Mango addition - chunks or puree?

[Kunal Vanjare]

Sorry if I am super late to the party as I have been researching but unable to come to a conclusion.

So I have some fresh mangoes (not frozen). I would like to add them to my beer in the Primary (not going for secondary). Yes I know I need to wait for vigorous fermentation to get over, So i shall do that. Queries :-

1. Chunks or Puree?
2. How do I sanitize the fruit? If chunks, then I can store them in vodka for 2-3 days. Or will freezing be enough?
3. If puree, then how do i sanitize it?
4. Fruit additions before Dry hop? How long do I wait after adding the mango before I dryhop?

I am leaning towards using a Puree but have no idea how to sanitize it. I have read about freezing, pasteurizing, vodka tinctures etc but can't make up my mind.

Some help would be great. Thanks.

 

[Abhishek Dewan]

I've used both in the past. Best is to use frozen stuff as it breaks the walls of the fruit cells to release all goodness. Which Mango variety are you planning to use? I have even used Maaza to good effect while bottling, as priming sugar.

 

[Kunal Vanjare]

I've used both in the past. Best is to use frozen stuff as it breaks the walls of the fruit cells to release all goodness. Which Mango variety are you planning to use? I have even used Maaza to good effect while bottling, as priming sugar.

So if I cut the mango into chunks and freeze it for a few days, would that work?
Planning to use Alphonso.
Maaaza? Are you serious? WOW! But during bottling, does it lend a good aroma to the beer?

 

[Abhishek Dewan]

Yes, that would work. Alphonso would be fine. Maaza was a good addition, didn't use any other priming sugar. But I did add bit of Citra for dry hopping to accentuate the mango flavour. I added them for 3 days & then went for bottling. Best beer was with 100% Pale ale malt.

 

[Jag75]

This stuff sounds delicious. Love me some mangoes

 

[Kunal Vanjare]

Yes, that would work. Alphonso would be fine. Maaza was a good addition, didn't use any other priming sugar. But I did add bit of Citra for dry hopping to accentuate the mango flavour. I added them for 3 days & then went for bottling. Best beer was with 100% Pale ale malt.

What about the preservatives & synthetic colors and other added stuff in Maaza?

I am going to use Nelson Sauvin for dry hopping. Grain bill is Pale Ale & Pils with some Flaked Corn since I am planning a Cream Ale.

So to sum, I think I am going to cut chunks of one mango for my 1Gal batch. Freeze it in an airtight baggy, then depending on whether I get Vodka during this lockdown or not, dump them into my Primary Fermenter after a week or so and let it sit for 3-4 days or immerse them in vodka for a day and then add them to the fermenter.

How does that sound?

P.S- Dope mustache though and Mozambique sounds amazing!

 

[Abhishek Dewan]

The amount of maaza for priming would be a few millilitres per bottle, doesn't make any difference. I wouldn't worry much about it and also, the yeast would be super active too. I never had problems.

For the hop you're using, I don't have any experience, so no idea. Only thing you must do is, from the fermenter, it should go straight to bottle, so that you don't lose flavours & avoid oxidation if you want to rack it etc. You don't need Vodka, don't bother, frozen mangoes would do just fine. In any case, mangoes don't impart a strong aroma in a beer. I'm planning to use fresh red leaves of mangoes and make a tea from it & see if I can get aroma out of it, it's on to do list.

I came to India for a vacation from Mozambique in early March and am stuck at home. However, I have been brewing a lot. Mostly using home made wheat malt & home made wheat crystal/caramel malt. I have made 4 different beers already. Good thing is, wheat, pearl barley, cornflakes, rye and porridge is home delivered by Amazon fresh ;-)

Good luck and keep us posted on the progress.

 

[Kunal Vanjare]

The amount of maaza for priming would be a few millilitres per bottle, doesn't make any difference. I wouldn't worry much about it and also, the yeast would be super active too. I never had problems.

Interesting. I still might just stick to the tried-tested Priming Sugar routine for carbonation.

You don't need Vodka, don't bother, frozen mangoes would do just fine. In any case, mangoes don't impart a strong aroma in a beer

Yes this is what I;ve also read. I really want to add puree to the Fermenter though, but worried if it will clog the auto-siphon. Maybe I can use my hop bag.

I came to India for a vacation from Mozambique in early March and am stuck at home. However, I have been brewing a lot. Mostly using home made wheat malt & home made wheat crystal/caramel malt. I have made 4 different beers already. Good thing is, wheat, pearl barley, cornflakes, rye and porridge is home delivered by Amazon fresh ;-)

Brilliant! Where in India are you based out of?

 

[Abhishek Dewan]

Interesting. I still might just stick to the tried-tested Priming Sugar routine for carbonation.

I'm suggesting based on personal experience, done multiple times. But do what you feel safe with.

Brilliant! Where in India are you based out of?

Gurgaon. And you Pune? Just guessing.

 

[Kunal Vanjare]

I'm suggesting based on personal experience, done multiple times. But do what you feel safe with.

Gurgaon. And you Pune? Just guessing.

Mumbai

 

[Kunal Vanjare]

Just want to confirm if I've got this right :-

I will chop chunks from a mango and puree them in a blender which has been sanitized with Iodophor.

I will then Heat the puree in a bowl with water till about 70 degrees C and then cool it to ambient temp to sterilize it and store it in a sanitized airtight box for use later.

Will this work?

 

[Abhishek Dewan]

Please don't heat the mangoes & don't add any water, you'll lose the aroma and flavours & make the beer thin. The freezing will take care of many things. Then remember, the yeast are super active in fermenter, they will take care of everything along with active CO2 in the fermenter. You won't have any infection unless you screw up big time. Just open the fermenter, add the puree quickly and close it. The mentioned fruit quantity does't contain too much sugar to cause blocking of airlock etc. Also, remember - mango has thick skin & is one of the safest fruits. I've used many types of fruits - pineapples, apples, bananas, berries, you name it, never had any infection. You just need an active yeast colony & CO2.

 

[Kunal Vanjare]

Please don't heat the mangoes & don't add any water, you'll lose the aroma and flavours & make the beer thin. The freezing will take care of many things. Then remember, the yeast are super active in fermenter, they will take care of everything along with active CO2 in the fermenter. You won't have any infection unless you screw up big time. Just open the fermenter, add the puree quickly and close it. The mentioned fruit quantity does't contain too much sugar to cause blocking of airlock etc. Also, remember - mango has thick skin & is one of the safest fruits. I've used many types of fruits - pineapples, apples, bananas, berries, you name it, never had any infection. You just need an active yeast colony & CO2.

I wouldn't have had such a panic attack had I been using Canned Puree. But the fact that I am going to pulp some mango chunks in a blender is kind of giving me a hard time haha.

Alright so can I do this :-
Blend mango chunks into puree in a sanitized blender. Store in sanitized airtight box and freeze for 1-2 days. Then use.

 

[Abhishek Dewan]

I wouldn't have had such a panic attack had I been using Canned Puree. But the fact that I am going to pulp some mango chunks in a blender is kind of giving me a hard time haha

Wasn't needed, if you had simply put some small sized chunks in the freezer. In two days flat - all the cell walls would have been broken releasing all the sugars.

 

[Kunal Vanjare]

Wasn't needed, if you had simply put some small sized chunks in the freezer. In two days flat - all the cell walls would have been broken releasing all the sugars.

Alright Sir. I am going to take your word for it and skip the blender and add the chunks post freezing.

 

[lashack]

So, I recently added mango to a 5-gallon Hefeweizen that I brewed. Here were the steps I took.

1) Bought 12 fresh mangos, peeled then chopped them up into chunks and froze them. It made about 5.5 lbs worth.
2) When ready to add to secondary/rack onto fruit (on day 8 or after fermentation has stopped), I threw them into a pot and pasteurized them for 10 minutes at 150 F. This basically made a mush that was impossible to handle. This turned into a mango puree.
3) Added them to secondary after they cooled and siphoned Hefeweizen on top of it. Since I had a small mouth glass carboy, it was terribly difficult to get the mango puree down in there.

I plan on waiting for day 14 or so before cold crashing, and then let it sit for another week. I will most likely keg on day 21. We will see how it turns out!

Take-a-ways: Don't pasteurize frozen mangos, just throw them frozen into secondary in chunks. You can also soak them in some vodka/star sans with it to kill any extra bad stuff.

Also, using Citra dry hops can actually add loads of Mango flavor. Do this about 48-72 hours before bottling or kegging, and you'll get some of those flavors into your beer. I actually dry-hopped on day 5, but by day 21 I am sure the dry-hopping aroma and flavor will dissipate. Next time, I will plan on dry-hopping with 1/2 oz of citra hops around day 18-19 into secondary with mangos. Call me crazy but I think this combo could work.

I will keep this post up to date on the results!

 

[RCope]

I've made three mango IPAs and they all turned out fantastic...added habanero to half of one. I used 5 lbs of fresh mango, pureed in a blender with one cup of vodka. Added at the tail end of fermentation. This adds another day to the ferment. I then soft crashed and dry hopped (Azacca is great for this). On one of them I added an ounce of Citra at the same time as the mango.

Tips: wait until fermentation is almost done (not at high krausen), add slowly to minimize CO2 release from adding nucleation points, and adjust your racking to avoid the fibrous stuff that settles after cold crash. Don't ask me how I know these things...

 

[Kunal Vanjare]

Tips: wait until fermentation is almost done (not at high krausen), add slowly to minimize CO2 release from adding nucleation points, and adjust your racking to avoid the fibrous stuff that settles after cold crash

Valid inputs. Only problem is I don't have vodka right now, so sterilizing the puree is kind of a problem.

Hence planning to add frozen mango chunks after fermentation is nearing completion.

 

[Kunal Vanjare]

So, I recently added mango to a 5-gallon Hefeweizen that I brewed. Here were the steps I took.

1) Bought 12 fresh mangos, peeled then chopped them up into chunks and froze them. It made about 5.5 lbs worth.
2) When ready to add to secondary/rack onto fruit (on day 8 of fermentation), I threw them into a pot and pasteurized them for 10 minutes at 150 F. This basically made a mush that was impossible to handle. This turned into a mango puree.
3) Added them to secondary after they cooled and siphoned Hefeweizen on top of it. Since I had a small mouth glass carboy, it was terribly difficult to get the mango puree down in there.

I plan on waiting for day 14 or so before cold crashing, and then let it sit for another week. I will most likely keg on day 21. We will see how it turns out!

Take-a-ways: Don't pasteurize frozen mangos, just throw them frozen into secondary in chunks. You can also soak them in some vodka/star sans with it to kill any extra bad stuff.

Also, using Citra dry hops can actually add loads of Mango flavor. Do this about 48-73 hours before bottling or kegging, and you'll get some of those flavors into your beer. I actually dry-hopped on day 5, but by day 21 I am sure the dry hopping will dissipate. Next time, I will plan on dry-hopping with 1/2 oz of citra hops around day 18-19 into secondary with mangos. Call me crazy but I think this combo could work.

I will keep this post up to date on the results!

I dont have Citra but I do have some Nelson Sauvin left which I will be using to dry-hop on a similar schedule as yours.

Mango chunks in the primary after 2 weeks. Nelson Sauvin 3-4 days after that. Bottle after a total of 3 weeks. I could speed this up depending upon the speed of fermentation.

 

[lashack]

Just checking back in. Using the fresh mangos and the method I described above did not turn out as I wanted! I think this batch was doomed from the start because of an already high gravity beer (not intentional, just used too many grains). But the mangos turned the already ethanol flavored beer into tart ethanol impossible to drink beer. I ended up dumping the batch.

If I had to redo it, I would just peel, cut, freeze then dump the frozen mangos into the fermentor. The whole puree and pasteurization process was a mess. Impossible to fit into small hole fermentor, and clogged up siphon tube when trying to keg.

If that doesn't work, try the puree found online like this.

If that doesn't work, try using the Brewer's Best Natural flavorings.

 

[Blackhawkmech06]

Thankful I found this. Planning on a Mango Wheat, and was concerned about how I was gonna need to add the mangos. Thanks for the thread and advice.