Specialty Fruit Beer Honey Apricot Ale

[KozHops]

Recipe Type

All Grain

Yeast

S-04

Yeast Starter

Rehydrate

Additional Yeast or Yeast Starter

None

Batch Size (Gallons)

5.5

Original Gravity

1.056

Final Gravity

1.010

Boiling Time (Minutes)

60

IBU

26

Color

9

Primary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp)

7 @ 65

Secondary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp)

14 @ 65

Additional Fermentation

3 weeks in bottle

Tasting Notes

Apricot and honey blend very well together. On the malty side but that was the goal.

This is a very nice spring/summer ale I made for the SWMBO who loves DFH Aprihop but not the bitterness. I was shooting for a sweeter ale with moderate hop presence and a nice apricot flavor.

11# 2-Row
1# Munich Malt
.5# Honey Malt
.25# Crystal 60

.25 oz Warrior @ 60 mins.
1 oz Ahtanum @ 20 mins.
1 oz Ahtanum @ 5 mins

Mash @ 155 for 60 mins.
Rehydrate S-04 and ferment in primary for 1 week.
Add 5# of Apricot puree to secondary and rack on top, ferment 2 weeks.
Apricot presence was not really noticable in bottling bucket but after bottle conditioning it really shines through.

BTW - Used the local supermarket "Apricots in Pear Juice" canned fruit. Had no issues at all with it...especially the $1.10/pound cost.

 

[crypt0]

How did this turn out? I'm looking for a descent summer apricot recipe and I happen to have most of these ingredients on hand

 

[KozHops]

This beer turned out great. I just brewed a second round of it last week. It's really balanced and has a great apricot flavor and aroma. I let most of the bottles age to 4 or 5 weeks and this beer was great at that point. Let me know how you make out if you brew this up.

 

[Crimsonwine]

Any update on this?

 

[KozHops]

I was just thinking about this beer. This is a great beer, I followed the recipe as is and this beer really peaked at about 4-5 weeks in the bottle. It's a fan favorite around here. Let me know how you make out if you brew it up.

 

[vonfatz]

I brewed this more or less as-is, with some hops substitutions. It was my very first all-grain attempt. I opened one yesterday after about ten days of conditioning. I doubled up on the apricot - ended up using 2x cans of 3# puree for a 23L batch. Adds a nice subtle tartness to balance out the sweet honey flavour. The apricot came out a bit more as it warmed closer to room temperature. The beer itself is still light enough that you can knock one or two back on a hot day. Still a lot of carbonating left to do, but I can tell this is going to be a really nice beer.

Thank you for this recipe!

 

[KozHops]

That's great Von, I'm glad you gave this one a try! It gets a lot better in a few weeks in the bottle so check back in and let me know what you think. I'm going to have to brew this up soon.

 

[mscg4u]

I'm getting ready to brew this on Sunday, I have the grains and hops ready to go and I am excited. Have you thought about putting apricots in the boil, like during the last 5 minutes?

 

[KozHops]

I know some people like to boil fruit but I think you get a lot more flavor by racking onto it in the secondary. I'd be too worried about releasing pectins and losing flavor through the primary. I'm glad to hear you're giving this a shot, let me know how it goes.

 

[linerndunch110]

Might do this next. May sub half if the aroma addition with citra for aroma. Thoughts?

 

[KozHops]

That sounds good. I'm sure a little Citra would play nice in the aroma. Since you add the apricot to the secondary, the apricot dominates the flavor and aroma but a little Citra mixed in would be nice.

 

[linerndunch110]

That sounds good. I'm sure a little Citra would play nice in the aroma. Since you add the apricot to the secondary, the apricot dominates the flavor and aroma but a little Citra mixed in would be nice.

Yea that was my line of thinking as well. Ill admit, Im in a bit of a citra craze at the moment, and a change up would be nice. However I cant help but imagine a touch of tropics in the nose would compliment the apricots nicely.

 

[TheOrlandoGuy]

Old thread, but I'm brewing this next weekend! I like the simplicity of the grain bill, but I'm going to try an Partial mash version of it. Also, my LHBS does not carry Ahtanum, but after reading a few substituting articles, I've decided to go with a 72/25 blend of Cascade and Willamette instead. Said to be extremely similar overall when used to sub for Ahtanum.

Plugged into Beersmith, give me VERY similar outcome
OG 1.058
FG 1.016
5.52% abv
IBU - 27
SRM - 9.5

Grains -
1lb Pale Munich Malt
1lb Pale Domestic 2-row
8 oz. Honey Malt
8 oz. Crystal 60L

Extract -
6 lbs Pale LME

Hops -
.25oz Magnum @ 60min

.75 oz. Cascade @20 min
.25 oz. Willamette @20min

.75 oz. Cascade @5 min
.25 oz. Willamette @5min

Adjuncts -
5 lbs Apricot Puree

Yeast -
Safale US-04

 

[KozHops]

Looks great, let us know how it turns out!


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[BloodSweatandBeers]

How did you prepare the canned apricots?

 

[KozHops]

I just puréed them and poured them right into the secondary. I racked the beer right on top and let it sit for a few weeks.


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[LeathernoseBrewing]

Hate to keep reviving an old thread but I just bottled this up a week and a half ago, and I must say this will probably become a Spring staple at my house every year. Kept the grain bill pretty much the same with some minor adjustments to the hop schedule to suit my tastes. (subbed ahtanum for citra) Great sweetness from the honey malt, bit of tartness from the apricot and a hint of bitterness in the hops.

As a side note, anyone tried adding irish moss or whirfloc to the boil? The beer is still young, but I'm having some clarity issues, the fruit seems to add a lot of cloudiness and suspended solids. Not even sure if it would have any effect with the apricot added in the secondary but just a brewer's note to anyone looking to brew this recipe.
Anyways, many props to the OP!

 

[KozHops]

Great news Leather, glad the beer turned out great for you. I am sure Citra adds a nice touch, I'll have to give it a shot at some point.

I always add whirlfloc to the kettle and just go through my normal process of chilling and then fermenting. The beer shouldn't be too cloudy but the apricot will certainly add some haze. I am sure the longer they are chilling down the clearer they will turn out.

Anyway, glad you enjoyed the beer. Perfect time of year for it!

Cheers,
Chris


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[TheOrlandoGuy]

Koz,

I've finally brewed my lager partial mash conversion of this recipe this past weekend!

6 lbs Pale LME
1lb Pale Munich Malt
1lb Pale Domestic 2-row
8 oz. Honey Malt
8 oz. Crystal 60L

.25oz Magnum @ 60min

.75 oz. Cascade @20 min
.25 oz. Willamette @20min

.75 oz. Cascade @5 min
.25 oz. Willamette @5min

Yeast -
WLP 810 - San Francisco Lager

I'm keeping temps between 62-65 via swamp water/ice pack technique. I'm excited to try, and I'll keep you posted in the weeks to come!

 

[AkTom]

Wow!!! This is on my rebrew list. In fact, I had my wife pick me up more grain. I'll try it with peaches next time. Not too sweet, but very nice apricot flavor. And at 6.96 abv, great beer.

 

[KozHops]

Wow!!! This is on my rebrew list. In fact, I had my wife pick me up more grain. I'll try it with peaches next time. Not too sweet, but very nice apricot flavor. And at 6.96 abv, great beer.

Sounds great AkTom, enjoy it! Peaches sound like a great way to mix it up!

 

[KozHops]

Duplicate

 

[AkTom]

Just got this in the fermentation chamber. I'll add a #10 can of peaches, juice included in secondary. Apricot is very good. I've got some great reviews. I took 2 over to a friends' house last night. My wife asked me if I was being stingy only taking 2 ( one for him, one for me ), I said, "No, I'm selectively sharing." It's too good to be just handing it out...Tom

 

[treacheroustexan]

What kind of apricots are you guys using? I know original recipe says just cans from the supermarket but any brand specifically?

 

[AkTom]

I got a #10 can of apricots at a cash and carry. Used an immersion blender in the whole thing, juice and fruit, added to secondary and racked on top of it.

 

[nsargent]

My wife was looking for a 'non-IPA fruity beer' so I gave this a try, so far so good. Brewed it last weekend and will rack to secondary this weekend. Found a 6# can of apricot puree at local home-brew supply so will probably throw the entire can in unless someone thinks that would be too much. Will post results before bottling.

 

[KozHops]

My wife was looking for a 'non-IPA fruity beer' so I gave this a try, so far so good. Brewed it last weekend and will rack to secondary this weekend. Found a 6# can of apricot puree at local home-brew supply so will probably throw the entire can in unless someone thinks that would be too much. Will post results before bottling.

Sounds good, definitely can't add too much apricot to this IMO. If anything it might just speed things up for you. Let us know how it turns out.

 

[KozHops]

I need to brew this again.

 

[HawleyFarms]

Thinking I may add this to my brew supply order for next month. Anyone tried using 3711 on this for a Saison twist?

 

[nsargent]

Bottling mine this weekend