Fruit flavored extract beer

I am thinking about experimenting with making an extract fruit flavored beer and have a c few questions.

Anyone make a fruit flavored beer from extract?

Is it true, you dont have to add raw fruit, you can buy the fruit extract at HBs now?

Is there certain fruit which lends to better tastes compared to others?

Does anyone have any suggestions for a fruit ale? Im looking for something not to strong tasting to start with, just something simple.

Is there a specific name for beer with a fruit twist to it?
thanks

my first ever brew was a brewer's best Pale Ale kit, and I added a (4 oz?) packet of raspberry extract to it at bottling time. You can buy many different flavors of fruit extract at a homebrew shop. That beer was very good and kicked off a homebrew craze with me and my two roommates. We all still brew today (and that first batch was 8 years ago.)

I've never used real fruit, but I intend to with my upcoming blueberry wheat.

You have to decide which fruits you like for your brews. This is a matter of taste. I personally like berries (black, rasp, straw, blue) and cherries.

-walker

You can buy both flavorings and purees. I've used both. The purees have given me the best results in porters and stouts. About the only one I really like is blackberry and I have so many of them on my property that I don't need to buy any.

I've tried using birch and rootbeer flavorings in lightly hopped pales, but they just don't come through.

I've had good success with fresh ginger root in pales though.

There is a local brewery that makes an incredible Blueberry Ale. Once I become proficient in brewing, I am going to mess around with it.

My next brew was going to be peach beer, I was going to make up an IPA kit then add peach extract when it had fermented out.

regards Paul

Walker said:

my first ever brew was a brewer's best Pale Ale kit, and I added a (4 oz?) packet of raspberry extract to it at bottling time. You can buy many different flavors of fruit extract at a homebrew shop. That beer was very good and kicked off a homebrew craze with me and my two roommates. We all still brew today (and that first batch was 8 years ago.)

I've never used real fruit, but I intend to with my upcoming blueberry wheat.

You have to decide which fruits you like for your brews. This is a matter of taste. I personally like berries (black, rasp, straw, blue) and cherries.

-walker

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Ive done that pale ale kit myself. Do you just add the extract first in the bottling bucket than pour in your beer from the 2ndary fermenter and that will mix it?

Is it a general idea you want a light tasting beer so that you dont overbear the fruit flavor taste?
What are some lighter tasting beers you guys all suggest?
thanks

I added the fruit flavor and priming sugar to the bottling bucket, then siphoned the beer in and stirred it a bit to mix evenly.

(You should NEVER pour your beer during the fermentation process. That will oxidize it and it will go stale pretty damn fast in the bottles.)

I don't think there are any guidelines about light vs heavy flavored beers and the use of fruit. I've had fruity pale ales, fruity wheat beers, fruity stouts.... all of them were tastey.

-walker

Heh i didnt mean pour, I siphon

My experience with fruit extracts have all been bad.

They've all come out tasting soapy, especially the apricot and peach.

I have a peach mead in a secondary right now. I used 5 lbs of peaches my wife put up in the freezer from last summer. It tasted pretty good when I racked last month.

xpoc454 said:

Is it a general idea you want a light tasting beer so that you dont overbear the fruit flavor taste?
What are some lighter tasting beers you guys all suggest?
thanks

Click to expand...

Desert Brew was telling me about doing an apricot wheat along the lines of the one from Pyramid. I've had the pyramid one and the wheat beer is a good complement for the apricot flavor. Haven't tried the home brew yet. But anyway, yeah, wheat should be good.

Yeah, I really like the flavor of the Pyramid Apricot Wheat. That's what got me into the flavoring. But after several "failures" and plenty of "soapy" wheats many years ago I just use real fruit now.

I've used real strawberry's to make a strawberry wheat. You couldn't really pick out the strawberry flavor, it just tasted fruity. My friend that also brews made a raspberry wheat with raspberry extracts added during bottling which was excellent with a nice subtle raspberry flavor. Either way as long as you are homebrewing you can't go wrong!

will the extract affect the S.G. of the end result? I added the extract after the boil (4oz) and its settled at about 1.018 (supposed to be 1.012-1.014).

I shouldn't have any effect.

It should have been added prior to bottling.

Question: Does it still have it's flavor after boiling?

I made a strawberry honey wheat using extract and at first it wasn't very good. Like was said before it tasted a little soapy. But now its been about a month and a half since bottling and its getting to be pretty tasty. Next time I would use real fruit.

what about using store bought fruit? fresh or frozen, is this a good idea? and how much would you need? and do you sterilize it?

All I know about using real fruit in brews is that you want to avoid getting too much pulp in the primary or secondary. Juice it or something real well... but the pulp can get suspended in the liquid. One of my cider primaries was going for about 10 days before I stopped it and siphoned over to a secondary... well, I ended up having to just pour it because it was so ridiculously thick. All of the pulp seemed suspended in the bottom 3 gallons so I had to use a strainer even. Pain in the rear end and I am sure it is ruined... but oh well, it had that off flavor I am worried about anyway.

I purchased a large mesh bag that fills my primary bucket. Got it at the wine/brewing supply. I just put it in the fermentor, add the fruit, etc. and tie it off before closing the lid. When the ferment is done, I just lift the bag out and let it drip. Do not squeeze.

Along the lines of what everyone else has said. (Walker, here is your answer to what we were talking about a month or two back) I put some blueberry extract in with my hefeweizen and it wasnt the best. I used the recommended amount (2oz.) and got that "soapy" taste that HomeBrewer99 was talking about. I would say, use less than recommended or go with fresh or frozen fruit.
-Carl

cdew4545 said:

what about using store bought fruit? fresh or frozen, is this a good idea? and how much would you need? and do you sterilize it?

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Fresh or frozen, you're better off sanitizing it. To accomplish that you can add it after the boil when the temperature of the wort is around 150-160 degrees, any hotter than that and you'll produce off flavors I've heard. You'll want to maintain at that temperature for about 20-30 minutes to sanitize. The general consensus I've seen posted on this site is to use a fruit puree.

Good luck either way.

I'm going to go with the soak in vodka method of sanitizing the blueberries for my blueberry wheat beer. Soak for a day, toss into fermenter.

-walker

I personally think you should add fruit (Puree, Extract, Fresh) to the secondary not the bottle bucket. Gives it time to settle out here as opposed to the bottle. Much like we dry hop in secondary...

I've stated it before in other threads but a DME wheat beer with Apricot extract in secondary is a strong favorite of the female group at my house. I appreciate it as well and don't like fruit beers. I get better reviews than Pyramid at my house as it's not as dominating of an apricot taste. I plan on doing an AG version of it next time around... Simple recipe as well:

6# Wheat Malt Extract
1oz Hallertau (60m boil)
4oz apricot flavoring (add to secondary, rack onto it.)
WL American Hefe Yeast.

I want to clone New Belgiums's Summer Wheat, whose label says that it includes oranges and coriander. I haven't seen any mention of orange or other citrus. Do the same guidelines apply? That is, would I add, say, a few cups of chopped orange (in a mesh bag) to the wort while it steeps, or is there a better way? Any thoughts on how much is appropriate for a 5 gallon extract batch?

Appreciate the guidance!

Thor said:

I want to clone New Belgiums's Summer Wheat, whose label says that it includes oranges and coriander. I haven't seen any mention of orange or other citrus. Do the same guidelines apply? That is, would I add, say, a few cups of chopped orange (in a mesh bag) to the wort while it steeps, or is there a better way? Any thoughts on how much is appropriate for a 5 gallon extract batch?

Appreciate the guidance!

Click to expand...

check the other two threads you posted in about the Belgian wheat beer.

-walker

I am currently doing a raspberry wheat that came with a 4 oz bottle of extract. I am 3 days into the primary ferment. I will just pour this extract into the bottling bucket with the priming sugar and stir it gently then bottle it up and forget about it for about 2 months and then try it. hope its yummy

I have not used the extracts yet but plan to sometime in a wheat, and have heard a lot about them and asked some questions. Most people say to use only half the bottle of the fruit extract(which is different from artificial fruit flavorings which you can also find and use, but the taste is to much like candy and not like real fruit but some people like it). It should be added at bottling because it does not contain any fermentable and it could also allow you to only flavor half or less of your batch if you wish. Just scale down your addition to how much of your batch to flavor.

Real fruit, purees, or juices should be added to the secondary because they do contain fermentable sugars and if you add them to the bottling bucket you will end up with bottle bombs, besides if you add the purees or real fruit to the bottling bucket you will not give the beer enough time to pick up the flavor of the fruit. I have had luck using Juice, but you have to make sure it is 100% pure with no additives or added sugars. I recommend Knudsen Juices. The ingredients list on the back of the bottle of the black cherry juice I use is: 100% black Cherry Juice.

That is it, not even any sulfites. Only use 1-2 quarts per batch depending on taste for the juice. Knudsen also has 100% blueberry, 100% pomegranate, among others. The advantage of using this is that you don't need to buy 5lbs of fruit to add to the fermentor, it saves a little money. But you still have to flavor the whole batch.

I think the fruit extracts taste like soap even after 6 months...but that's me.

homebrewer_99 said:

I think the fruit extracts taste like soap even after 6 months...but that's me.

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You must have had your mouth washed out a lot as a child. Try rinsing with hot water. Those soap residues can last a long time if not properly rinsed.

ScottT said:

You must have had your mouth washed out a lot as a child. Try rinsing with hot water. Those soap residues can last a long time if not properly rinsed.

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Bingo! You must have done a background check on me and read my bio.

Damn Gestapo Penguins!! Something about those women from the Church of Perpetual Motion....

xpoc454 said:

I am thinking about experimenting with making an extract fruit flavored beer and have a c few questions.

Anyone make a fruit flavored beer from extract?

Is it true, you dont have to add raw fruit, you can buy the fruit extract at HBs now?

Is there certain fruit which lends to better tastes compared to others?

Does anyone have any suggestions for a fruit ale? Im looking for something not to strong tasting to start with, just something simple.

Is there a specific name for beer with a fruit twist to it?
thanks

Click to expand...

i done a cherry wheat man was that good done once havent done again that gets me thinking .......i never added any raw fruit and the extract was not over powering . had a bit of a after taste first month of bottling let stand for 2 months and its good beer..... i never thought fruit flavored beer would be good ///// but i will say this i would make another batch in a heart beat.....
vary good taste.

I finally added the extract to my american light. I added the extract to the bottling bucket and did everything like normal.
I was suprised to see that when bottling the beer was aa lot foamier than normal. It was to the point where i had to run it over to get the normal amount in the bottle.
Im starting to worry about the 'soapy' taste a lot of people were mentioning.
I used rasberry extract and not the ones mentioned above that were soapy. But if I had to guess, I would say this foaminess I seen in the bottles was caused by a soap like material.
Ill be interested in seeing how it turns out.

xpoc454 said:

I finally added the extract to my american light. I added the extract to the bottling bucket and did everything like normal.

Ill be interested in seeing how it turns out.

Click to expand...

Well!!!!

How did it turn out?
Surely you've tried it by now

-Tom

I just bottled my blueberry wheat a few days ago. I took a taste and almost died (the good kind of "almost died"). I even poured out some more cause it was so good. Nice color, "strong" hint of blueberry, and even a little bit of tannin on the finish... not offensive at all. I cannot wait for it to carbonate.

Basically I did a wheat beer with LME, let it ferment out, then I took 56oz of frozen wild blueberries and crushed them with a large spoon through a metal strainer. Got a good range of berries in there - from whole berries all the way down to juice. Racked the wheat on top of that, let it sit for about 14 days, then racked off the berries and let sit another 14 days. Now I'm patiently waiting for carbonation to take place!

I picked this up from an Iranian about 35 years ago: Mixing yougurt with beer, fruit flavored type optional. So, if I want a fruity type beer I risk only making one glass bad. Unfortunately, the ayatollahs put an end to the bars, nightclubs, casinos and liquor stores the shah had allowed. My Irani friend's family probably executed as they were Jewish.

I brewed a Raspberry Ale, while it was conditioning I went and bought a raspberry ale from a micro brewery. After I had perople blind taste test both and all liked mine better, the fruit flavor was a little bit more powerful, but not over powering. I used a 4 oz bottle of raspberry extract at bottling, but also after primary I added 1 LB bag of frozen mixed fruit and 1 LB bag of frozen raspberrys. I put both in a pot and covered with water and added sugar to taste, cooled and added to brew and let it go for 2 more weeks. It was a little mesy to filter out, but it was well worth it in the end.

-Late

-Carl

So, I figure I should be nice and brew something for the SWMBO. I concocted a basic wheat beer recipe with hallarteau and hersbrucker hops, a touch of honey, and I was planning on (read: I already purchased) using black cherry fruit extract from austin homebrew (supposedly a 2oz. bottle does the trick for 5g).

Anyway, upon receiving this extract I opened it up and smelled it. Didn't smell anything like real cherries. I did a search and saw some of you mention soapy flavors using extract, so now I'm second guessing myself. Out of curiosity I dumped a dab on a spoon and tasted it. Although the smell was very concentrated, the taste was almost non-existent. Now I'm even more confused. Smells soapy, but if tasting it raw isn't soapy, how would it be in beer?!

Anyone ever use this particular extract? If I decide to use fresh/frozen fruit, how many lb. should I use? I don't want an overpowering fruit flavor.

What if I use the puree in cans. I believe these are sold here at the grocery store (the oregon brand). How many cans for 5g?

So if you add extract at bottling does that affect the priming? How much of that is going to get fermented?

I think the fruit extract is unfermentable so you do not adjust your priming sugar, etc. for it...

Anyone got an answer to my Q? I'd like to use the puree...

I'm making a strawberry ale tomorrow as a matter of fact. I picked up 8 lbs of fresh strawberries from Costco yesterday. I'll put the chopped strawberries in 1 gallon of water with a crushed Campden tab and 1/4 tsp of pectic enzyme for 24 hours.

That will be put into the bottom of the primary and the wort will go in over it. Recipe calls to ferment it on that for 3-4 days and then rack it off the strawberry sediment to secondary.

Thor said:

I want to clone New Belgiums's Summer Wheat, whose label says that it includes oranges and coriander. I haven't seen any mention of orange or other citrus. Do the same guidelines apply? That is, would I add, say, a few cups of chopped orange (in a mesh bag) to the wort while it steeps, or is there a better way? Any thoughts on how much is appropriate for a 5 gallon extract batch?

Appreciate the guidance!

Click to expand...

I would use 1/4 oz Dried Sweet Orange peel and 1/4 oz. coriander available at any homebrew store. Add it at the last 15 minutes of the boil. The dried sweet orange peel and dried bitter orange peel available at homebrew stores is the same peel that most breweries use. I have used this amount and it is perfect. A little goes a long way.

Forrest