Fig Stout ... thoughts as to the fig addition .

[bellhp]

I saw a post on "what are you drinking now'' months ago and a fella was drinking a homebrewed "Fig Stout" I have been thinking about it for a bit and it just sounds right . So I'm gonna make some . I have the stout recipe and the figs , I am looking for input on use of the figs .
I have searched and most of the posts are just about seeds giving problems in kegs . I will bottle condition but would like to avoid any more junk in the fermenter than necessary ,wild yeasts, etc. Should I make a puree/reduction/extract ... boil / primary / secondary?
If you were making this or have made one let me hear your thoughts on fig addition . Thanks

 

[mac_1103]

I'm getting ready to brew a "figgy puding" Christmas stout. I've never tried this before, but I have a small grove of highly productive fig trees in my front yard and when they come in all at once in late August, I can't give them away or make fig jam fast enough.

My plan is to make a puree and pasteurize it before adding it few days in, but I have no idea how this will work. I do think this is one situation where a secondary vessel is warranted to get the beer off of all the solids that are going to be in the primary FV.

I did find one recipe that used dried figs - chopped finely and heated with water and sugar to make a slurry.

 

[DuncB]

Freeze them, thaw them, blend them, boil them or raise to above 80C for about 20 minutes and then put into a hop bag, lob in the fermenter.

 

[bellhp]

Thanks guys , hop bag sounds ridiculously obvious now that you mention it

 

[day_trippr]

I don't think there's a need to bag pulverized figs, I would expect it to coat and stick inside the bag. Just dump the goo in the fermentor with a few gravity points remaining. It'll all end up on the bottom and you can rack above it. Same thing I do with my chocolate stout with dark-rum-marinated cocoa nibs and mashed up vanilla beans...

Cheers!

 

[DuncB]

Point taken will go freestyle with my additions.

 

[suzeQ]

This applies to winemaking YMMV but you had me at "figs". If you add fruit to primary it becomes part of the overall/partner flavor. If added to secondary it becomes more of a background flavor. This is according to joeswine.

LET SAY I WAS GOING TO MAKE A BLACKBERRY PINO NIOR,THE FIRST QUESTION I ASK IS WHATS THE PRIMARY FLAVOR AND WHATS THE SECONDARY.DEPENDING ON WHAT PROFILE I WANT THE WINE TO HAVE (TASTE) WILL LET ME KNOW WHO IS THE LEADER IN THIS DANCE, THE PINO OR THE BLACKBERRY,IF I USE THE PINO AS THE BASE AND THE BLACKBERRY FPAC IN THE PRIMARY THEN THE BLEND SHOULD BE A PARTENERSHIP OF FLAVORS,IF I USE THE PINO AS MY BASE AND THE BERRIES IN THE SECONDARY THEN THE BERRIES BECOME THE BACKGROUND.

 

[mac_1103]

We beer makers don't usually do true secondary fermentations even when we rack our brews to secondary vessels, since it's generally done long before the primary fermentation is complete. Still, you make a good point and I would imagine that my recipe would turn out very differently if the figs were added to the boil vs to the primary fermenter at the start vs to the primary after several days. But I don't think I'm really up for doing a three-way split batch this time around. I'll just see what I get and work on refining it next year if it seems like it has potential.

 

[bellhp]

Thanks , SuzeQ . I have never drank a fig stout ... it just sounded good ( I like fig and I like stout)... I don't want it to get lost in the beer as Fig is a subtle flavor but I don't want in your face fruit either .
I will brew a 6 gallon batch to allow for loss while racking but I will have to make an educated guesstimate on how much and when to add , and that is why I appreciate the input so far.

 

[Closet Fermenter]

Thanks , SuzeQ . I have never drank a fig stout ... it just sounded good ( I like fig and I like stout)... I don't want it to get lost in the beer as Fig is a subtle flavor but I don't want in your face fruit either .
I will brew a 6 gallon batch to allow for loss while racking but I will have to make an educated guesstimate on how much and when to add , and that is why I appreciate the input so far.

Keep us posted; I also like stout and figs, but never thought about combining the two.
Please, let us know what you do and how it turns out.

 

[mac_1103]

It sure would be nice if @Chris Cardona, who posted about his fig stout in the "what are you drinking now" thread a couple of times, would share his recipe and techniques.

 

[bellhp]

Keep us posted; I also like stout and figs, but never thought about combining the two.
Please, let us know what you do and how it turns out.

Will do ... I'm ordering the grain now ... going to hop it with HBC472 .

It sure would be nice if @Chris Cardona, who posted about his fig stout in the "what are you drinking now" thread a couple of times, would share his recipe and techniques.

That's the guy ... I asked him to post up the recipe but got **crickets**

 

[day_trippr]

He was last here July 26. Maybe he's on vaca with crap internet service

Cheers!

 

[Kevin]

As a guy with too many figs (only have 3 trees) I am very curious to hear how this works out. I personally don't enjoy stouts but the wife loves them. Could be a good gift project.

 

[bellhp]

Just received all of my ingredients ... I've got a lot of distractions/ honeydoos at the moment ... but hope to brew this one this week.

 

[bellhp]

Well this is the plan

HOME BREW RECIPE:
Title: Fig Stout
Author: BellHP

Brew Method: All Grain
Style Name: Oatmeal Stout
Boil Time: 60 min
Batch Size: 5 gallons (fermentor volume)
STATS:
Original Gravity: 1.049
Final Gravity: 1.010
ABV (standard): 5.17%
IBU (tinseth): 28.34
SRM (morey): 33.22


FERMENTABLES:
6 lb - Finest Pale Ale Maris Otter (41%)
2 lb - Pale Wheat (13.7%)
1 lb - Caramel Malt - 40L (6.8%)
10 oz - Flaked Oats (4.3%)
8 oz - Black Barley Malt (3.4%)
8 oz - Roasted Barley (3.4%)
5 lb - Fig - (late fermenter addition) (27.4%)

HOPS:
1 oz - East Kent Goldings, Type: Pellet, AA: 5, Use: Boil for 60 min, IBU: 20.62
1 oz - hbc472, Type: Pellet, AA: 10.3, Use: Whirlpool for 0 min at °F, IBU: 7.71

YEAST:
Lallemand - LALBREW® NOTTINGHAM HIGH PERFORMANCE ALE YEAST
Starter: No
Form: Dry
Attenuation (avg): 80%
Flocculation: High
Optimum Temp: 50 - 72 F
Pitch Rate: 0.35 (M cells / ml / deg P)

Edit ... used 5 # figs @ 5 days in primary

 

[suzeQ]

As a guy with too many figs (only have 3 trees) I am very curious to hear how this works out. I personally don't enjoy stouts but the wife loves them. Could be a good gift project.

I'm envious. You've got the equipment. Make some wine.

 

[uweschmitt]

Well this is the plan

Pay attention to the mash pH in case you adjust your water. I recently learned/discovered that a mash pH in the range 5.5-5.6 gives a smoother stout with more body from the oats. Tried it once and it made a noticeable difference. But I had to adjust boil pH later.

Fingers crossed that this turns out as delicious as it sounds.

 

[mac_1103]

Figs are starting to ripen. Will probably brew next week.

 

[bellhp]

Thanks Uweschmitt, don't usually fuss much over the PH ( or much of anything) I'm kind of a Jedi style brewer ... I do appreciate the tip though. I would have brewed this by now but my mother passed away Tuesday and since I've done more drinking than brewing . Maybe Sunday.
Looking good Mac , I've got 4 pounds frozen so far for this recipe ... may be 5 by the time I brew it .

 

[mac_1103]

I still haven't decided exactly when to add my figs. You?

Sorry to hear about your mom.

 

[bellhp]

Figured I'd add them on the second week of fermentation , still may pasteurize them though .
... and thanks for the condolences .

 

[bellhp]

Brewed this today .

 

[suprchunk]

This sounds like a good idea for all my figs in a few years. I was planning a Figlet type of beer, but a stout sounds as good as any.

Sorry about your mother.

 

[bellhp]

Thank you , This would have been a good beer in my opinion figs or not ... the HBC472 smelled nice while the wort was cooling .

 

[suprchunk]

I love figs. Didn't as a kid, but after having them wrapped up in bacon, I found a new appreciation.

 

[mac_1103]

Wrapping things in bacon is kinda cheating.

 

[bellhp]

Now I gotta wrap a fig in bacon and grill it... , my wife just said add a little goat cheese. Damn now I'm hungry.
About to make pulled pork sammy's from the leftover boston butt I cooked yesterday .

 

[mac_1103]

Goat cheese is perfect with fresh figs. Tough to work with for grilling.

 

[bellhp]

I pasteurized the figs ( 5 pounds ) 10 mins at 160 . I mashed them a bit and they are cooling down in a metal bowl in ice bath . I will add them to the carboy once cool. Today is day 5 ... the Nottingham yeast has done it's job nicely so far ,so I don't see the reason not to add the figs at this point .
Thought I posted this earlier ... guess not ... anyway figs are in and now we wait.

 

[mac_1103]

This is what I have done / plan to do. Was originally intended to be an "almost imperial" but turned into a bit of a hot mess for a bunch of reasons not worth dwelling on too much (what I needed to get rid of; new mashing and boiling set up; etc). This was inspired by a local brewer who does a lot of amazing big barrel-aged stouts with all sorts of different flavorings. So anyway, FWIW -

7 lb 2-row
3 lb maris otter
1 lb crystal 40
8 oz black patent
8 oz chocolate malt
8 oz dextrine malt
8 oz roasted barley
4 oz flaked wheat

1 oz Columbus @ 60 minutes
1 oz Cascade @ 25 minutes
1 oz Willamette @ 5 minutes

1 lb pureed figs at flameout

S-04

On day 5 4, add "figgy pudding" puree (5 lb figs, 8 oz orange marmalade, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla)

After three weeks, rack onto rum-soaked French oak chips for a couple of months

Keg condition for about three weeks

OG - 1.073 (was shooting for ~1.08)
FG - who knows after the figs?
IBU - ~70

 

[mac_1103]

So two weeks ago I was concerned that the figs wouldn't ripen in time to get this brewed before going to the beach for a week this coming Friday. Now I've got more than 20 lbs in the freezer on top of what I needed for the stout and what we've eaten fresh and given away. RDWEAF.*



*Relax Don't Worry Eat a Fig.

 

[chewyheel]

I pasteurized the figs ( 5 pounds ) 10 mins at 160 . I mashed them a bit and they are cooling down in a metal bowl in ice bath . I will add them to the carboy once cool. Today is day 5 ... the Nottingham yeast has done it's job nicely so far ,so I don't see the reason not to add the figs at this point .
Thought I posted this earlier ... guess not ... anyway figs are in and now we wait.

Give us an update on how it taste when you have a chance, that sounds really good.

 

[mac_1103]

Figs went into the FV this morning. Looks like the yeast started chewing on them almost immediately.

 

[suprchunk]

Send one up to me so I know I'm making the right decision growing these trees.

 

[bellhp]

Wasn't going to secondary this but I need to go offshore in the morning and I'm not comfortable with the floating fruit in the carboy for at least another week . I'm going to rack it into a 5 gallon carboy today , I'm sure the flavors the figs would impart to the brew are there and this is the best course of action .

 

[chewyheel]

Wanted to post an update about my fig use, so here's the recipe I ended up going with. Ended up going with a more British style ale since that's what I had on hand for ingredients.

HOME BREW RECIPE:
Title: Fat Fig Ale
Author: Daniel T

Brew Method: All Grain
Style Name: Fruit and Spice Beer
Boil Time: 60 min
Batch Size: 3 gallons (fermentor volume)
Boil Size: 3.91 gallons
Boil Gravity: 1.030
Efficiency: 75% (brew house)


STATS:
Original Gravity: 1.054
Final Gravity: 1.010
ABV (standard): 5.75%
IBU (tinseth): 26.73
SRM (morey): 17.42
Mash pH: 5.46

FERMENTABLES:
2 lb - Carolina Gold (33.4%)
2 lb - Munich - Light 10L (33.4%)
6 oz - Opal 44 (6.3%)
3 oz - American - American - Chocolate (3.1%)
1.42 lb - Figs (dried) - (added to fermentor at yeast pitch, see notes) (23.7%)

HOPS:
14 g - East Kent Goldings, Type: Pellet, AA: 5.6, Use: Boil for 45 min, IBU: 19.16
14 g - East Kent Goldings, Type: Pellet, AA: 5.6, Use: Boil for 10 min, IBU: 7.57

OTHER INGREDIENTS:
0.25 tsp - Yeast Nutrient, Time: 5 min, Type: Other, Use: Boil
0.5 each - Whirlfloc, Time: 5 min, Type: Fining, Use: Boil
3 g - Calcium Chloride (dihydrate), Time: 60 min, Type: Water Agt, Use: Mash
3 g - Gypsum, Time: 60 min, Type: Water Agt, Use: Mash
3 g - Baking Soda, Time: 60 min, Type: Water Agt, Use: Mash
10 g - Ginger root, Time: 10 min, Type: Spice, Use: Whirlpool
0.3 each - Campden Tablet, Time: 60 min, Type: Water Agt, Use: Mash

YEAST:
Lallemand - LALBREW® NOTTINGHAM HIGH PERFORMANCE ALE YEAST
Starter: No
Form: Dry
Attenuation (avg): 80%
Flocculation: High
Optimum Temp: 50 - 72 F
Fermentation Temp: 64 F
Pitch Rate: 0.75 (M cells / ml / deg P)

TARGET WATER PROFILE:
Profile Name: Edinburgh (Scottish Ale, Malty Ale)
Ca2: 100
Mg2: 18
Na: 20
Cl: 45
SO4: 105
HCO3: 235

MASH GUIDELINES:
1) Strike, Start Temp: 160 F, Target Temp: 152 F, Time: 60 min, Amount: 9.1 qt
2) Sparge, Start Temp: 168 F, Target Temp: 168 F, Time: 15 min, Amount: 7.4 qt
Starting Mash Thickness: 1.75 qt/lb
Starting Grain Temp: 74 °F

NOTES:
Reserved 1 quart of wort and mixed with 1.42 pounds of dried figs and let simmer then pureed and heated a little bit more. Will save fig puree and put in fermenter at yeast pitch.
10 grams of ginger at flameout and let steep for 10 minutes

 

[bellhp]

Good luck chewyheel your recipe sounds good , just transferred mine to secondary carboy and SG was 1.012... sample had nice flavor , can't wait to taste it after conditioning , this will be an easy drinker .

 

[mac_1103]

Just back from the beach and racked mine onto some rum-soaked oak chips. All I'm tasting is bitterness. Hope it mellows with a couple of months of aging, but I'm thinking the worst thing that happens is that I wind up with a dry export stout.

 

[bellhp]

Bottled mine Tuesday ... I'll update with tasting after a week or two ... samples i've tasted were promising and smell was very nice .