Easy Apricot Style Beer

[monty67]

I'm gonna be making an quick and easy apricot style beer with a Brewer's Best American Cream Ale Kit and then throwing in a LD Carlson apricot flavoring at the end before bottling. The wife likes these styles so i thought i would give one a try on the cheap. I'm looking for any suggestions for changing this or if this looks good for a first attempt. Thanks in advance.

Kit came with:

3.3lbs Plain Light Malt Extract
2lbs Plain Light Dry Malt Extract
1 1/2 oz Vanguard Hops (Bittering)
1/2 oz Vanguard Hops (Finishing)
5 oz Priming Sugar

Then i picked up the LD Carlson Apricot fruit flavoring that came in a 4oz bottle even though it says to add 6-7 oz per 5 gallons. I just bought one.

 

[CatchinZs]

I'd do a search on oregan puree's on here. Most people aren't pleased with the flavoring extracts due to them tasting...well...fake.

 

[Bob]

For the first attempt, I think you're on the right track. Easy, middle-of-the-road blonde beer as the base, add fruit flavoring to taste at bottling time. Yeah, they can taste 'fake' if you taste them side by side with beer aged on real fruit. But for the first attempt, it's really, really hard to control the level and depth of flavor with real fruit; you're just stabbing in the dark. How long in the secondary? How much fruit? Etc.

If you add the flavoring extract incrementally at bottling, tasting after each addition (remembering that carbonation will somewhat mask the flavor and aroma, so you need to go a bit on the too-strong side), you can get the perfect combination the first time round. SWMBO is happy, you're happy; everyone who turns up their noses at fruit extracts can go hang as long as you're satisfied.

Bob

 

[brewt00l]

If you add the flavoring extract incrementally at bottling, tasting after each addition (remembering that carbonation will somewhat mask the flavor and aroma, so you need to go a bit on the too-strong side), you can get the perfect combination the first time round.

Targeting a little stronger than desired is a good point. In many cases I like to have a glass of water or something to cleanse my palate handy when I am dosing in the secondary so I know exactly what I am tasting is spot on.

 

[monty67]

That's a good point about the tasting and cleansing the palate, just like completing a wine before bottling. And a good suggestion about going a wee bit heavy when tasting, will definately keep that in mind. Thanks again

 

[Bob]

I learned that the hard way - I added cherry extract to a stout incrementally, got it absolutely perfect, right where I wanted it, then couldn't really taste it after the bottles carbonated.

Learn from other idiots' mistakes, that's the smart thing to do.

Bob