When to add fruit

[garym58]

I made a wheat beer from a kit and I want to make it a cherry wheat. I have used that artificial extract flavoring in the past with no luck. It did not have any cherry taste to it all. I want to use real cherries this time so first when do I add them? I do a 2 stage fermentation. Also I read where the the cherries should be pitted because they may contain cyanide. Is this true?

Gary

 

[kh54s10]

No clue on the cyanide. Add the cherries (a lot of them) to the secondary vessel and rack on top of them. I used 6 pounds of blueberries and some extract and only got a very slight hint of blueberry in a stout. YMMV

 

[GHBWNY]

Although a flavor extract from real fruit can have a beneficial effect on flavoring when used judiciously with a real fruit addition, flavor extract alone (esp. artificial) tends toward a harsh, medicinal taste. I would use only fresh pitted (or frozen pitted) cherries in your secondary. If you wanted a little in-the-face aroma, a really, REALLY small amount of genuine flavor extract could be added at bottling, but you'd want to experiment to see first if you want to go that route, and if so, how much to use and then scale it for the batch. A little goes a long way, if not too far in most cases (voice of experience ) As for the amount of fruit to add, it varies with the variety of fruit. This link should help you:

https://www.homebrewersassociation.org/how-to-brew/how-to-add-fruit-to-beer/

Let us know how it turns out.

 

[kristiismean]

Yes, Cherry pits contain cyanide. And you would have to CONSUME a couple hundred for it to start harming you. in general.

are you looking for sweet or tart...

as far as when to add, from what I have read (which means i have no idea in real practice, but have looked into this), first pit then freeze the cherries. After a few days, soak them in vodka. Then add the cherries and the vodka to your secondary.. but you need some way to pasteurize or sanitize them if not using a puree or juice..

please all feel free to correct me..

 

[brucejay]

I made a raspberry Belgian a few years back. 1/2 pound of frozen berries for each gallon. I pasteurized them in a few cups of water, cooled and then added to secondary before racking. Ended with a slight raspberry taste and quite a bit of aroma although the final product was hazy.