First time using fruit...question about time

[BansheeRider]

Hello all,

I made a Belgian Strong Ale, OG was 1.106 and FG is 1.013 after 3 weeks :rockin:

I just racked into secondary with 2 LBS of frozen cherries (should I add more cherries?) How long can these cherries sit in the beer? I poorly planned this and perhaps I should have let this beer sit in primary for another couple weeks because I am leaving on a trip next weekend for a few days. After my trip the cherries would have been in secondary for approx 2 weeks, is this too long? This is my first time using fruit in my beer. I also plan on adding a couple ounces of oak to the beer. The oak will only be in secondary for a week max because I don't want it to mask the cherry flavor.

So...should I add some more cherries? I've seen people use up to 4 LBS for a 5 gallon batch. How long can the cherries be in the beer? When will they begin to rot and perhaps infect my beer? What is a good recommended time for oak chips without the oak masking the cherry flavor? I'm assuming I want a strong cherry presence when it comes time to keg since the cherry flavor will fade over time.

Thanks!

 

[Eh_Modern_Drunkard]

I think you'll be fine with 2 weeks. I am curious if they are whole, or sliced though, as that will play a part in your flavor extraction.
I tend to let my recipes ride with fruit additions. If I don't like where the flavor is at I just adjust the recipe for the next time around. To be fair, that may have something to do with a severe case of laziness I seem to catch from time to time...

 

[BansheeRider]

I think you'll be fine with 2 weeks. I am curious if they are whole, or sliced though, as that will play a part in your flavor extraction.
I tend to let my recipes ride with fruit additions. If I don't like where the flavor is at I just adjust the recipe for the next time around. To be fair, that may have something to do with a severe case of laziness I seem to catch from time to time...

The are whole cherries. They did have the pits removed so there is a large hole in the middle of each cherry. I didn't feel like waiting for them to thaw so I could slice them. Plus I didn't want to risk contaminating them, I just threw them in frozen. Do you think I should add a couple more pounds?

 

[Eh_Modern_Drunkard]

It sounds like you'd like a fair whack of cherry flavor. So while I would personally wait and see how it turns out first before second guessing my additions, it sounds like your recipe could stand up to some substantial flavors.
As with anyone's advice from here, take it with a grain of salt. We all have different palates and likes.
That said, you could probably add another pound or two without being too overboard. What type of cherries did you choose?

It took a while and quite a few batches to dial in my black currant hefe.

 

[BansheeRider]

It sounds like you'd like a fair whack of cherry flavor. So while I would personally wait and see how it turns out first before second guessing my additions, it sounds like your recipe could stand up to some substantial flavors.
As with anyone's advice from here, take it with a grain of salt. We all have different palates and likes.
That said, you could probably add another pound or two without being too overboard. What type of cherries did you choose?

It took a while and quite a few batches to dial in my black currant hefe.

Maybe I'll just wait and see what 2 pounds tastes like in a couple weeks. I used sweet and tart cherries. I was looking for sour cherries but couldn't find them.

 

[Eh_Modern_Drunkard]

Nice choice on the cherries! That sounds delicious!
Yeah, I'd wait to see how it turns out. I like to err on the side of caution though.
Let me know how it turns out! I'm really curious

 

[chawn]

You may want to consider 3-4oz per 5 gallons of cherry extract at bottling/kegging.

I've never made a cherry beer, but I have made a few other types of fruit beer and the results were most favorable to me by adding fruit 3 days into the primary and extract in the the bottling bucket or keg.