Adding fruit juice to the secondary. How much? Do I need to sanitize?

[wrbeach]

Currently planning out a grapefruit wheat and decided to go with store-bought 100% grapefruit juice as my method for adding the flavor. My current plan is to add it to the secondary, but my question is how much should I do and should I be sanitizing the juice in any way prior to adding it?

It's my first time using store-bought fruit juice, so I'm not exactly sure how much to put in. I don't want it to be SUPER forward but I'm not afraid to let you know its there.

For the sanitizing, it says "pasteurized" on the container, but I'm not sure if I'm ready to take that at face value. Do I need to do any additional sanitizing steps? If so, what would be the best method?

Any and all advice is welcome. Thanks!

 

[day_trippr]

How set are you on this plan?
"Fruit juice" may not convey as much character to finished beer as you might suppose.
Meanwhile, there are a few hops that'll smack you in the mouth with "grapefruit" character without diluting your beer...

Cheers!

 

[GoodTruble]

First, check the ingredient list to make sure there aren't any preservatives that will kill or inhibit yeast. Otherwise, the juice may stop or substantially slow your fermentation.

Second, adding juice can be very tricky. Almost all sugars and sweetness will ferment out, leaving the juice way more tart and astringent than you may expect. I would err on the side of not adding too much. Maybe a half cup per gallon.

Also, you can just mix small amounts of fruit juice into beers after pouring. Perhaps you prefer the challenge of making the flavored beer, but there is also something to be said for also having a regular wheat beer that you can then add the amount of juice each person wants (including none).

Lastly, it "should" be safe, but a "small" chance of losing an entire batch of beer is sobering to consider. You could briefly boil the juice to sanitize it (and store in safe container until it cools). You could also just mix it with a small amount with some type of complimentary alcohol to sanitize (peach liquor or peach schnapps?). Can be a good option sometimes, but you may need to mix some small samples to see what works.

Also, there are all kinds of flavorings you can add instead of real fruit or juices. But I've never found any I like enough to recommend.

 

[IslandLizard]

What @GoodTruble says! ^

For the sanitizing, it says "pasteurized" on the container

That should suffice from a sanitation perspective, and be safe to use as is.

However, the main issues remain the leftover acidity after the juice's sugars are fermented out, and dilution of the beer.
I would be inclined to using (grapefruit) juice concentrate or pulp, rather than straight drinkable juice, as it packs more flavor, and won't dilute your beer as much. But there's still the acidity issue.

From what I understand, many craft breweries use special fruit pulp that's optimized to be added to beer and other beverages.

 

[lumpher]

What day_trippr said. I'd go with hops. I can't stand grapefruit, and as such, I can tell you there are some hops that would make you think they're made from ground up grapefruit they taste so much like it.

 

[GoodTruble]

What day_trippr said. I'd go with hops. I can't stand grapefruit, and as such, I can tell you there are some hops that would make you think they're made from ground up grapefruit they taste so much like it.

Which ones? I'm curious.

 

[lumpher]

Which ones? I'm curious.

Centennial, Cascade, Amarillo... you combine those 3 and it's a grapefruit bomb... Chinook is another 1.

 

[Mr. Vern]

I would also trust the pasteurization

(in addition to pulp or concentrate) FWIW I used the candied orange peel method a couple years ago (see clawhammer supply) and it gave me great flavor. I am thinking about making another batch soon. I would think Grapefruit or other peels would be the same result.

Maybe run a few small secondaries and vary the juice as an experiment?

Personally I would look at hop combinations and some peel, and/or mix as a shandy as needed.

 

[BeerNsteadofH2O]

The zest from a few grapefruit in a tincture will give way more grapefruit flavor than the juice,without altering your recipe. IMHO ,hops are the way to get it done.