fruit with beer? HELP!!!!

[hiphopaim5]

can i add oranges to a light ale? at what time should i add it. during the primary or secondary. should i use only the peelings of should i use the whole orange. I also had some raspberries lying around could these be used to increase the flavor profile? any help would be greatly appreciated! thanks

 

[buzbey]

I've never used oranges before but I have used raspberrys. I added them to primary after ten days. Your yeast eats all the sugar so you have a raspberry flavor but its tart, not sweet. If I where to use oranges I would juice them boil the juice and add it to secondary or late on in the primary. I don't know how it will turn out but good luck

 

[antony]

i've used oranges. zest the oranges and soak the zest in a shot of alcohol (i used vodka). take the fruit, clean as much of the pith (the white part) off as you can, and boil the fruit in a bit of water for a bit. i think i brought to a boil then reduced to a simmer. you basically just want to kill anything that might be living on it. then throw the zest and fruit into secondary for a week or so.

 

[BigFloyd]

Suggestion - get a few non-fruit batches under your belt (and in the pipeline so you have something to drink), read as much as you can here about the ways others have successfully used fruit or zest in their brews and then give it a try.

Lots of posts around about new brewers ruining their batches by trying to use fruit. Those are just the ones who will admit it.

 

[hiphopaim5]

thanks for the advice. i think im going to dry the peels out over a few weeks and then soak them in vodka. can i add rasberry and orange to the batch. i think it will give it a summery al.

 

[BlackGoat]

I would take Big Floyd's suggestions. It might sound good when you are thinking about it, but since you are learning your techniques while using fruit... it could easily end up tasting like the kind of hooch that prisoners make out of random things.

 

[BigFloyd]

it could easily end up tasting like the kind of hooch that prisoners make out of random things.

But a jail toilet tank makes such a good fermenter.

 

[BlackGoat]

But a jail toilet tank makes such a good fermenter.

Ketchup IPA, anyone?

 

[TR34TM3NT]

My food chemist buddy has always told me if ever adding fruit (fructose) to ale, add it in secondary, after the majority of the yeast has reached flocculation.

From my understanding, Fructose is the second sugar processed by yeast. While yeast can easily process it, fructose is a larger sugar molecule and takes extra enzymes for the yeast to break it down. So the more fructose there is for the yeast to eat, the more it reduces it's efficiency at breaking down all of the Maltotriose afterwards. Maltoriose is the majority of the sugars that come from the grains and is processed last by the yeast.

So adding fruit after the yeast has eaten as much maltoroise as it can will probably help prevent a jail toilet hooch scenario.