Fruit for Flanders Red?

I made my first Flanders Red a week or so ago, and I was wondering if anyone has had luck finding sour pie cherries. I would like to use the sour ones based upon Mosher's suggestion in Radical Brewing. I can't seem to find fresh or frozen ones in my area. Surely you wouldn't wanted to use canned? Any suggestions?

I would do a lambic if you want to add cherries, not a Flanders Red...but in any case, yes you want to use canned.

Sterilized, no seeds.

I've only tried homebrews from other folks made with the canned cherries. Fresh are both expensive and hard to find...

Evan! said:

I would do a lambic if you want to add cherries, not a Flanders Red...but in any case, yes you want to use canned.

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I think a Flanders Red would be awesome with cherries. But you are right that Flanders Browns and Lambic are more traditional candidates to have fruit added.

I'd be more inclined to blend a Flanders Red with a young beer than to add fruit but the beauty of Belgians is that they don't give a *&@% about style guidelines... they are concerned only with making good beer!

I did a flanders Red with 2 lbs of blackberries per gallon, turned out to be one of the best beers I have done. The fruit really integrated into the beer, giving it a boost in acidity and a nice fruit complexity.

Edit: also wait to add the fruit, next summer's fruit season would be the best time to add them after the brett/bacteria gets established. For sour cherries the season won't start for another month or so, check a farmer's market.

Oldsock said:

For sour cherries the season won't start for another month or so

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This is good to know, I'll probably wait a bit. Thanks!

And many thanks for all of the advice I've brewed a number of fruit beers and prefer to use fresh/frozen fruit as it has always given good results. When I spoke of canned I was thinking of the canned fruit in supermarkets. That seemed like it would be full of additives and additional sugars. I wasn't referring to the Oregon purees. Those seem like a quality product, although I've never tried them personally.

For this beer I brewed a 6 gallon batch, and I'm splitting it three ways (small carboys). I'm adding fruit (raspberries and cherries) to two and adding french oak cubes to the third. If I'm waiting a long time to drink them I want some variety

I brewed 10 gallons of Flanders Red with the Wyeast Roselare blend two weeks ago. It will sit for 10 months in secondary and I will add sour cherries (1 pound per gallon) and let it sit on the fruit for 4 months. So by the end of summer 2010 I should have 10 gallons of funked out red ale goodness!!!

Cherry Juice Concentrate: A natural alternative to fight arthritis and gout

A quart is equal to 22.5 pounds of fresh fruit.

Bobby_M said:

Cherry Juice Concentrate: A natural alternative to fight arthritis and gout

A quart is equal to 22.5 pounds of fresh fruit.

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Wow have you used that? At 68 brix that would get you some really high gravity really quickly.

I have a gallon of it in the club Kriek barrel right now but I haven't tasted it. A few people I know used it in cherry chocolate stouts and such but I haven't had any yet. It tastes pretty darn good straight up.

Russian River Supplication from Russian River Brewing - Ratebeer this beer is yummy, although the cherries aren't particularly apparent.

Bobby_M said:

I have a gallon of it in the club Kriek barrel right now but I haven't tasted it. A few people I know used it in cherry chocolate stouts and such but I haven't had any yet. It tastes pretty darn good straight up.

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Well I just bought a gallon of it to make a Wisconsin Belgian Red clone, we'll see how it does.

Bobby_M said:

Cherry Juice Concentrate: A natural alternative to fight arthritis and gout

A quart is equal to 22.5 pounds of fresh fruit.

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I've seen similar products and thought about using them. I was thinking 1-2 quarts per 5 gallons. If I did my math correct - which I'm sure I didn't - 1 quart of 68bx should raise the gravity by about 14 points? That should be fine in secondary, right?

I am trying to classify a flanders red I added cherries too. do you think this would fit into cat 23, specialty?

humann_brewing said:

I am trying to classify a flanders red I added cherries too. do you think this would fit into cat 23, specialty?

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Holy cow! A four year old post being resurrected!!! Just messing with you.

By the definition of styles it would be a fruit beer.

Actually, read the last paragraph of "Comments" in category 20.

"... while other fruit based Belgian specialties should be entered in Belgian Specialty Ale category (16E)."

and under 16E "Comments"
"Some styles falling into this classification include...fruit based Flanders Red /Brown."