Adding Cherry to a Hefe

[FungusBrew]

Has anyone experimented with adding Cherry to a hefe weiss recipe before? In "Radical Brewing" Mosher recommends using 1lb of cherries per gallon of beer.

If I were to do this, I'd crush the cherries up, and add them to the secondary for a week. Do you think I'd risk a stuck fermentation with it starting up again and all? Would it be better to puree the cherries? Thanks! Any input would be great, I'm a little sketchy on how this would work.

 

[Suthrncomfrt1884]

I use canned puree from Oregon whenever possible. They don't always carry the fruit I'm looking for, but I know they carry cherries. One can should be plenty for a wheat beer. The nice thing about canned puree is that you can just dump it right in the secondary. With fresh fruit, you really need to cut it, freeze it, and then thaw it back out and put it in secondary. A lot of work for something that could be done easier.

Either way...I think 1lb per gallon is a general rule. You need to think about how strong the fruit is, and how light your beer is. With wheat beers, I usually cut the recommended dose in half for most fruits. Cherries aren't too strong, so you could probably do 2-3lbs without overpowering the beer.

 

[FungusBrew]

I'm looking to do 5lbs in the secondary for a week, maybe rack to tertiary for clarity after. I'll probably either cook the cherries at 160d for 30mins, or freeze/thaw/shove in the carboy. I'm planning on removing the stems/pits and crushing them a bit. Any thoughts?

 

[cactusgarrett]

I would recommend a tertiary for clarity, if you're fruiting the secondary. I wouldn't cook the cherries, as you'll lose the subtle, soft characteristics they possess. As long as your primary fermentation is complete, you should have enough protection from the alcohol to stave off any harmful bugs. Just wash, de-stem & de-pit, freeze, thaw, and dump into the secondary.

 

[FungusBrew]

Just wash, de-stem & de-pit, freeze, thaw, and dump into the secondary.

This is exactly what I did! Fermentation kicked back up, and all the cherries are floating on top. I've got 7lbs of cherries in 5 gallons of weiss beer.

 

[PurpleJeepXJ]

Try black cherry extract. I found it one day in the vitamin aisle in the grocery store and put 4oz in a 4gal batch during secondary.

 

[earthboundagain]

Looking forwards to seeing how this turns out.

 

[cactusgarrett]

As am I. Jeep, i've used real cherries and i've used the extract. I can definitely tell the difference, not that the extract is bad. I prefer the fresh fruit, as it gives a less cough-syrupy, artificial flavor.

 

[Suthrncomfrt1884]

As am I. Jeep, i've used real cherries and i've used the extract. I can definitely tell the difference, not that the extract is bad. I prefer the fresh fruit, as it gives a less cough-syrupy, artificial flavor.

Did you use extract or "flavoring"? The flavoring can be found at most LHBS's...and its worthless. Some extracts actually do a very good job of replicating the flavor, it's just difficult to decide how much to use.

 

[cactusgarrett]

Ah - good point. I've used extract from my LHBS actually. I think with extract, still, balance might be the most important issue.

 

[boostsr20]

King orchards concentrate is awesome stuff.

 

[FungusBrew]

Just plain cherries in the beer, no other additions.

We use black cherry extract mixed with some hard sugar for kool-aid here It's good stuff, but definitely holds on to that "cough syrup" flavor a bit, something I wouldn't want in my beer.

 

[FungusBrew]

Fermentation is going slowly but surly again with the addition of the cherries. Anyone know how long I can expect this? How long's too long for fruit to be in there?

 

[boostsr20]

Fermentation is going slowly but surly again with the addition of the cherries. Anyone know how long I can expect this? How long's too long for fruit to be in there?

Randy Mosher states in his book that he's left beer on fruit for 6-9 months.

 

[carluchi]

A little late now, but I have had good results with buying the 'Just Tart Cherry' juice bottles they sell at the hippie stores. It's pure Montmorency juice cut with water. I find that 2 qts works perfectly for 5 gal. Gives it a good cherry flavor without it being over powering. Add the juice in secondary and let it sit for a week. Total cost: $12

http://www.rwknudsenfamily.com/products/pure_juice/organic_just_tart_cherry