Using Canned Apricots - Oregon Puree vs Regular Old Canned Apricots

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Powers

Powers

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It's outside of fresh apricot season and I'm itching to make an apricot IPA for the spring. That leaves me with canned and frozen peaches as options.

Bad financial times have led me to commit to keeping my beer ingredients at or below $30/5 gallon batch, and I'm already in $28 for grains and hops (and have plenty of the house yeast).

The Vinter's and Oregon Apricot 49 oz canned fruit purees generally run around $20 once you factor in shipping. Our LHBS has them at $20. Given that takes the batch up near $50, it's too high and I'm sticking to my guns (with the help of a persistent wife of course).

In the grocery store the other day, my wife pointed to a regular old 15 oz can of apricots that was $1.49. It was in extra light syrup and she pointed out it had no preservatives--just water, sugar, and peaches. If I rinsed 4 cans of these peaches and pureed them in the food processor, I could have the equivalent of the Oregon product for only $6. The wife thoughts this was acceptable, which is a plus. And really, so long as there are no preservatives, canned apricots are canned apricots, right?

I'm interested in your opinions, and wondering whether anyone has experience with this? I appreciate any input you can offer, as I hate to ruin a good IPA with bad canned fruit...
 
I would guess it would be fine as long as you do a good job sanitizing your food processor. It might add a little extra sugar from the syrup soaked into the fruit, but that will help to ensure a dry IPA. Give it a shot (or if you have some small fermenters try adding it to half the batch). I put a gallon of a Citra hopped pale ale onto papaya last winter with good results.
 
splitting the batch might be a good idea, i have a couple of 3 gallon better bottles. one has cider in it, but it may be time to keg that anyway :ban:

i guess my concern boils down to the quality of Oregon fruit puree. if it's really only as good as a good can of peaches, then why pay a premium just because its marketed to homebrewers? but if there's something special about the Oregon fruit purees to justify the premium, then i might be convinced to pay extra. just wish i had a grip of fresh apricots :(
 
Found your thread while doing a search and was wondering if the homemade puree was as good as you hoped. May do the same thing for a Magic Hat #9 clone. If it worked that is a pretty big cost savings.
 
I saw your thread and had the same reason and idea to use canned apricots that were in a pear concentrate. How did it turn out?


Powers said:
It's outside of fresh apricot season and I'm itching to make an apricot IPA for the spring. That leaves me with canned and frozen peaches as options.

Bad financial times have led me to commit to keeping my beer ingredients at or below $30/5 gallon batch, and I'm already in $28 for grains and hops (and have plenty of the house yeast).

The Vinter's and Oregon Apricot 49 oz canned fruit purees generally run around $20 once you factor in shipping. Our LHBS has them at $20. Given that takes the batch up near $50, it's too high and I'm sticking to my guns (with the help of a persistent wife of course).

In the grocery store the other day, my wife pointed to a regular old 15 oz can of apricots that was $1.49. It was in extra light syrup and she pointed out it had no preservatives--just water, sugar, and peaches. If I rinsed 4 cans of these peaches and pureed them in the food processor, I could have the equivalent of the Oregon product for only $6. The wife thoughts this was acceptable, which is a plus. And really, so long as there are no preservatives, canned apricots are canned apricots, right?

I'm interested in your opinions, and wondering whether anyone has experience with this? I appreciate any input you can offer, as I hate to ruin a good IPA with bad canned fruit...
Click to expand...
 
Please reply with your results on using the affordable canned apricots in light syrup or pear juice. I am considering doing the same with a wit recipe. Thanks.
 
I used a #10 can of apricots. Used an immersion blender, juice and all, added it to a 5 gallon beer. Worked good for me.
 
I make a Apricot Wheat each year for my daughter's birthday. I usually don't drink it b/c I'm not a big fruit beer drinker but everyone loves my Peach Wheat.

I have done it a couple of different ways.
1. I have bought frozen peaches with out any perservatives and pureed them in vodka.
2. I recently have used canned Shoprite brand apricots halves in pear juice and just rinsed them and pureed them and placed with vodka.

Both have worked well for me. I just made option 2 last month and everyone loved it.
 
Another option, and probably the cheapest, is to use apricot flavor instead of real fruit. When using fruit, most of the flavor is lost in fermentation. Unless you do re-brews with different amounts, its hard to dial in the fruit character you want.
To use flavorings, just make your IPA as usual, and when its done, do some trials using 3 oz samples. Start with 5 drops (or measure in ML) in the first sample,10 drops in the second, 15 drops in the third. If there isn't enough apricot flavor, start over with new samples and 20 drops and so on. When you get the flavor/aroma you are looking for, do the math and figure how much flavoring to add to the whole batch.
If I were using canned fruit, I'd wash out a blender with star-san, drain the sugar syrup off, puree the fruit and add to secondary. I'm a budget brewer too, and after the first beer is off the fruit you can add more beer or cider to the same fruit, all the flavor doesn't go out the first time. When doing this with cider, I usually blend the first and second ciders on fruit together. Good Luck!
 

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