Fig and Lime Beer

[mbarone00]

Hey, I want to brew a fig and lime beer. I'm in the early stages of developing a recipe and wanted some insight/ideas on how to put it together. I want to do an all grain brew with this. I was thinking for the style of beer to be an IPA, pale ale or maybe a saison. As far as the fruit, I would most likely have to use a dried fig and fresh limes.

What style of beer do you think would match these fruits? I want it to be hoppy with the fig and lime in the background. Also, when would it be best to add these fruits? (flameout, during the boil, in the secondary, etc.) Thanks.

 

[mbarone00]

This is a recipe I put together, any thoughts?

Grains
6lbs. Belgian 2-row malt
1.5lbs. Caravienne malt
1.5lbs. Biscuit malt
1lbs Aromatic malt

60 Minute boil
1oz. Motuetka @ 60 mins
1oz. Motuetka @ 30 mins
.5oz. Saaz @ 15 mins

Wyeast Belgian Ardennes Yeast 3522

My thoughts are to use about 2 or 3 limes to zest at flameout and then caramelize dry figs and use them in the secondary.

 

[mbarone00]

Updated recipe

Grains
6lbs. Belgian 2-row malt
2lbs. Caravienne malt
1.5lbs. Biscuit malt
8oz. Carapils malt
8oz. Aromatic malt

60 Minute boil
1oz. Motuetka @ 60 mins
1oz. Motuetka @ 30 mins
1oz. Saaz @ 15 mins

Wyeast Belgian Ardennes Yeast 3522


Caramelized figs and place in mesh bag towards the end of the boil @ 5 minutes or flame out. Possibly more fig puree in the secondary with lime zest. Any thoughts?

 

[AkTom]

Sounds,,, interesting. I made a Key Lime beer once. Friends thought it was good. I had the mental disadvantage though. I only add lemon or lime to poor/mediocre beer. I like Fig Newton but not so much fresh figs, so I'm curious what this will taste like. I hope it works well.
Tom

 

[Calichusetts]

I tapped the keg on my barleywine with caramelized figs, dates and raisins about a week ago. Caramelized them in bourbon then added them with about 2 minutes left and basically did a long steep after flameout. Came out great. In fact almost too great. It almost has a Belgian quad taste with how well the fruit came through.

Though the general consensus is to rack the beer into a secondary on top of the fruit, still, this way worked for me.

 

[mbarone00]

How much figs do you think should be used? I don't want the figs to overpower the beer, I want some balance between the malt, figs and hops with the lime being a bit subtle.

 

[Calichusetts]

Again, if you go the flameout route like I stated above (add a few minutes before you flameout to kill any bugs on the figs) with a decent steep/whirlpool. I used half a pound caramelized in bourbon (weighed almost 11 ounces) in a 3.5 gallon batch. I'd think even a pound steeped in a 5 gallon batch wouldn't overpower it. It will also depend on how much hops and what type you used. Same with the lime peel.

 

[mbarone00]

Great, I will try that when I brew it. Thanks for the feedback.

 

[ArcLight]

I doubt the figs will over power the beer because they are not puree. They will give their flavor more slowly. I would boil them for enough time that the heat penetrates all the way through, so they are pasturized. Then I'd chop them up (a food processor may work or they may become a sticky mess).
I'd add this to the primary after 5-7 days, and then taste once a week until the taste is to your liking.

I don't think 1 pound will be enough unless you are willing to let them sit for up to several weeks, imparting ever more flavor over time.

 

[mbarone00]

I was planning on using a puree after caramelizing the figs

 

[zmanzorro]

I had a tart fig quad this weekend that was quite good. Looks like you're shooting for something similar. Should work well!

 

[mbarone00]

Final recipe, took some ideas into consideration and will try some things out in regards to the figs and lime.

Grains
7lbs. Belgian 2-row malt
1.25lbs Caravienne malt
1lbs. Biscuit malt
1lbs. Aromatic malt

60 Minute boil
1oz. Motuetka @ 60 mins
1oz. Saaz @ 30 mins
1oz. Motuetka @ 15 mins

Wyeast Belgian Ardennes Yeast 3522

 

[brewcat]

I'd throw some wheat malt in there.

 

[mbarone00]

Why wheat malt and how much? Should it be added into the grain bill or replace something?

 

[Calichusetts]

I doubt the figs will over power the beer because they are not puree. They will give their flavor more slowly. I would boil them for enough time that the heat penetrates all the way through, so they are pasturized. Then I'd chop them up (a food processor may work or they may become a sticky mess).
I'd add this to the primary after 5-7 days, and then taste once a week until the taste is to your liking.

I don't think 1 pound will be enough unless you are willing to let them sit for up to several weeks, imparting ever more flavor over time.

I must correct my previous statement on 1/2 pound of figs in my 3.5 gallon batch. I also added a 1/2 pound of dates and raisins EACH. So that is 1.5 pounds total. I did toss them in a blender or a few pulses before caramelizing them in a pan with bourbon. Now almost 2 months in, very nice and strong dark fruit profile.

Any yes, they will be a sticky mess if you blend them at all

 

[mbarone00]

Alright, brewed this a few days ago. The projected OG was 1.055, I got a reading of 1.038. I am doing some research as to what went wrong with the efficiency and I am questions the crush of my grains. Could this be the culprit?

 

[mbarone00]

Alright, this beer has been going for almost 4 weeks. I added a pound of sugar on the third day and then transferred to a secondary on caramelize do figs. The figs have been floating on the top for a while and I am getting a sulfur smell. It's not super strong like rotten eggs but it's somewhat noticeable. I tastes good, no detectable sulfur taste. Could the smell be from the fruit or yeast? I used Wyeast 3522 and made sure that the sugar and figs were boiled or cooked to eliminate bacteria. The smell has been there for about 2 weeks now.