Adding Cherry Flavor

[MTBREWDOG]

Hi all,
I have made a batch of porter that I would like to add some cherry flavor to. I'm kind of a stickler about things and would like to extract cherry flavor from cherries opposed to using a premade flavoring (extract).

The cherries in our area are prime. I have pasturized the 6lbs (pitted) of cherries for 45 minutes at 145 degrees and then refridgerated them . I am planning on adding them when I transfer to my secondary (non-glass due to the pulp in the cherries). I was only planning on leaving the pulp in with the wort for 2-3 days and then strain the pulps out and rack to a tertiary.

Does this sound like the best way to infuse cherry flavor into my porter?

Any ideas or suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!!

Cheers ,

Joe

 

[carbon111]

Rack onto the cherries in the secondary. You'll get a secondary fermentation.

Then, when the gravity stabilizes, you can rack directly into your bottling bucket.

I have a cherry porter bottle-conditioning now. Its good now but should be really lovely in a month.

 

[david_42]

I agree with carbon111. As long as the secondary is fermenting, flavors are being drawn out of the cherries.

 

[wcarter1227]

I currently have a cherry vanilla porter that has been in bottles for 2 weeks now. I used a cherry extract and afterwards wished I had used real cherries. Its pretty tasty right now but can definately use some age. Do yourself a huge favor and use real cherries as the extract leaves a medicine like quality to it.

 

[MTBREWDOG]

Thanks guys! I appreciate the advice. After some unfortunate events (a family emergency) I had to dump my 7 pounds of cherries and am going to flavor things slightly differently. Instead of cherry I have decided to flavor things with vanilla caramel instead. My LHBS sells flavor extracts for making liquors. I'm using one of those to flavor things. After leaving my beer out fermenting for 3 weeks in 90 degree plus heat and grinding my grain in a blender (due to my foolishness at the LHBS..) it tastes pretty good. We'll see how it is after I add flavoring.

Prost!

Joe

 

[aeonderdonk]

I used 5 lbs of cherries for a wheat beer and it turned out awesome. Definitely recommend using fruit instead of extract.