Help brewing with pineapple?

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ToddCarrick

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I am trying to make a recipe to brew a pineapple IPA (using EVO's Pine'hop'le as the inspiration), and was wondering if anyone has brewed with Pineapple? If so can you give me some tips? Did you use fresh pineapple, extract or juice? Did you use in the secondary? If so how long and if using fresh pineapple how did you make sure it worked? Any help would be appreciated! Thanks in advance and cheers!
 
I make a pineapple wheat ale every summer. Comes out awesome. I use a juicer, boil the juice for about 10 min, and add to secondary. Three juiced pineapples made about 16 oz of juice. (5 gallon batch). Make sure the pineapple is ripe before using it though or it will come out kind of green tasting.
 
I primary for 7 days, racked to secondary where I added the juice, then left it alone for 2 weeks.
 
One more question, you said you boil the pineapple? Does that change the flavor profile? Couldn't you just pasteurize it at 161 for a minute or so and clear it of any bacteria?
 
Yes. That would be should be fine. Not sure of taste difference bc I boiled it the first time I brewed with it and it came out great so I never changed that beer... Let me know how it goes 😀
 
You could do that too. From my understanding fruit during primary can lead to some off flavor because of how vigorous fermentation foes from the start, and will probably lead to less pineapple flavor. Not positive on this but it depends what your trying to do. Everything I've read on fruit though usually says add to secondary to get more of the fruit flavor.
 
I've talked a bit about working with pineapple with the head brewers at where I work. They make a stellar IPA they just put in a firkin with pineapple, and also a killer Berliner wiesse with it. For 15 bbl (465 gal) they used 100 lbs of fruit. They got a good flavor out of it but I wish there were more. It wasn't like a 'juicy' pineapple flavor.

They simply sliced it up and threw it in once the beer had cleared after primary, but they can drop the yeast out of the bottom of the conical, usually we can't. Going in secondary would probably be recommended as you'll get more flavor. Adding in primary would cause a lot of problems especially if there's pulp. This would create a "fruit cap" on top of the krausen and possibly block CO2 from being released. This build up of CO2 in the beer can cause some serious fermentation issues. If you went this direction, ferment in a bucket so the cap can be pressed down periodically to de-gas the beer.

EDIT: Talked to brewers again and they use a mix of purée and fresh cut fruit to give more flavor.
 
I did a combination of fresh fruit (puree'd) and extract in the keg. I added the fruit when primary was essentially done (4 days or so). Mine was for a wheat beer which had tons of pineapple flavor.
 
Looking to possibly do a pineapple sour beer, maybe with rhubarb?

Was thinking of making 3-4 lbs of blended up pineapple purée and adding at primary, and then chunks of pineapple in secondary? Would want a lot of juicy flavor from it to balance the dry, tart rhubarb.

How did your pineapple wheat turn out? Exactly what flavors did you get - juicy and sweet, or like drier and slightly tropical flavored?
 
Decided to add some pineapple to a sour with honey and cherry juice I've had going for about 2 months.

My method: chopped up about 6lbs or so of the pineapple and put in a gal freezer bag, removed all the air and then massaged the chunks to release the juice and break up the pieces. Placed in the freezer overnight, will allow to thaw and then will add straight to secondary. Not letting the fruit sit too long in freezer. I've found long frozen pineapple to not taste anything like the fresh fruit, don't want to freeze it too long. There is a nice mix of chunks, pulp and juice in the bag. Let's see what ~6lbs in 4+ gal of beer will do!
 
ShareBrewing said:
Decided to add some pineapple to a sour with honey and cherry juice I've had going for about 2 months.

My method: chopped up about 6lbs or so of the pineapple and put in a gal freezer bag, removed all the air and then massaged the chunks to release the juice and break up the pieces. Placed in the freezer overnight, will allow to thaw and then will add straight to secondary. Not letting the fruit sit too long in freezer. I've found long frozen pineapple to not taste anything like the fresh fruit, don't want to freeze it too long. There is a nice mix of chunks, pulp and juice in the bag. Let's see what ~6lbs in 4+ gal of beer will do!
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I'm planning to do something similar with a Rum & Pineapple sour I'm brewing this week. 7 lbs of pineapple just as you did plus rum-soaked oak cubes in the secondary. Did you core the pineapple or just chop off the outer bark?
 
I carve off the bark and then slice 4 times vertically along the sides of the core, so that way I get mostly just flesh and a long rectangular block as the core. I believe thats the way the brewers do it where I work. Some of it is puréed and added too. So I might go the route of blending up half of the gal bag to purée and adding the rest as chunks/juice. Should provide the most rounded pineapple flavor, according to those same brewers.

Good luck on the pineapple rum beer, sounds delicious!
 
ShareBrewing said:
I carve off the bark and then slice 4 times vertically along the sides of the core, so that way I get mostly just flesh and a long rectangular block as the core. I believe thats the way the brewers do it where I work. Some of it is puréed and added too. So I might go the route of blending up half of the gal bag to purée and adding the rest as chunks/juice. Should provide the most rounded pineapple flavor, according to those same brewers.

Good luck on the pineapple rum beer, sounds delicious!
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This is very helpful; thanks!
 
I did a pineapple/mango sour. I skinned and cored the pineapple and then put it in the o we just to caramilze it. Then puréed it and added to fermenter.
 
Ive made a very tasty tart saison in the past. I used those 16oz crushed "pineapple in 100% pineapple juice" cans. 5 in a 5 gallon batch. perfect amount of pineapple when added to the secondary or even primary after fermentation.
 
elburrogrande said:
Ive made a very tasty tart saison in the past. I used those 16oz crushed "pineapple in 100% pineapple juice" cans. 5 in a 5 gallon batch. perfect amount of pineapple when added to the secondary or even primary after fermentation.
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I've been wanting to do a Pineapple Hefeweizen and wasn't sure how to go about getting pineapple in the beer. This sounds like an easy way to do it. Would it work if I added the pineapple on the downside of fermentation rather than secondary? I bottle and don't want to end up with bottle bombs.
 
fletch007 said:
I've been wanting to do a Pineapple Hefeweizen and wasn't sure how to go about getting pineapple in the beer. This sounds like an easy way to do it. Would it work if I added the pineapple on the downside of fermentation rather than secondary? I bottle and don't want to end up with bottle bombs.
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It really is. Just make sure you get the crushed and that it is in 100% pineapple juice. You don't need to worry about sanitizing just pour it in. For a hef you could definitely pitch on the downside of fermentation, maybe around day 10. Just make sure you reach FG and you won't have bottle bombs. Beer should be done in 3-4 weeks so secondary is not really necessary. You should just use a grain bag if you have a bucket or cold crash if you have a carboy.
 
elburrogrande said:
It really is. Just make sure you get the crushed and that it is in 100% pineapple juice. You don't need to worry about sanitizing just pour it in. For a hef you could definitely pitch on the downside of fermentation, maybe around day 10. Just make sure you reach FG and you won't have bottle bombs. Beer should be done in 3-4 weeks so secondary is not really necessary. You should just use a grain bag if you have a bucket or cold crash if you have a carboy.
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Thanks, appreciate the advice. There's a little bar/burger joint in town that brews small batches of beer and they did a pineapple hefe last yr and I really liked it. Have wanted to try brewing one since, but wasn't sure how to go about it.
 
no problem. Good luck! One last tip I can give you is to freeze and thaw the cans a few times to break down the cell walls in the fruit.
 
I've got a batch in the primary right now. I did quite a bit of research on how everyone added it. Some added it into the boil and had good results, some did everything in secondary, some did a mixture of both. Pureed, chopped, diced, frozen, etc. I decided to chop up two ripe pineapples, and added it with 15 left in the boil. Strained it well, and pitched the yeast.

I have noticed that the fermentation seems a bit less vigorous than usual, but I am swamp cooling this batch since my chamber is currently being used as a kegerator (time to invest in another chest freezer or fridge). It is fermenting at about 70, so we will see how it progresses.

I had planned on tasting it before moving to secondary, and will have either the frozen pineapple concentrate or the canned ready to go in case it isn't "pineapply" enough. May try the grilled pineapple to add to the secondary too. Lots of choices.

For whomever is brewing with pineapple now, please keep the rest of us posted. I'm sure it is not an exact science, but I like experimenting based on successful recipes that other's have worked out too...haha.

Cheers.
 
I am planning on a pineapple/mango/coconut and rum braggot made with light malt extract, amber and pilsen malts... sort of a batch using some leftover malt extracts. Will use clover honey for roughly 34% of the fermentables also.
 
Man, that sounds tasty. Keep us updated with how it turns out. How are you using the pineapple (and other fruit)?
 
Changed up the recipe a bit, decided on 6 lbs of Pilsner LME, 5 lbs orange blossom honey, steeped some steel cut oats, used citra hops in 3 additions. Safale B256 yeast, and will finish in secondary on 4 lbs of fresh cut up then frozen pineapple, 4 lbs of cut up frozen store bought mangos, 2 lbs toasted coconut flakes, and one entire 750 mil bottle of Malibu Coconut rum. Expecting something close to 10% abv. Since it's only going to secondary for a few weeks, I ordered a wide mouth PET fermenter...easier to get the fruit in/out. Then into the keg she goes. We're almost there, going into secondary by the end of the week.
 
Man, your amount of trub is going to be off the chain... be prepared to filter the **** of that beer or you're gonna get all of 3 gal. You may wanna try to reduce the amount of pulp as much as possible. Maybe even try to find pure 100% pineapple juice (not from concentrate).

Please keep up posted with how it turns out, and just remember that the Malibu rum will have a bunch of sugar it so it may start up fermentation again, completely distorting some of the fresh fruit flavors you're adding.

And I've never heard of a "Caribbean style Braggot". Very cool.
 
ShareBrewing said:
Please keep up posted with how it turns out, and just remember that the Malibu rum will have a bunch of sugar it so it may start up fermentation again, completely distorting some of the fresh fruit flavors you're adding.
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That's an odd thing to say. The rum will have relatively little sugar compared to all that fruit that he's adding.
 
You may be right. According to the nutritional facts on Malibu coconut rum, you'll be adding about 5 oz of sugar total with the rum. Not gonna lie that's surprising, figured there would be more. It's about 11g sugar per 2.5 oz serving (numbers used from their official site). It may actually not cause any problems if added with the fruit, after all the fruit may have more total sugar than the rum... only thing I'd be worried of is that coconut extract flavor.
 
I'm good if I can fill a 3 gallon carboy after secondary, (I have a 3 gallon keg too) this is more of an experiment than anything. I read much about using puree, people that did wound up with a pile at the bottom too. I also researched people using mango and pineapple, it runs the gamut from a couple pounds to 4 and 5 pounds. I need a definite mango & pineapple flavor, not just a hint of one! This project is a challenge issued by one of our co-hosts on The Mead House podcast, we were to come up with a cocktail inspired mead. Mine is taken from the drinks they served on the many cruise ships I've been on, a glass of tropical fruit slush with rum poured over the top. Almost a daiquiri type drink. And yeah, a Caribbean braggot! Gotta start somewhere! I'll keep the post up as we go.

RE: the coconut, I'm using the toasted flaked coconut to offset the extract flavor from the Malibu rum.
 
I did a pineapple pale ale and just used 2 peeled and cubed pineapples in the boil for the last 15min. Great pineapple aroma when drinking but not much pineapple taste. I found it to be great and didn't take long to go through my 5 gallons.
 
Slice a couple pineapples up like steaks, throw them on a hot grill and caramelize them. Cut them up in chunks, throw 'em in the freezer for a couple days, then thaw them out and put in secondary. There's nothing better than a roasted pineapple.

By the way, the mango/pineapple/coconut/rum project is in a 3 gallon keg now. Tastes like mano/pineapple/coconut and rum!
 

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