New brewer looking for fruit advice

[Jpowers88]

Hey everyone,

I am interested in making my first batch of beer a cherry ipa for my girlfriend. However I'm finding different opinions as to what kind of cherries to use as in fresh, puréed, or dehydrated. Anyone have any experiences with this that could lend a hand,

 

[TipsyDragon]

All of the above. It's a matter of preference. Purée can be messy and hard to rack off of but make it super easy for the yeast to get at the sugar. Whole cherries are easier to work with (especially on a mesh bag) but require freezing, cutting, and blanching. Dried cherries... Well not sure never used them.

 

[BigFloyd]

You may not wish to hear this, but with this being your first batch, consider brewing a regular ale (no fruit) of some sort. Get your process down. There will always be adjustments needed and things to get used to doing. Gain some knowledge about yeast and fermentation (the most important aspects of brewing).

Learn how to make decent beer first, then you can branch out and do a fruit beer with a higher level of confidence and ability. That way, when your girlfriend tries it, she won't start thinking about dumping you for a guy who can really brew.

 

[Jpowers88]

Hahaha very good point. Thanks for all the help everyone.

 

[SteveM]

Second on the suggestion to start simple. Fruit beers tend to be messy and can be kind of challenging.

Note too that there are many fruit beer recipes on the recipe page that you could review once you've gotten the basics down.