Fruit in the primary

[jmo88]

I have an idea for a saison with fresh local cherries. I don't want to use a secondary and don't plan on aging the beer extensively. So I've come up with a plan to pasteurize the fruit at flameout for a couple minutes before turning on the chiller. I'll add the fruit to the primary for and let it sit for a few weeks, rack to a keg, and drink it. I've made plenty of saisons this year that have had table sugar in them that didn't need extensive aging, so I can't imagine fruit being any different.

I couldn't find much info on brewers doing this. Does anyone have anything to suggest or have any concerns on the process? I'm thinking I should keep them in a mesh bag and weigh it down to keep it submerged.

 

[billvon]

I have an idea for a saison with fresh local cherries. I don't want to use a secondary and don't plan on aging the beer extensively. So I've come up with a plan to pasteurize the fruit at flameout for a couple minutes before turning on the chiller. I'll add the fruit to the primary for and let it sit for a few weeks, rack to a keg, and drink it.

Drawback with that is that you're going to lose some of the fruit flavor due to a) boiling and b) vigorous fermentation. I've had good luck pureeing fruit, heating it to 170-180F, then adding it after most of the primary fermentation is done.

 

[jmo88]

Drawback with that is that you're going to lose some of the fruit flavor due to a) boiling and b) vigorous fermentation. I've had good luck pureeing fruit, heating it to 170-180F, then adding it after most of the primary fermentation is done.

Okay, that makes sense. I could handle adding it later to the primary. That was original idea but I knew I had to pasteurize it and i knew i would already have some hot wort, so why not eliminate a step. I could see a lot of the cherry flavor getting driven out during the very active primary ferment though.

*I wasn't planning on boiling it though. I was going to add it after flameout.