Brewing with fruit juices - why are juices mostly blends?

[Rev2010]

I was just wondering something. I've brewed with fruit juices added to beer before but I've wanted to try different fruits, say passionfruit or lychee, but all the fruit juices I've come across are blends of pear, peach, apple, etc in addition to the sole fruit they're selling the juice as. Even when they say 100% fruit juice it means just that, it doesn't mean it's 100% lychee or passionfruit juice, usually it's under 12%! Yet we can buy 100% pineapple, apple, orange etc. Is it mostly because these other exotic fruits are too powerful/pungent on their own? Too expensive? And even if so, why wouldn't there be at least a few brands selling 100% variants of these fruit juices for cooking/baking/brewing/cocktail mixing/whatever? Obviously as a home brewer procuring a fair quantity of these fruits can be difficult but even worse so, juicing them ourselves can often be a PITA, costly, and messy so juices offer a good solution. Anyhow, anyone have any insight on this?


Rev.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

The blends are likely for cost savings on the manufacturers behalf.

Have you looked at the Jumex Nectars? IIRC, they are straight juice and sugar. For example Jumex Mango is only Mango puree and sugar, etc...

 

[agrazela]

Apple, pear, pineapple (especially) and orange (though not as much anymore!) juices are cheap. Even "100% grape concord" juice is usually 80%+ white grape (also cheap).

EDIT: mango is cheap too, probably second only to pineapple.

 

[SnakeRidge]

I'd imagine that cost is a big factor. Pure lychee juice might run (completely hypothetical) $20 a liter, and no manufacturer is going to try to sell something like that, much less get the shelf space in enough stores to move any quantity.

 

[fuelish]

I make peach pyment (peach and grapes mead), I use juice for the majority of fruit fermentables and add peaches to secondary. There are 100% white grape/peach juices (according to the label) and white grape/peach juices that also contain apple and pear.....truthfully, they taste the same (to me), but I use the juice without apple or pear because it's just a peachy melomel, otherwise.

Absolutely, everything mentioned above is the reason for additional fruits, I'm sure - making the "flavor" available at a price point that will sell. You can find pure organic cherry, cranberry, etc juices, but....they are pricy, unfortunately, but it is what it is...I probably piss folks off when in the store but I read the fine print on the labels of EVERYthing...hehheh

 

[frettfreak]

Easy way to figure this out.... go try to buy a passion fruit or lychee. I dont even think i could find 1 let alone enough to make a gallon of juice (especially for a reasonable price). depending on when you add the juice the blends should be ok as long as there isnt a lot of preservatives, and i DOUBT that anyone would be able to say "i taste some pear in the lychee beer". Thats also the reason you dont see many commercial brewers using these fruits.

 

[MKLA]

I recently brewed an American Wheat with Goya frozen passion fruit pulp. At my typical 1.2lbs per gallon, it was far more fruit forward than any of my other fruit beers with the same ratio. So perhaps, as you suggested, potency is a factor as well.

 

[bcmeyer]

Invest in a blender or a food processor and make your own purees. You have to wait for the puree to settle out, but it works well for a low cost.

-Kelso