adding peaches to a Ale

[ShoalPoint]

I am planning on adding peaches to an Ale I just brewed (first time with fruit I'm not a big fruity beer guy but was a request), I have researched a lot and many different ideas. Do you still have to sanitize the peaches if they are frozen ( thought that freezing them would take care of any contamination issues) and should you just rack on top of them or put then in a bag.

Thanks for any help

 

[ZebulonBrewer]

I'm adding peaches to a kolsch this week! (finishing a diacetyl rest today/tomorrow). I'm using frozen peaches bought from Wal-Mart ($2/lb booya) and some canned apricots (kept in juice not syrup). If the peaches you bought were already frozen when you bought them, they're good to go.

If you skinny/pitted the peaches yourself, they should be good. I don't have any information that says they won't be, and I've read about people doing that and being just fine. Let me know how it turns out; I've never used real fruit in a beer before this one and I'm really looking forward to it.

Happy brewing!

 

[azazel1024]

NO! ALWAYS SANITIZE FRUIT!

Skinned or no skinned, you'll be introducing wild yeast and bacteria, almost guaranteed. Freezing only kills a mild amount of bacteria or wild yeast. It'll kill some when they freeze, but they'll revivify when they are warmed up and go to town.

To sanitize, bring ANY fruit, berries, etc. up to around 160F for 10 minutes. Cool and then pitch in. The perk there is you can also mash it up with a potato masher too.

You don't need to put it in a bag. When you go to rack to your bottling bucket or key, put a hop bag (sanitized!) over the end of your siphon and it'll keep you from sucking up the peach pulp.

 

[ShoalPoint]

Thanks for the help and yes they are already frozen from the store

 

[Tippsy-Turvy]

Definitely sanitize if you're using fresh fruit.

I did for my first attempt and i still got gushers although it's still a mystery to me where i screwed up.

Am about to bottle a peach hefe and this time, to be safe, i'm priming with peach syrup (the type used for making cocktails).

Good luck with your attempt.

 

[madscientistbrewNq]

Just going to add my two cents here. I did a strawberry puree with fresh and pasteurized prior to adding to my carboy. I read sort of after the fact that I basically increased my beers exposure to pectin. Now I basically have a pinkish cloudy saison. I wish I had used pectin enzyme prior to racking the beer over the strawberries (supposedly a low pectin fruit). I also read that in most cases pectin enzyme should be added prior to pitching your yeast which in my case would not have worked as I was only adding the strawberries to the secondary. With that all being said I think I'm going to add some pectin enzyme anyway and of course cold crash before bottling this weekend. Hopefully it clears up a bit. I certainly understand that pectin haze does not effect the flavor of the brew but would prefer a nice clear-ish saison. Just keep these things in mind.

 

[azazel1024]

Well, hefes are SUPPOSED to be cloudy. I know some people need their beers crystal clear, and I certainly appreciate clarity in my beer, but some styles aren't support to be clear (Belgians and Hefes the notable ones).

I just accept that my fruit beers are going to be cloudy and it bothers me none.

 

[ZebulonBrewer]

NO! ALWAYS SANITIZE FRUIT!

Skinned or no skinned, you'll be introducing wild yeast and bacteria, almost guaranteed. Freezing only kills a mild amount of bacteria or wild yeast. It'll kill some when they freeze, but they'll revivify when they are warmed up and go to town.

To sanitize, bring ANY fruit, berries, etc. up to around 160F for 10 minutes. Cool and then pitch in. The perk there is you can also mash it up with a potato masher too.

You don't need to put it in a bag. When you go to rack to your bottling bucket or key, put a hop bag (sanitized!) over the end of your siphon and it'll keep you from sucking up the peach pulp.

Hey, thanks for correcting me on my post. I wasn't sure and I'm glad that someone answered knowing a bit more about it.

Happy Brewing!

 

[madscientistbrewNq]

Fyi, I added pectin enzyme this afternoon. It said 5 drops per gallon. I chose to add 20 drops and I am getting clarity.

 

[ArcLight]

I've done a number of fruit beers.
It takes longer than you think to get all the flavor, especially if you aren't using puree.

In addition to freezing fruit (to rupture the cell walls) you may want to put it in a food processor to tear it up so there is more surface area for the yeast.

It will start a slow fermentation that can go on for days and days. The longer you leave it, the more fruit flavor.

 

[madscientistbrewNq]

Great point on the kicking back up fermentation. It freaked me out when it happened but in hindsight I should have expected it given I was adding sugars.






It will start a slow fermentation that can go on for days and days. The longer you leave it, the more fruit flavor.[/QUOTE]

 

[TinyHands]

I would add the peaches to a jar of wodka and let it sit during primary fermentation. Then rack your beer over the drunk fruit into a secondary. Did that with both my Christmas ale (cranberries and oranges) and an oatmeal stout (black walnuts) recently, and it turned out great. Sanitizes and extracts flavors. Simple.

 

[azazel1024]

I've done a number of fruit beers.
It takes longer than you think to get all the flavor, especially if you aren't using puree.

In addition to freezing fruit (to rupture the cell walls) you may want to put it in a food processor to tear it up so there is more surface area for the yeast.

It will start a slow fermentation that can go on for days and days. The longer you leave it, the more fruit flavor.

Agree on that. My recent Berliner wiesse I split it. Half bottled straight and half on peaches. The straight half I bottled after 2 weeks and carbed to 2.8 volumes. Turned out roughly spot on. The peach one, I bottled after 4 weeks, the last 2 on peaches. I carbed also to 2.8 volumes. I think it ended up closer to 3.2. My guess is, a very slight amount of residual sugar as the yeast was very, very, very slowly cranking away as bits of the fruit "fell apart" and were able to be fermented.

No bottle bombs, far from it, but I think it probably should have gone an extra week or two. That said, it tastes very nice.

 

[ArcLight]

Agree on that. My recent Berliner wiesse I split it. Half bottled straight and half on peaches. The straight half I bottled after 2 weeks and carbed to 2.8 volumes. Turned out roughly spot on. The peach one, I bottled after 4 weeks, the last 2 on peaches. I carbed also to 2.8 volumes. I think it ended up closer to 3.2. My guess is, a very slight amount of residual sugar as the yeast was very, very, very slowly cranking away as bits of the fruit "fell apart" and were able to be fermented.

No bottle bombs, far from it, but I think it probably should have gone an extra week or two. That said, it tastes very nice.

If I want to brew a Berliner wiesse , what method do you suggest for acidifying the beer? (Culture, sour mash, other?)

 

[azazel1024]

If I want to brew a Berliner wiesse , what method do you suggest for acidifying the beer? (Culture, sour mash, other?)

Welp, the way I did it is not the way I had wanted to. Or at least it wasn't the way I thought it would be. I digress, this is how I did it and it turned out awesome. It is NOT the way I will ever do it again, however.

I did a mini-mash for a 2 liter starter using straight 2-row, 1.25#s. Raised it to 180F to sterilize and then dropped to 110F and pitched half a handful of uncrushed 2-row in my 2 liter starter and poured it in. Kept it in my mini-fridge with heater at 118F for 3 days with an airlock in. Since I stupidly filled it to the brim, thinking to keep all O2 out, I BLEW out the airlock and I lost about 300ml of the starter all over the fridge and basement floor. It soured nicely. For some stupid reason I thought I had read that this would be enough sourness to make an entire 5 gallon batch sour. NO!

After 3 days, I boiled for 5 minutes, cooled and poured it back in to the starter, covering it with foil.

2 days later...

I then did a 5 gallon batch using 3lbs wheat and 3lbs 2-row (did not use pilsner). Mashed adding my sour "starter" in the last 15 minutes or so of the mash, then brought to a boil, added 1oz of Hallertau 2.7AA pellet hops and boiled for 10 minutes. Chilled. and pitched in a packet of S05.

I could note a hint of lactic, but it didn't taste sour at all after 2 weeks of fermentation. So I soured to taste with food grade lactic acid, just the 2.5 gallons I bottled then. The rest I left in the fermenter, pitched in 3lbs of peaches and let it go to town for 2 weeks and then soured to taste in my bottling bucket with that bit too.

In both I could note a bit of lactic character without souring, but it really was not tart.

In the future I'll try sour kittling the entire batch, probably for 24hrs. However, I'll make a starter FIRST, to ensure that I have clean lactobacillus culturing up, instead of pitching the grain right in my kettle. So I'll let the starter go 24hrs, and then do my main mash, cool and pitch the starter in to the mash (strained) once I am sure that the starter is clean and lacto is churning away in it. Give the main mash 24hrs, or what seems like it is a good amount of sour, then boil, toss some hops in, cool after a few minutes and pitch yeast.

Trying this with an Oud Bruin in a few weeks.