Fruit Addition Dilemna Resolved

[Morrey]

First off, I don't like to mess with fruits, pumpkin flesh or anything similar in my brewing process. Goopy, expensive-it just clogs up my stuff and I am not fond of clogged up stuff! I tried finding a real good extract and that is darn near impossible. May I use the word "artificial" w/o ridicule?

Add to that I have succumbed to the wife's wishes for a fruit beer one too many times. Point being, she asks for it, I labor over it and clog up all my stuff (I don't like clogged up stuff)....and the beer sits there. She will drink a few pours from the keg and it gets old to her before long. Case in point is a raspberry wheat I made for her ($$$ for the fruit) and it is quite nice...not my cup of tea, but nice. Half the keg is sitting there taking up valuable kegerator real estate. Not good.

Two discoveries were made, one leading to the second. Monin is a company offering over the top flavor concentrates to restaurants, bars and now to the general public. Their concentrates are all natural made from fresh ingredients and bottled in 375mL sizes. This stuff is amazingly good and they have a multitude of uses in the beverage and food world.

So.....I am now making two "base" beers, both semi-low hopped. One is a wheat beer and the other is a cream ale beer. We bought and are using several Monin concentrates for beer infusions meaning we are not stuck with a full 5 gallons of anything except a base beer which I can enjoy "straight-up" if I choose. Monin makes something like 20 flavors including most all fruits and some pepper flavors, mint, cucumber, etc. I play with additions and liked a Pineapple w/Jalapeno combo. She likes a watermelon w/basil. A mango w/habanero was good, and since they include a pump to meter the additions, you can adjust the balance since the pepper flavors are quite potent. I hit an IPA with a pump of fresh pineapple flavor concentrate and it was off the chain good!

This is just my take on how to get a great quality fruit and flavor infusion into a beer w/o all the muss and fuss. With all these flavors to try, I hope she'll never tire of the same old thing all the time. Plus this stuff is amazingly good for all things...not only beer. I hit my BBQ sauce with a pump each of mango and habanero for chicken on the grill. I'm on "Island Time" now y'all!

 

[hellesyeah]

Would you mind sending a PM and share ordering information? This is what I have been looking for.

 

[Morrey]

Would you mind sending a PM and share ordering information? This is what I have been looking for.

Sure thing. PM sent

 

[Northerngal]

To me too? Thanks

 

[Morrey]

To me too? Thanks

Absolutely!

 

[derekcw83]

Me as well?

 

[Barley_Bob]

I am an idiot. I should have thought of this ages ago. My wife loves the "berliner beer" she can get at a German restaurant - hefe with a shot of raspberry. Which I think it disgusting and an affront to good beer. But I need brownie points, and this would make her really happy for just $10.

 

[carloslavin]

Would you say one pump per glass (let's say a 12oz) does the trick? Pretty interested in having some fruit beers but even with my small 3gal brewing, I can't really see myself committing to 30 12oz bottles of a peach blonde.

 

[Morrey]

Me as well?

PM sent...enjoy!

I am an idiot. I should have thought of this ages ago. My wife loves the "berliner beer" she can get at a German restaurant - hefe with a shot of raspberry. Which I think it disgusting and an affront to good beer. But I need brownie points, and this would make her really happy for just $10.

If we keep the wife happy and she supports our brewing hobby...it's a win-win!

Would you say one pump per glass (let's say a 12oz) does the trick? Pretty interested in having some fruit beers but even with my small 3gal brewing, I can't really see myself committing to 30 12oz bottles of a peach blonde.

Yeah that was my issue...a full 5G keg of a fruit beer is simply too much for us. This concentrate is a super compromise since I can drink a good wheat beer straight up, and the wife can add a shot of this or a shot of that for any combo she wants. And these additions are amazingly high quality. I am very discriminating else I wouldn't be suggesting these.

Each concentrate bottle is 375mL and each full pump is 3mL. We like one full pump of a fruit...say pineapple. I like a bit of heat so I'll add half a pump of jalapeno, and this is to each 16oz pint glass. You may like it a bit more or a bit less flavored and the beauty of this is you can add more or less to taste.

 

[Morrey]

I am an idiot. I should have thought of this ages ago. My wife loves the "berliner beer" she can get at a German restaurant - hefe with a shot of raspberry. Which I think it disgusting and an affront to good beer. But I need brownie points, and this would make her really happy for just $10.

We think alike. My wife will add a shot of Woodruff or Raspberry to a Hefe in a heartbeat. Me, not so much but I will add 1-2mL of lactic acid to one in a skinny minute and sour that beer right on down.

Those syrups are so sweet...phew. This concentrate is actually darn good (not so sweet) for us serious old school beer drinkers.

 

[derekcw83]

I ordered a couple. Going to add in the keg a little at a time to taste.

 

[Morrey]

I ordered a couple. Going to add in the keg a little at a time to taste.

The wife loves to add flavors to her beers...happy wife-happy life. I enjoy adding a bit of flavor in a cup of ice water at lunch. Versatile stuff and refreshing.

 

[SanPancho]

Are we talking about a new product from monin that is just fruit concentrates or the flavored syrups they sell?

 

[Morrey]

Are we talking about a new product from monin that is just fruit concentrates or the flavored syrups they sell?

I think these may be relatively new, but I just discovered them so not sure. I noted they have lots of various syrups and other products, but these are called "flavor concentrates". Made from natural ingredients, they are reported to have no sugars added or any other ingredients. One pump (pump included) gives you a 3mL shot and I find this adequate for a pint of beer or a glass of water with a hint of natural essence.

 

[Sbe2]

So my wife wants me to brew a passion fruit hefe. I have been pondering how to do this, and this seems like the way to go. It seems better than racking the hefe on to some form of passion fruit.

My question would be, when should I add the syrup? I bottle so do I add it in place of sugar, risking bottle bombs. Bottle it normally, then add it before drinking? That way I could enjoy it by not adding syrup.

Also, do you use the syrup or puree?

 

[Morrey]

So my wife wants me to brew a passion fruit hefe. I have been pondering how to do this, and this seems like the way to go. It seems better than racking the hefe on to some form of passion fruit.

My question would be, when should I add the syrup? I bottle so do I add it in place of sugar, risking bottle bombs. Bottle it normally, then add it before drinking? That way I could enjoy it by not adding syrup.

Also, do you use the syrup or puree?

Look at Monin.com specifically for "flavor concentrates". These are natural fruit flavor concentrates with no sugars or other additions.

Personally, I'd add a shot of concentrate to a glass and pour your bottled Hefe beer over the concentrate to mix w/o disturbing the carbonation. Plus, you can have a bottled Hefe w/o flavoring if you choose.

 

[Sbe2]

Look at Monin.com specifically for "flavor concentrates". These are natural fruit flavor concentrates with no sugars or other additions.

Personally, I'd add a shot of concentrate to a glass and pour your bottled Hefe beer over the concentrate to mix w/o disturbing the carbonation. Plus, you can have a bottled Hefe w/o flavoring if you choose.

Thank, that sounds like a win-win for me

Passion fruit and grapefruit are going into the cart

 

[Greg83]

Hey Morrey,

I am in the process of making a couple of ciders. I just stumbled on this post searching the web to get authentic fruit flavoring into the brew. Would you recommend adding this to a cider? It wouldn’t be pump by pump and I would add to a full 5 gallon batch.

I saw the chocolate concentrate they have too! I’m trying to clone Boulder Shake and was thinking this may be perfect along with cocoa nibs.

How much would you recommend in a 5 gallon batch?

Are the syrups clear or colored? I’m planning on throwing raspberries in for color anyway. Whenever I add real fruit I just don’t that sweet ripe flavor I’m after.

Any advice in advance would be appreciated before I place an order.

I see no actual raspberry in the ingredients list except natural flavors which has me worried. I saw they offer a fruit purée which has raspberry listed but also has a lot of sugar. I keg so the added sugar is not a big deal.

Thanks!

 

[Morrey]

Hey Morrey,

I am in the process of making a couple of ciders. I just stumbled on this post searching the web to get authentic fruit flavoring into the brew. Would you recommend adding this to a cider? It wouldn’t be pump by pump and I would add to a full 5 gallon batch.

I saw the chocolate concentrate they have too! I’m trying to clone Boulder Shake and was thinking this may be perfect along with cocoa nibs.

How much would you recommend in a 5 gallon batch?

Are the syrups clear or colored? I’m planning on throwing raspberries in for color anyway. Whenever I add real fruit I just don’t that sweet ripe flavor I’m after.

Any advice in advance would be appreciated before I place an order.

I see no actual raspberry in the ingredients list except natural flavors which has me worried. I saw they offer a fruit purée which has raspberry listed but also has a lot of sugar. I keg so the added sugar is not a big deal.

Thanks!

Besides Monin, I also found Silver Cloud Estates/Apex to offer flavoring concentrates to equal or even best Monin. For the most part, the flavorings are clear to the point they have little or no influence on the beer's color.

Raspberry is awesome and I found that ONE extract out there....McCormicks Raspberry Extract...is actually pretty darn good and can pass my tests. I did a Raspberry Wheat with this and colored it lightly with a "tea" I made from dried hibiscus petals.

Silver Cloud does suggest a flavoring dosage (each flavor may be different) for beer, and I found to like the mid-scale dosing they recommend. Apple Cider would be a fun project to try flavorings, but not so much you kill off any apple flavor. I made a dry hopped cider last fall with Nelson Sauvin hops and it proved to be one of my best yet.

Haven't tried chocolate yet, but heard Cholaca is awesome. I think some folks use this instead of nibs. If you continue to use nibs, might I suggest you try roasting them at low heat until they smell like brownies baking in your kitchen....really makes the flavor "pop"! Excellent in a Milk Stout.

 

[brew703]

Might have to try this. My wife wants me to brew a strawberry wheat. I really didn't want to brew 5 gallons and have to mess with racking onto strawberries.
I checked out Monin. Amazon has a few varieties. Can you link the one you are using? There's one in a white or gray bottle that comes with a pump so I assume that's the one you use.

 

[Morrey]

Might have to try this. My wife wants me to brew a strawberry wheat. I really didn't want to brew 5 gallons and have to mess with racking onto strawberries.
I checked out Monin. Amazon has a few varieties. Can you link the one you are using? There's one in a white or gray bottle that comes with a pump so I assume that's the one you use.

Yes, the ones I use are in a gray bottle and have a pump. This is the closest thing to fresh fruit I have found....minus the fuss and muss of the fruit trub.

 

[Hwk-I-St8]

I'll take a pm worth details please.

I'm very intrigued by this

 

[Sbe2]

I can verify with the Monin. Other other batch I brew a cream ale and bottle a six pack with the passion fruit syrup. The wife loves it and sometimes I drink enough to add a squirt to a pint