Rhubarb/Fruit Addition Timing

[Imp_atient]

I noticed a lot of folks put fruit in the secondary after their beer is already beer.

I also noticed that most recipes in "Extreme Homebrewing" (Sam Calagione) have a fruit addition just after the boil when the wort reaches 77 Celsius to both sterilize and...for some other reason too, I'm sure.

Anyways, not sure why some fruits go in the boil (and then removed before primary), some fruits go in the primary, and some fruits wait for secondary. Why, why, why???

I've got a rhubarb beer attempt in the primary (because the only fruit the family won't eat is rhubarb) using the "add to the boil and leave in the primary technique". See how that goes.

 

[SevenFields]

I have always been curious about making a Rhubarb wheat.
Good luck, be sure and let us know how it comes out!

 

[yodalegomaster]

I am on my third year of rhubarb beer, I all ways add it in to the primary about a week after beer is done. This year I used a Irish Red Recipe under the Rhubarb instead of a Pale Ale recipe. The real trick is that the beer needs to be Back-sweetened, because that's what makes the rhubarb taste like rhubarb. And you need alot of fruit about 11 pounds per 5 gallons to make it work. I would be afraid to add the fruit into the boil, it will sterilize the fruit, chase off the fruit aroma's I want to keep and introduce a cooked fruit flavor. That's not what I want.

 

[SevenFields]

I am on my third year of rhubarb beer, I all ways add it in to the primary about a week after beer is done. This year I used a Irish Red Recipe under the Rhubarb instead of a Pale Ale recipe. The real trick is that the beer needs to be Back-sweetened, because that's what makes the rhubarb taste like rhubarb. And you need alot of fruit about 11 pounds per 5 gallons to make it work. I would be afraid to add the fruit into the boil, it will sterilize the fruit, chase off the fruit aroma's I want to keep and introduce a cooked fruit flavor. That's not what I want.

You are the first person that I have heard that has had good luck with rhubarb.
Would you please give us more details such as how you prepare the fruit and how you back sweeten it? Thanks

 

[Imp_atient]

I've had success with adding raspberries and cranberries right after the boil (mind you at 77 Celsius it's not boiling anymore). With about a pound of fresh fruit I got both a delightful rich red color as well as a flavor that remained after 2 months of bottle conditioning, mind you generally there's more fruit "flavor" and less aroma....which seems like a bit of a paradox but makes sense in my head!

I found with adding fruit to the secondary that unless I add tons of fruit the aroma disappears over time when conditioning. Especially with strawberries. After 4 days in the primary my rhubarb is pretty much white, so I'll give it another 4 days (because I'm going on vacation and want it in the secondary for that time) and we'll see!

My question was more around why certain fruits would go in right after the boil while others would go in the secondary. Is it something to do with pectin?

 

[yodalegomaster]

There are 3 type of fruit beer: “Extract based” with a hint of fruit wile the beer is the show. “Balanced fruit” is a strong fruit flavor balanced with malty backbone. And the “Fruit Bomb” which the fruit is center stage and malt supports.

This recipe is for the “Fruit Bomb”

Irish Red with Rhubarb 9-D Irish Red Ale Author: Yodalegomaster Date: 7/17/2010 Size: 15.33 gal Efficiency: 75.0% Attenuation: 75.0% Ingredients: 1.0 lb 2-Row Caramel Malt 40L 24.0 lb Standard 2-Row 6.0 lb Maris Otter 1.0 lb Caramel Malt 120L 2.0 oz Carafa Special® TYPE II 6.0 oz Melanoidin Malt 3.1 tsp Irish Moss - added during boil, boiled 15 min 2.0 oz Mt. Hood (5.0%) - added during boil, boiled 60 min 1.0 oz Magnum-PLMG (13.0%) - added during boil, boiled 60 min 3.06 pt WYeast 1084 Irish Ale Prepare 20 pounds of clean fresh rhubarb by freezing (to break the cells open) and then us food processor to make a purée, after first fermentation, add to fermenter. Let sit for a couple more weeks, you need to roust the fermenter occasionally to displace the co2. Siphon with a screen over the end when moving to the bottling bucket, with priming sugar and add 20 packets of Splenda to each 5 gallon batch.

 

[Imp_atient]

Wow, 20 pounds of rhubarb, I need to work on my patch before I try that recipe!

 

[yodalegomaster]

Please notice that this recipe is for 10 gallons not 5 gallons. Would you like me to repost with better formatting? ALso you can reduce the rhubarb if you want a less fruit bomb presentation, am more malt to make it more balanced.

 

[Imp_atient]

I'm still at the extract brewing stage so that recipe is beyond me but I can definitely adapt the ideas in it to what I'm doing! Thanks so much!