Been researching recipes and found all kinds of ways to add fruit. Since I live an hour from Door County Wisconsin the cherries are ripe and ready for picking. I would like to make a Belgian Wit with fresh cherries. How do I add the cherries and when for brewing a cherry flavored beer and not wine beer. It seems that adding the fruit during primary fermentation the cherry flavor is eaten up by the yeast and somewhat turns to a winey tasting beer. My thoughts are normal primary fermentation of 10 days and then add the cherries to a secondary fermentation for five days and then cold crash for a few days and bottle. My thought process is to retain the cherry flavor in the beer by using the secondary for flavor and cleaning up the beer before bottling. But will the bottling with priming sugar reastablish the yeast with all the sugar from the cherries to create issues in the bottles. This is my first attempt with fruit additions and would like your opinions and direction. Thanks for the brewing g help.
Adding Fresh Fruit to a Wit
- Thread starter MIWI
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As the saying goes, there isn't one way to skin a cat. You could add the fruit at many different points through out the process.
Personally, I've added fresh fruit during the boil and post fermentation. I've found during the boil that 15 minutes seems to be my sweet spot for the fresh fruit addition.
Or you can add it post primary by adding potassium sorbate which will knock the yeast out and won't cause a secondary fermentation.
Personally, I've added fresh fruit during the boil and post fermentation. I've found during the boil that 15 minutes seems to be my sweet spot for the fresh fruit addition.
Or you can add it post primary by adding potassium sorbate which will knock the yeast out and won't cause a secondary fermentation.
