Cherry Kolsch help.. plz

[doulovebeef]

This is my first time using any kind of fruit in a beer, and since the girlfriend requested something that she could drink this is what i have came up with, its based on Edworts Bee Cave Brewery Kolsch recipe. I want to add a 49oz can of Oregon Fruit Puree to the brew but im not really sure when. i was thinking after 5 days i could add the puree and gently stir to rouse the yeast and incorporate everything. when my hydrometer reads the same for three days ill rack to secondary to clear. Could i cold crash this without messing up the flavor? should i add pectin since im adding fruit? most of my beers that i cold crash i usually add unflavored gelatin, should i omit it in this recipe? thanks for any and all help!

7# 2 row Pils Malt
2.5 # Wheat Malt
mash @ 151 / 60 minutes
Wyeast 2565 kolsch
1 oz Perle 7.8% AA for 60 minutes
1/2 oz. Tettnanger 4.4% AA for 15 min.
1/2 oz. Tettnanger 4.4% AA for 5 min.
49oz Oregon Cherry Puree

 

[JonK331]

I don't make much fruit beer either but last time I did I added the fruit (Oregon Raspberry puree) to a secondary* after 10 days or so and racked the beer from the primary on top. Fermented out pretty dry but the fruit flavor was great.



*I never secondary except when I'm expecting ACTUAL secondary fermentation

 

[doulovebeef]

does the pectin in the puree cause any haze? i mean, i dont really care how it looks, but i do like the bragging rights for a nice clear beer. even if im not the one drinking it lol

 

[doulovebeef]

bump

 

[malkore]

since Kolsch yeast is needed to make Kolsch taste right, and you're going to mask the flavor with cherries, I would aim for a blonde ale instead.

fruit in secondary. the pectin could cause haze. pectic enzyme should help.

 

[maida7]

I made a cherry beer recently and learned a lot. My base beer was a belgian dubble. I fermented the base beer and then racked it into a secondary with 6 cans of Oregon brand cherries. The can's used were from the local supermarket. They were the standard 15 oz sized cans not the big 3 lb can you can get from the HBS. They were also whole fruit and not puree. I used 4 cans of sour cherries packed in water and 2 cans of bing cherries packed in a very light syrup. I threw all 6 cans together in the blender with the juice and made my own puree. The puree went in the secondary with the beer and it fermented a bit as there was some sugar in the fruit for the yeast to eat. I kegged the beer, ageded it for a few months, then forced carbed it and put it on tap.

Result: Almost NO cherry flavor or aroma in the finished beer. I was shooting for Kasteel Rouge and was very disappointed

So I went ahead and doctered the beer with more cherry. I added 2 jars (32oz each) of "R.W. Knudsen just tart cherry juice" LINK. This stuff is the bomb. Also, I added 2 oz of artificial cherry flavor from the HBS.

Result: The beer is awesome. Great cherry flavor. Tart and refresing with a dry clean finish. Not nearly as cherry flavored as Kasteel Rouge but a good amount of cherry and very drinkable.

What I learned: The Oregon fruit was a waste of time. The R.W. Kundsen tart cherry juice is very good stuff. When I do a re-brew, I'll skip the Oregon fruit and just use the juice. Probably just add it at kegging.

Any questions?

 

[doulovebeef]

Thanks for all your help guys i really appreciate it. Went to the LHBS and picked up the ingredients but they didnt have the cherry puree (they had some cherry wine base but i was skeptical of it). So i brewed up and pitched yeast at 7:30pm and i already see airlock activity, fermenting at 60F. Im going to let it ferment out and rack to secondary on top of cherry puree and pectin enzyme.

OG: 1.042 im hoping the cherry puree adds a few points to this, would like it to be around 6%.

 

[doulovebeef]

update: i just dropped the cherry puree (3#) into the primary after 7 days. 45 minutes later and i have a bubbling airlock, i didnt add any pectin enzyme like i originally planned. oh, i swirled the fermenter a bit to rouse the yeast. once gravity stops dropping ill cold crash and transfer to keg.

Also id like to mention im using wyeast 2565 and i didnt use a starter, the beer was low gravity. But this yeast took off like a rocket from the start. temp is 60F

 

[doulovebeef]

i kegged today, initial tasting seems to lack any kind of cherry flavor, if its there its very subtle.

 

[maida7]

i kegged today, initial tasting seems to lack any kind of cherry flavor, if its there its very subtle.

well duh! Did you not read my post? The puree does very little. Unless that was what you intended.

If you really want cherry flavor, I'd suggest adding a quart or 2 of that juice that I recommended (see the link in my other post). You can add it directly to the keg.

 

[doulovebeef]

i knew that carbonation changes the perception of sweetness so i didnt want to add any juice til it carbs. it seems the only place i can find that juice is online (no local stores carry it) so at least the beer will be carbed when i get the juice in the mail. i noticed when i added the puree after primary fermentation that the canned cherry almost taste like plum but it did add a nice red tint to the beer.

 

[steinsato]

R.W. knudson is sold at lots of organic grocery stores like Wild Oats, Whole Foods, or your local Coop. Check those stores before you order it online.

 

[maida7]

R.W. knudson is sold at lots of organic grocery stores like Wild Oats, Whole Foods, or your local Coop. Check those stores before you order it online.

Word! I don't live in a big city and I can find it at several local stores.

 

[doulovebeef]

follow up: I dont think ill ever use oregon puree ever again, i tasted it before i added and i thought it tasted like plums, but i added anyway. and i found the exact juice u were talking about at a local health food store (way cheaper too!) the end result had my once pale kolsch look something like an amber ale. and the taste is, well, i can taste tin (or something metallic) i only added one jar of the cherry juice but damn that stuffs good on its own! i think the next time i try this ill just add to the keg and pasteurize any bottles i fill. thanks to all who helped in the endeavor. i learned a lot!