adding fruit question

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

brandona33

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 24, 2008
Messages
83
Reaction score
0
I currently have a 5gal Stout which I added thawed raspberries to after the boil, for 10 min, then strained out before pitching. While in the fermenter, I could smell a great Raz aroma through the airlock. I know the yeast probably ate up all of those sugars, and when I transferred to 2ndary, that aroma wasn't as prevailant. It has been in 2ndary for 2 days, would it be bad to add more raspberries and extend the duration that the brew sits in secondary?
Would adding these significantly help the flavor?
Any negatives, or way that this could hurt/infect the brew?
Should I boil them first to sterilize and let cool before adding?

Lotta questions, and advice?
 
Normally fruit goes into the secondary - see the Raspberry Ale in my recipe link for a discussion on use of fruit. Short version is that adding into the secondary is going to help, but do the reading first.
 
I'm no expert but in reference to melomels (fruit mead) I've heard that boiling fruit will cause the pectins to gel up.

from Mad about Mead:

2336330958_5bccd4802b.jpg


There are enzymes you can add to fix this... but if you don't care about hazy or cloudy beer... I suppose there's nothing wrong with boiling them a little before you add to secondary. This will also make fermentation kick back in a little bit.
 
Most people add it to the secondary anyway. It will start a new fermentation and if you want to clear it up you'll probably want to rack it to tertiary after that's completed.

Puree some raspberries and pour them in. If you are using fresh fruit then you need to pasteurize it first. Puree it and hold it at about 160F for say 15 minutes. Don't boil it as that will 'set' the pectins and cause haze and may impact flavor. Then cool and pour into the carboy.

Probably good to have a blowoff tube rigged after adding the fruit too.
 
I am on my very first brew and have read and heard that fruit (raw) is added in the secondary OR you can add extracts at the time of bottling. In my case I am going to add at bottling time so that I can get half and half. Cream ale / strawberry cream ale.
 
I don't know how you'd monitor the temperature, but from a culinary standpoint, you get different flavors from cooked vs. fresh raspberries. When I make raspberry puree reductions(strained through a fine mesh sieve) I put them in a big (4 cup pyrex) measuring cup and stick them in the microwave for 5-10 minutes. They boil in this time, so I can't imagine that they wouldn't be pasteurized. This would bring you a slightly fresher flavor if you're even able to detect the difference.
 
Thank you all for your direction. I added mashed berries to the carboy, and found out the messy way about the blowoff, or lack thereof. Had to go to LHBS and make a quick purchase to keep it from clogging my airlock.

Is this also going to raise my ABV because the yeast are eating again and making alcohol???
 
Back
Top