Mashing Dates

[revansCAAD8]

Hey gang, we am planning to brew with fresh Medjool Dates for the first time. Searching the forums, I have only read them used in dark beers (Bock/porter/stouts) but we/re instead planning to use them in a light style lager.
Since it's a light beer & style, I don't want the dates to stand out to much. So instead of putting them in the boil or secondary, I was thinking We would prepare them in the following way:
1) Seed & chop them up
2) Heat in a pot with a bit of Strike water to soften and break down.
3) Puree/blend them in a blender.
4) Dump into the Mash Tun with the rest of the grains (Kind of like some do with Oats).

Any thoughts?

Also since Dates aren't listed in BeerSmith, how would I calculate the potential/yield/color?

Lastly, using Bru'nWater, should the dates be considered/added when setting the Mash Acidification grains/ingredients? If so, how (supporters version)? Basically using all RO water since the tap water is so bad in our current location (Yuma, AZ).

Thanks for the help,
Robert & Shelly

 

[stpug]

I'm out of my league here so take this with some salt

If fresh dates are anything like dried dates, then they are full of sugar that is easily extracted with water. I like your process right up until you put them in the MLT. I would instead simply strain their sugar water into my BK and add my running to it. The reason I would not put the sugar juice/water through the MLT is that, if anything, you will lose some of the date sugar you worked so hard to get.

Another thought is to add the sugar juice to the BK, and put the strained date pulp in the MLT for mashing. You might extract a little more sugar and/or flavor from them.

But, again, this is a bit out of my league and I've never seen/tasted fresh dates - only dried.

Good luck and let us know how it all works out.

 

[revansCAAD8]

Yeah not sure either, I'm no date expert We just happen to stop in an area with local date farms, so picked some up. Good points, thank for the recommendations!

I'm out of my league here so take this with some salt

If fresh dates are anything like dried dates, then they are full of sugar that is easily extracted with water. I like your process right up until you put them in the MLT. I would instead simply strain their sugar water into my BK and add my running to it. The reason I would not put the sugar juice/water through the MLT is that, if anything, you will lose some of the date sugar you worked so hard to get.

Another thought is to add the sugar juice to the BK, and put the strained date pulp in the MLT for mashing. You might extract a little more sugar and/or flavor from them.

But, again, this is a bit out of my league and I've never seen/tasted fresh dates - only dried.

Good luck and let us know how it all works out.

 

[budgetbrewing]

Like you I have hadn't had much luck with a lot of documentation using dates. I just added 3 pounds chopped up an added to secondary of some 2 row and honey malt. Experiment time.


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[TomGreen]

Just do 2 row today, but I am a begginer so it is still challenging to understand what happening, Of this topic does not know much but I started researching and this information can help you https://www.vipcubancigars.com/index.php/punch.html

 

[fartinmartin]

Is that 2 row (two rows of dates in a cardboard long box) ? that's how we see them in the UK, very sticky, normaly around Xmas time.

 

[fartinmartin]

Re the yield from the dates, once the sugar water is extracted you can do some numbers from the SG to build the rest of the recipe.

 

[budgetbrewing]

Anxious to get an update. Here's my secondary about ready to bottle. Bubbled pretty good for 2 days.




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[revansCAAD8]

Well thought I would update. We brewed Saturday, calling it "Blonde Date"

We ended up brewing with the dates as we originally posted above however we were on the edge of having a stuck sparge the whole time! We Mashed them with our grains and had to add in some Rice Hulls and stirred which helped but was still very slow. Looking at the spent grains, the Dates actually turning into something like apple sauce (of course all sugar/flavor gone) which of course caused the very slow sparing. Definitely learned something

-Mash PH = 5.35 (@19.5c Room Temp at 20mins into Mash)
First running's: 1.069
Pre-Boil Gravity: 1.045
Post-boil Gravity (OG): 1.051
Post-Boil PH: 5.34

Had great efficiencies! Mash Eff: 92.8%, with a Total Brewhouse Eff: 83.2%! Wow our best ever!

Thought we were going to have trouble cooling the wort with our 71 degree ground water here in Yuma but went very well. Main chiller got it down to 73 and then add in our Pre-chiller in ICE and got down to 64 pretty quick. This will be a lager (WLP810), so needed to be cool. Picked and set Fermenter into ice bath and was bubbling away within hours (w/ 2 step starter) in the mid 50's.

Should be interesting! Thanks for the help!

Robert & Shelly
GypsyBrew

 

[-DELETED-MEMBER-]

Robert, how did this date brew of yours turn out? I'm thinking of playing around with some dates and am interested in your results.

 

[revansCAAD8]

Robert, how did this date brew of yours turn out? I'm thinking of playing around with some dates and am interested in your results.

Well, I can't say it's our best brew as the 'Date' flavor really didn't come through. Maybe if we added some in secondary? Anyway, the beer is light on taste and has a very nice color but with the higher efficiencies and lower than expected FG (1.006) it resulted in a higher ABV that we were shooting for. Definitely an interesting try but would make changes next time.

Hope this helps,
Robert & Shelly
GypsyBrew

 

[Funkwinkerbean]

I just got back from the California desert with a 20lb box of dried dates and some date sugar. I was wondering if anyone has tried a porter or a brown ale with dates?

I was thinking of using sugar as a late boil addition and just racking the brew on dates in secondary and leaving for six months or so like a Kriek or an oud bruin.

Thoughts?