Mango Pale Ale Recipe with Magnum & Nelson Sauvin

[Kunal Vanjare]

Depends of how it's made and from what. Sugar is all too easy to add, making fruit pulp and juices taste better, but will ferment out. So was the fruit itself ripe and flavorful when pureed?

Beware, some preservatives, and non-sugar sweeteners (e.g, sorbitol) and whatnot can prevent fermentation. Make sure you know what's in there.

OK so I'm definitely not going for a store bought puree with preservatives.

 

[IslandLizard]

OK so I'm definitely not going for a store bought puree with preservatives.

I didn't say that, just inform yourself, if you want to go that route.

Sometimes fruit pulp is just fruit that went in a blender. They may add some sugar (and salt and other stuff) for better flavor and color. It's probably fine if that's all they added. So find out.

Many craft breweries here in the U.S. use fruit pulp in their beer, but they know what's in there and nothing that ruins the batch. From what I understand much of that kind of fruit pulp is condensed and has much more condensed flavor, since most of the water has been removed, centrifuged out, without much loss of aroma and flavor compounds. Sometimes they taste a little artificial, probably from certain flavor additions. But those beers sell well. You should see the lines at some of their booths at beer festivals... very popular.

 

[Kunal Vanjare]

I didn't say that, just inform yourself, if you want to go that route.

Sometimes fruit pulp is just fruit that went in a blender. They may add some sugar (and salt and other stuff) for better flavor and color. It's probably fine if that's all they added. So find out.

I have looked around. Most state presence of sugar & preservatives, but do not mention which preservative. I don't want to risk a stuck fermentation.

 

[NitrogenWidget]

Been taught to identify a ripe mango right since childhood. Most Indian thing ever

Anyway, had one question. Can I use Mango Puree/Pulp from the store that has added sugar & preservatives? I would very much want to avoid the hassle of sanitizing the blender etc if possible. I was unable to find unsweetened Mango Pulp anywhere.

I've always just frozen cut fresh fruit then pureed in the blender and added to the secondary. Never had a problem. Except the fruit ferments out and the flavor fades. That's why I'm going to try knocking the yeast out. To try and keep the flavor.

 

[Kunal Vanjare]

Want to bump this thread with a problem I'm facing in this brew (Not related to the subject yet)

I brewed 1 gallon, but due to an unexpectedly high loss during boil, I added some hot water before cooling. Finally managed to rack somewhat less than a gallon. I missed my OG by a few points and ended up with a meagre 1.036.

Now it has been 10 days in the Primary and I have only reached 1.016. I checked gravity twice in the last 3 days and it hasn't budged although there is some activity on the airlock. I know airlock activity isn't conclusive. I am using a Glass Carboy and not a Bucket, so I am pretty sure there are no leaks.

My recipe called for an OG of 1.046 and FG of 1.011. I still need my FG to lower by atleast 5 points or so. How do I do this? Also, my Carboy now contains about 0.75 gallons at best.

Next course of action of course is to add the mango puree (which I was supposed to add by now) and then a final dry-hop.

 

[IslandLizard]

How finely (or how coarsely) was the grain milled?
Coming up short on gravity is usually related to a crush that's too coarse.

You could add your puree now, it should kick up fermentation somewhat, and hopefully reduce some of the residual gravity.

1.016 is not so bad, a little mouthfeel and sweetness is beneficial for many fruity beers. Remember, fruit tastes better in a sweeter beer.

 

[Kunal Vanjare]

Coming up short on gravity is usually related to a crush that's too coarse.

I use a Blender to mill my grains as I do a BIAB. The mill was quite fine. A mixture of some powder, some unmilled grains and a good amount of grains milled properly.

I have been doing this in all my brews so far. Never have I missed my OG like this.

 

[Kunal Vanjare]

How finely (or how coarsely) was the grain milled?
Coming up short on gravity is usually related to a crush that's too coarse.

You could add your puree now, it should kick up fermentation somewhat, and hopefully reduce some of the residual gravity.

1.016 is not so bad, a little mouthfeel and sweetness is beneficial for many fruity beers. Remember, fruit tastes better in a sweeter beer.

1.016 won't lead to bottle bombs though right?

I will give it another day and add the puree tomorrow and hope for the best.

 

[IslandLizard]

some unmilled grains

Yeah, those won't give you a thing. If that unmilled fraction is 10% you'd lose 10% of points, like 1.046 becomes 1.041.
You can sift the blendered grain and hit the leftover whole grains and big chunks with a stomper, rock or hammer to pulverize them. Stick them in a cloth or plastic bag so they don't fly.
For small batches, a mortar and pestle can be used.

Those Corona/Victory knock-off corn mills can be had for $25 here in the U.S. YMMV. Worth the investment if you're serious about brewing.
With the right adjustment they can mill brewing grain very well.

Mashing longer (1.5-2 hours) and at lower temps (146-148F) may help getting better conversion, and more fermentable wort.

1.016 won't lead to bottle bombs though right?

If your beer is fermented out, which it should be after 10 days at low room temps (64-68F) for a medium gravity ale like yours, it shouldn't. Signs of fermentation being finished is the dropping of the krausen, and the beer clearing.

An FG of 1.016 is pretty high for a 1.036 OG.
What yeast did you use?
Measured with a hydrometer or refractometer? Calibrated?

Lots of variables could cause that. Usual culprits are mash temp being (too) high, boiling hard and long, and smaller factors stacking up, causing the wort not being as fermentable, etc.

Yes, add that puree! May want to give that carboy a swirl too, to rouse the yeast.

 

[IslandLizard]

Grain Bill (BIAB)
Pale 2-Row - 0.35 KG
Pils - 0.28 KG
Munich - 0.1 KG

The potential gravity for 1 gallon of that recipe would be:
1.6 lbs at 1.036 ppg => 1.058

With an 80% brew house (BH) efficiency (fair estimate for small batch/low gravity BIAB homebrewing):
1.058 * 80% = 1.046

With your OG of 1.036:
36/46 = 80%. IOW you lost another 20% somewhere, from the estimate. You need to find where that occurred.

 

[Kunal Vanjare]

You can sift the blendered grain and hit the leftover whole grains and big chunks with a stomper, rock or hammer to pulverize them. Stick them in a cloth or plastic bag so they don't fly.
For small batches, a mortar and pestle can be used.

Im gonna definitely do this the next time.

If that unmilled fraction is 10% you'd lose 10% of points, like 1.046 becomes 1.041.

I doubt the unmilled grain proportion would be that high tbh. Still I will take more care henceforth.

What yeast did you use?

SO right now I have only 1 strain of yeast left with me, which is the Munton's Ale Yeast. My stock of US-05 got over as I haven't been able to source any ingredients in this lockdown. So making do with I have.

May want to give that carboy a swirl too, to rouse the yeast.

Ive been doing that for the last 2 days!

IOW you lost another 20% somewhere

Maybe because of all the water I had added to make-up for the boiling loss?

 

[Kunal Vanjare]

Measured with a hydrometer or refractometer? Calibrated?

I used a hydrometer.

Signs of fermentation being finished is the dropping of the krausen, and the beer clearing.

Okay so this is something i should have mentioned. The Krausen had cleared. But today while checking gravity, there was some buildup of tiny bubbles on the surface. I swirled the carboy before taking another sample out for a reading. I opened the fridge to see this right now - Whats-App-Image-2020-05-28-at-21-30-29

I don't know what that is but I am hella nervous if the damn beer is infected. I did taste the sample today and it did not seem off or anything, but tbh I haven't really tasted a single good homebrew so far

I believe my last HB had developed Pellicle (there's a thread on this forum). But that was fermenting in my bucket, not the carboy I am using right now.

I am going to give all my equipment and tubings a nice Oxyclean soak after this one.

 

[IslandLizard]

Maybe because of all the water I had added to make-up for the boiling loss?

As long as you don't dump, splash, spill or otherwise lose wort after the mash/lauter/sparge, the amount of sugars stays the same.

Boiling off or adding water, will change your volume, but gravity will follow in the opposite direction, going up or down respectively. Like a rubber band, thicker (gravity) but shorter (volume). Or thinner but longer.

 

[Kunal Vanjare]

Boiling off or adding water, will change your volume, but gravity will follow in the opposite direction, going up or down respectively. Like a rubber band, thicker (gravity) but shorter (volume). Or thinner but longer

Yes that is what i was referring to... addition of water increased the volume but maybe that is where i lost the 20% in gravity.

 

[IslandLizard]

Okay so this is something i should have mentioned. The Krausen had cleared. But today while checking gravity, there was some buildup of tiny bubbles on the surface. I swirled the carboy before taking another sample out for a reading. I opened the fridge to see this right now - Whats-App-Image-2020-05-28-at-21-30-29

I don't know what that is but I am hella nervous if the damn beer is infected. I did taste the sample today and it did not seem off or anything, but tbh I haven't really tasted a single good homebrew so far

That looks like CO2 outgassing due to the swirling you did. About 1.2-1.7 volumes of CO2 is dissolved in beer due to fermentation alone. This depends on the temp(s) the beer's been at.

If everything that touched your wort/beer (after chilling) was clean and sanitized, there is no reason why it should be infected. Relax!

Small batches in buckets tend to have a overly large headspace while the lid closure may be a point of potential trouble. For that reason fermenter and batch size should be kept reasonably close.

 

[Kunal Vanjare]

This depends on the temp(s) the beer's been at.

I had started off with 65. Slowly bumped the temp upto 71 right now.

If everything that touched your wort/beer (after chilling) was clean and sanitized, there is no reason why it should be infected. Relax!

Hope you are correct.

So, seeing how it is unlikely that the FG is going to drop, I WILL add the puree (and hope for some fermentation) and then dry hop after 3-4 days. I will then bottle in a week's time from today.

 

[Kunal Vanjare]

That looks like CO2 outgassing due to the swirling you did

I've tried reading about this right now and found out that this causes beer to foam at higher temps. Any other significance of this?

 

[IslandLizard]

I will then bottle in a week's time from today.

You should only bottle when 3 indicators have been met:

1. all signs of fermentation have ceased
2. 2 gravity samples taken 3 days apart match (meaning, gravity remained the same)
3. The gravity is at, or close to your predicted FG, but that is somewhat up in the air given the reasons I mentioned previously.

Since you used Munton's Ale yeast, it may explain the somewhat higher FG, depending on your wort composition. The more experience you gain, the better you can gauge differences and deviations from the normal.

In my early brewing years I had brewed a 1.050 ESB that ended at 1.018 FG. It wouldn't clear, stayed hazy forever. Nothing I did changed that. I kegged it and didn't taste overly sweet at all. Maybe it was high in dextrins or other unfermentables. Later I learned that the water I had over-mineralized (I had added a royal amount of Burton Salts) contributed to an overly high mash pH which could have played a role.

 

[Kunal Vanjare]

all signs of fermentation have ceased

Does that mean this outgassing or foaming on the surface will subside? If it is just that and not something worse? Can adding few grams of yeast at this time help in giving the fermentation the much needed push?

2 gravity samples taken 3 days apart match (meaning, gravity remained the same)

I will take a sample now directly in a week's time after I've added the mango puree & dry hops.

contributed to an overly high mash pH which could have played a role.

I haven't really thought about checking the mash pH so far. But that's mainly because I go for a 9:1 RO:Tap water ratio here. Maybe I should check the mash pH going forward.