making apricot puree

Hey all

I'm doing an apricot wheat beer now and I'm going to be adding puree to a secondary in a few days and I wanted to know if anyone here has had experience with making their own puree? I'm thinking it's going to be a pita to make sure everything is sanitized throughout the whole process.

Thanks!

I just finished making a pineapple puree for the same reason, and didn't worry about it. It will be added to a secondary, and hopefully the pH and the alcohol will take care of the bugs that may be in the puree. Also, I am freezing mine first, probably will let it sit frozen for a couple of weeks before it is time to use it, so that might also help.

I am also looking to do this. Does anyone have any thoughts regarding pasteurizing or sterilizing the puree before freezing? Do you think putting it in jars inside a pressure cooker is necessary, or would simply putting the puree in a saucepan and getting it around 150F be sufficient? If I made a puree of a citrus, do you have to use the pulp only, or can you just peel the rind and throw the rest in (minus seeds)? I know the pith adds off-flavors, but is that all?

Sorry for the slew of questions, but this is the first time I've decided not to spend the $20 on the big can of fancy LHBS puree, and it's a batch for a wedding...

What if you drop the whole fruit in boiling water for a bit of time, then put it I sanitized ziplock bags, then mash it up through the bag? Put in secondary and rack on top. Just dreamed that up, I think it would work, no?

BrunDog said:

What if you drop the whole fruit in boiling water for a bit of time, then put it I sanitized ziplock bags, then mash it up through the bag? Put in secondary and rack on top. Just dreamed that up, I think it would work, no?

Click to expand...

I like the blanch (sp?) idea to sanitize the skins, but it's not exactly a purée. There's also the issue with the pit to work out if you wanted to use a processor.

I had thought processor but I don't think you need that level of purée. A good mash inside the bag should expose on a fruit for the beer to be exposed to.

i've done this once and am planning to do again soon. when i did it i used dried apricot paste sheets i found at a middle eastern grocery store. see link.
http://www.melburyandappleton.co.uk/apricot-paste-sheets-amar-el-deen-11592-p.asp
When i did it i put it in with the boil because i was a noob and didn't know better. i boiled it down with a little water to make it a syrup before adding to the boil. after a few months it was amazing.

next time i'm doing to do the syrup thing but use it in a secondary.

domdom said:

i've done this once and am planning to do again soon. when i did it i used dried apricot paste sheets i found at a middle eastern grocery store. see link.
http://www.melburyandappleton.co.uk/apricot-paste-sheets-amar-el-deen-11592-p.asp
When i did it i put it in with the boil because i was a noob and didn't know better. i boiled it down with a little water to make it a syrup before adding to the boil. after a few months it was amazing.

next time i'm doing to do the syrup thing but use it in a secondary.

Click to expand...

The olive oil in it didn't have any adverse effects?

What I do with fruit. Probably over-the-top, but makes me comfortable with using it.

Chop fruit up. With soft fruit I usually use a masher. Then put in a saucepan with a little water (not much). Heat to 150 F and hold for 20+ minutes. Pour into sanitized mason jars and let cool overnight. I guess you could just put a cover on the pot and let cool over night too. I've tried cooling fruit in a water bath, and it takes along time due to the mass of the fruit - it takes a lot longer than wort, that I now just let it cool in sealed mason containers over night.

Then add straight to beer.

The fruit sugars will restart fermentation, so you might want to rack to secondary to get rid of the cake which will also be kicked up. Beer will be fine if you don't rack, just may take a little longer to clear.

Just wanted to add that i recently used apricot baby food as puree in a secondary recently and it turned out quite well. I used about 12 little jars. 100% fruit, pasteurized, and really cheap!