more aggressive on the steeping grains (such as doubling them), cutting the canned peaches in half, and doubling the frozen peaches. Let it sit in secondary (on top the peach puree) for 3-4 weeks to absorb more peachiness. Perhaps add a little honey and/or peach cobbler ingredients (oatmeal, cinammon, cloves, vanilla).
Cold crash before kegging (ran out of fridge space).

OK I don't feel so bad then. My peach beer has been sitting for 3 weeks now. Ill be cold crashing tomorrow, then kegging a couple days later...I was just lazy and never got around to transferring...I kegged the pumpkin beer today and the sample tasted pretty good. Ill let you know how it turns out. Thanks

So i just kegged my peach honey today and boy after pouring off a glass that was super tart now im getting almost no peach flavor...My beer almost taste exactly like a Hoegaarden. I used a Burton ale strand from white labs. Its tasty just not the peach bomb i was looking for. I have another 14 pounds of peach to master the recipe...