Adding fruit to cider

[Makilio]

Hi everyone. I have a general question, I want to learn some of your ideas/technique for adding fruit and fruit flavor to the cider you make. I have a very basic batch that is maybe 3/4ths done, apple juice, yeast and that is it. But I want to add fruit flavor, like mango, raspberry, whatever idea Should I just add frozen fruit? Will it rot? Or just another juice? If I add will it just restart fermenting? Thanks for the help

 

[RPh_Guy]

People use fruit juice, fruit juice concentrate, natural fruit flavoring, frozen fruit, dried fruit, canned fruit, and fresh fruit.
They all work, just depends what you want and what's available. The process varies slightly for each.

Any sugar you add can potentially ferment.

 

[Makilio]

People use fruit juice, fruit juice concentrate, natural fruit flavoring, frozen fruit, dried fruit, canned fruit, and fresh fruit.
They all work, just depends what you want and what's available. The process varies slightly for each.

Any sugar you add can potentially ferment.

I think frozen, fresh or fruit juice would be most likely. I assume to add after primary is complete?

 

[RPh_Guy]

After primary will provide the most flavor. Allow a couple weeks to ferment.

May want to consider mashing/pureeing or freezing fresh fruit to allow better extraction.

 

[Makilio]

Ok, so, for example, I will get some frozen raspberries, mash them up a little, then add in at the end of primary and let it sit another couple weeks then I can bottle? Is it possible that the fruit will mold or rot? And last question - will it make flavor sweet or dry? I want a sweeter cider.

 

[JimRausch]

Ok, so, for example, I will get some frozen raspberries, mash them up a little, then add in at the end of primary and let it sit another couple weeks then I can bottle? Is it possible that the fruit will mold or rot? And last question - will it make flavor sweet or dry? I want a sweeter cider.

Get the raspberries, smush them, freeze them, thaw and resmush- that helps break down the cell walls and gives you a little more juice and flavor. Add them at, or toward the end of fermentation, as you suggest and let sit for an additional week or 2 before bottling. The fruit won't mold. It will mush up and look 'used up' by the end of fermentation, but that's normal. You're adding it to an acidic, alcoholic environment filled with yeast that will overcompete any possible contaminants. With the possible exceptions of lactobacillus or acetobacter. Look up techniques on how to avoid those. Adding fruit will not change the overall sweetness/dryness of the cider, with the possible exception of pears which have significant sorbitol (a nonfermentable sugar alcohol). If you want a sweeter cider than you wind up with, then you'll need to do something to stun the yeast and backsweeten. Here again- look up techniques in this forum.

 

[AzOr]

Good timing on this thread. I’m in the process of making a blackberry saison cider- 5 gallons.

I fermented my apple juice first. I’m gonna add about 6 or 7 lbs of blackberries to the primary.
I’ll wait about a week or two then cold crash.

I’ll stabilize then add a bit of blackberry juice, maybe a touch of honey. I’ll then carbonate and bottle using my beer gun. Since it will be backsweetened, I’ll have to pasteurize.

If using berries, do yourself a favor and use a mesh bag.
Otherwise, you’ll be cursing as your siphon gets clogged. You’ll also lose a ton of cider when racking.
I usually lift the bag out and carefully give it a squeeze.

Also remember, that you are trying to compliment the cider, not overwhelm it. A lot of mead recipes will call for 3 or more pounds of fruit per gallon. That’s fine for mead but a bit too much for cider (in my opinion).

Good luck! This is a great time of year to be fermenting.

 

[Maylar]

It doesn't change sweetness, the sugar in the fruit will ferment out. You can poke the fruit down once in a while to keep it from drying out and getting moldy, or use a weighted mesh bag (sanitized of course) which makes straining out seeds a lot easier.

 

[AzOr]

Good timing on this thread. I’m in the process of making a blackberry saison cider- 5 gallons.

I fermented my apple juice first. I’m gonna add about 6 or 7 lbs of blackberries to the primary.
I’ll wait about a week or two then cold crash.

I’ll stabilize then add a bit of blackberry juice, maybe a touch of honey. I’ll then carbonate and bottle using my beer gun. Since it will be backsweetened, I’ll have to pasteurize.

If using berries, do yourself a favor and use a mesh bag.
Otherwise, you’ll be cursing as your siphon gets clogged. You’ll also lose a ton of cider when racking.
I usually lift the bag out and carefully give it a squeeze.

Also remember, that you are trying to compliment the cider, not overwhelm it. A lot of mead recipes will call for 3 or more pounds of fruit per gallon. That’s fine for mead but a bit too much for cider (in my opinion).

Good luck! This is a great time of year to be fermenting.

Forgot to mention that I freeze the berries first.
Once I take them out of freezer I put them in sanitized bag inside of a sanitized stainless bowl. I then let them thaw then add the bag to the primary along with juices.

 

[Makilio]

Thanks everyone, so this is my plan, maybe. I'm doing a small batch of cider right now, I just finished 2 large ones and wanted this to be for the experiment reasons. Only 10 liter. I will let me current batch sit for some days more, then add raspberries (or mango, I have not picked yet) frozen, mashed, frozen, mash, unfreeze, etc... I will put inside something (Is a cheese clothe ok? And what is a good idea for a weight? anything just if it is sanitized?) and let it sit for a week or so more then bottle.

I will have a little unrelated question about bottling, since I have never backsweetened before since I have a big fear of bottle explosions. I usually bottle and put in the refrigerator right after and let it sit. I am searching the forum and hopefully I will find my answers though here. What do you all use for back sweetening? I have xylitol but unsure if this is what I should use. I just don't want explosions

 

[JimRausch]

What do you all use for back sweetening? I have xylitol but unsure if this is what I should use. I just don't want explosions

With my ciders/grafs, after fermentation is complete and everything has settled (sometimes I cold crash, sometimes not) I bottle with frozen apple juice concentrate. Usually 1 can per 5G batch, but I might use 2 cans if I want it a little sweet. I bottle one in a plastic soda bottle, squeeze out the air and cap. When that bottle is turgid, I know the rest are also carbonated. I chill the soda bottle and taste it. If it's where I want it, then I cooler pasteurize the rest of the batch to stop fermentation. Result= carbonated, cidery goodness at the sweetness level I'm looking for (I usually like them dry). The thread on cooler pasteurization is also on this area of the forum, so there's another thing you can search for.
I have also used Xylitol to backsweeten fruit beers. Have used 1 cup per 2G batch of Grapefruit or Cranberry Moon (American Wheat). I usually don't backsweeten the raspberry, apricot or blueberry versions.

 

[Makilio]

With my ciders/grafs, after fermentation is complete and everything has settled (sometimes I cold crash, sometimes not) I bottle with frozen apple juice concentrate. Usually 1 can per 5G batch, but I might use 2 cans if I want it a little sweet. I bottle one in a plastic soda bottle, squeeze out the air and cap. When that bottle is turgid, I know the rest are also carbonated. I chill the soda bottle and taste it. If it's where I want it, then I cooler pasteurize the rest of the batch to stop fermentation. Result= carbonated, cidery goodness at the sweetness level I'm looking for (I usually like them dry). The thread on cooler pasteurization is also on this area of the forum, so there's another thing you can search for.
I have also used Xylitol to backsweeten fruit beers. Have used 1 cup per 2G batch of Grapefruit or Cranberry Moon (American Wheat). I usually don't backsweeten the raspberry, apricot or blueberry versions.

I might not understand you right, but why should I pasteurize?

Stabilizing is hard for me, I do not have potassium sorbate and it is hard to get easily in my country, just not many places with it, so I think your method might be good for me to try. So I would bottle with the fruit flavor added, not let it ferment?

 

[JimRausch]

I might not understand you right, but why should I pasteurize?

Because you mentioned you were worried about bottle bombs.
Also, you said you preferred a sweeter cider. If you want other than dry cider, then you need to do something to stop the yeast from feeding on everything you give them.
I pasteurize when my samples have reached the carbonation and sweetness levels that I'm looking for.

 

[Makilio]

Because you mentioned you were worried about bottle bombs.
Also, you said you preferred a sweeter cider. If you want other than dry cider, then you need to do something to stop the yeast from feeding on everything you give them.
I pasteurize when my samples have reached the carbonation and sweetness levels that I'm looking for.

Ok, I understand now. Sometimes my English fails me. I think I have found the cooler pasteurizing post, so I will try this method. Thank you, a lot.

 

[Nedjones]

Hi all, I was wondering if anyone could give me some tips on how to do this if using canned puree from the homebrew supply. I was thinking I'd add a can to the primary at the end of fermentation. One can is about three pounds. Should I use two? Thanks for any advice.