First sour when to add fruit?

[bigplunkett]

Ive been brewing 3 years this is my first sour attempt.
8# 2row
2# vienna
1# flacked wheat
.5#acid malt

Step mash 25 min 149 rest of 60min at 154

Boiled 30min
15 min .25 oz tettnang for 4 ibu

Yeast imperial organic sour batch ( 1 lacto 1 sacc 2brett) no pedio.

How long shpuld i wait to add fruit i was thinking up to 5# of black berries or currants if i can get them.
The guy at the brewing supply says hes had this done and bottled in 6mths should i wait till that to add fruit?

 

[TwistedGray]

For a traditional sour you probably want to wait a few months for sure. Traditional sours can sit in carboys for 6-12 months easily...usually 12 months if not longer.

Ideally if you want to maintain the fruitiness you'll want to do it approximately 1-2ish months before bottling (if you're going that route). I have mine on berries/fruits for the last month, and the fruit itself is done.

I'll rack it back off the fruit, see where it's at, and then decide whether I need a second secondary on the same fruit. I think with all berries you'll want to remove the beer from the berries when the berries turn white (that's certainly the case with raspberries).

 

[bigplunkett]

Ok thanks so probly add it around 5mths depending on the taste. I was thinkg 3 to 5 lbs for 5.5 gal or might i need more?

 

[TwistedGray]

Ok thanks so probly add it around 5mths depending on the taste. I was thinkg 3 to 5 lbs for 5.5 gal or might i need more?

It depends highly on the fruit, but that's a reasonable start. I'd go 5 pounds or more if it were me, but we all have different opinions

Considering splitting it off into two batches?

 

[sweetcell]

+1 for adding fruit on the back-end. i like to let my sours age out until they are completed and would make good sours as a stand-alone beers (without the fruit). so 6 months minimum before adding fruit, i almost always go 12 months.

quantity: a rule of thumb that has worked for me is 2 pounds of fruit per gallon. different fruits will require different amounts. currants are intense, so i'd back off on those (maybe 1.5, or even 1, lb/gal). less intense fruit like strawberries might need 2.5 to 3. most berries and stonefruit are good at 2.

 

[bigplunkett]

I was thinking maby rack half off to bottle, and fruit the last 3 gal.

 

[BrewMan13]

I have done a fruited sour once, and I added blueberries (2lbs/gal) 9 months in, anticipating bottling at 12. Well, I waited longer to be sure it was completely done since it the fruit sugar kicked it up again, and didn't bottle until ~17/18 months. The taste test at bottling time was quite good, and I impressed myself being that it was my first attempt. Letting it carb up slow, so haven't cracked a bottle yet.

 

[sweetcell]

I have done a fruited sour once, and I added blueberries (2lbs/gal) 9 months in, anticipating bottling at 12. Well, I waited longer to be sure it was completely done since it the fruit sugar kicked it up again, and didn't bottle until ~17/18 months.

fruit contains only simple sugars and the brett will chew through it in a month, maybe 2 tops.