Adding Sweetness to Fruit Beers by increasing Caramel Malt Addition

[Brewmegoodbeer]

Hello all,

Im soon going to be brewing a guava wheat beer using 4.4 pounds (im guessing about 32oz)of guava puree at the end of primary fermentation. In the past, my fruit beers have ended up dry and have a bit of a more tart taste than sweet. Ive tried lactose and honey malt additions in the past as well as raising caramel malt additions to 8% which ive read and been told should be about the “max” of crystal malts you want to use without making the beer have a “cloying” sweet flavor. For this beer, im thinking about increasing the crystal 10L malt addition to about 18-20% of the grain bill while also mashing at a temp of 154 to promote a fuller, maltier beer. What do yall think? Too much? Any other methods to giving a nice, sweet flavor to fruit beers?

 

[Yooper]

I wouldn’t go over 15%, and up to that only if the beer is well-bittered to avoid it being cloying. A few American ambers that are very hoppy and highly bittered have 15% crystal, and it’s a good balance.
The other choice may to be to add unfermentable sweeteners after fermentation is ended so you can add it to taste. If you keg, you could keep it cold and add honey or other fermentable sugars.

 

[Brewmegoodbeer]

I wouldn’t go over 15%, and up to that only if the beer is well-bittered to avoid it being cloying. A few American ambers that are very hoppy and highly bittered have 15% crystal, and it’s a good balance.
The other choice may to be to add unfermentable sweeteners after fermentation is ended so you can add it to taste. If you keg, you could keep it cold and add honey or other fermentable sugars.

Thanks for the reply! Maybe ill lower it to 15% and increase the bitterness for balance. How bitter were the ambers you mention? Im thinking of raising the IBU to 30 IBU just for balance

 

[day_trippr]

Im soon going to be brewing a guava wheat beer using 4.4 pounds (im guessing about 32oz)of guava puree[...]

fwiw, 4.4 pounds = 70.4 ounces.

Without knowing the wheat/barley split I wouldn't know if bumping the crystal and mashing high-ish together make sense for a fruited wheat beer - which afaik traditionally tend towards the drier side...

Cheers!

 

[Yooper]

Thanks for the reply! Maybe ill lower it to 15% and increase the bitterness for balance. How bitter were the ambers you mention? Im thinking of raising the IBU to 30 IBU just for balance

Much more bitter- but a higher OG as well so the actual IBUs wouldn’t be at all comparable.

 

[Brewmegoodbeer]

fwiw, 4.4 pounds = 70.4 ounces.

Without knowing the wheat/barley split I wouldn't know if bumping the crystal and mashing high-ish together make sense for a fruited wheat beer - which afaik traditionally tend towards the drier side...

Cheers!

Thanks! Hopefully that puree packs a punch! I got it from Bierfrucht Purees. So I'm putting flaked wheat in at 27.9%. Other malts are 33.4% golden promise, 23.2% pale 2 row, and 15.5% crystal. Ill accept any critique. I just want to make a nice, sweet fruit beer