"Pectin Haze" / Adding Fruit Preserves

[Evan!]

I'm brewing a Unibroue Blackcurrant Ephemere clone on Friday. I have some blackcurrant essence that I'm supposed to add at bottling, but I want to supplement that with some actual fruit in the boil or in secondary. I haven't been able to find any fresh blackcurrants, though, so I'm going to have to settle for blackcurrent preserves from Whole Foods. However, during my search for canned blackcurrants, I found some other canned fruit on a few brew supply sites, and they all said to add the fruit after the boil, or else you will get something called "pectin haze", which I'm assuming means that, if the pectin in the preserves is boiled, it will cloudify the beer. Since Ephemere is a belgian wit style, cloudiness isn't an issue, but I'm wondering if anyone else has any experience with adding fruit preserves...when should I add them, and if I don't add them to the boil, don't I still need to sterilize them somehow? Thanks...

 

[Chairman Cheyco]

If it's canned stuff, all you need to do is sanitize the can and can opener and you're good to go. Adding it to primary isn't recommended since the escaping gas can scrub the fruit aromas out of the beer. Next time I try a fruit beer, I'm going to add it after secondary, so I can adjust it to taste, and let it sit for a week if any fermentation starts again.

I'd love to see your recipe, Ephemere is one of my favorite beers.

 

[Evan!]

If it's canned stuff, all you need to do is sanitize the can and can opener and you're good to go. Adding it to primary isn't recommended since the escaping gas can scrub the fruit aromas out of the beer. Next time I try a fruit beer, I'm going to add it after secondary, so I can adjust it to taste, and let it sit for a week if any fermentation starts again.

I'd love to see your recipe, Ephemere is one of my favorite beers.

The preserves come in a jar, like jelly. What should I do? Just open it and spoon into the secondary with a sanitized spoon?

I keep posting it to the forum asking for comments/critiques, but nobody ever responds. Tell me what you think. I'd use white wheat instead of red, but it's all I have onhand right now. In any case, I don't think it'll be a big deal, as the red wheat doesn't impart that much effect on the SRM. Even if it did, the real Ephemere Cassis has a reddish-orange tint to it anyway, so there ya go.



Ephemere Cassis Clone

A ProMash Recipe Report

BJCP Style and Style Guidelines
-------------------------------

16-A Belgian & French Ale, Witbier

Min OG: 1.044 Max OG: 1.052
Min IBU: 10 Max IBU: 20
Min Clr: 2 Max Clr: 4 Color in SRM, Lovibond

Recipe Specifics
----------------

Batch Size (Gal): 5.00 Wort Size (Gal): 5.00
Total Grain (Lbs): 8.00
Anticipated OG: 1.054 Plato: 13.37
Anticipated SRM: 6.3
Anticipated IBU: 17.4
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75 %
Wort Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Pre-Boil Amounts
----------------

Evaporation Rate: 15.00 Percent Per Hour
Pre-Boil Wort Size: 5.88 Gal
Pre-Boil Gravity: 1.046 SG 11.44 Plato

Formulas Used
-------------

Brewhouse Efficiency and Predicted Gravity based on Method #1, Potential Used.
Final Gravity Calculation Based on Points.
Hard Value of Sucrose applied. Value for recipe: 46.2100 ppppg
% Yield Type used in Gravity Prediction: Fine Grind Dry Basis.

Color Formula Used: Morey
Hop IBU Formula Used: Rager

Additional Utilization Used For Plug Hops: 2 %
Additional Utilization Used For Pellet Hops: 10 %


Grain/Extract/Sugar

% Amount Name Origin Potential SRM
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
25.0 2.00 lbs. Briess LME- Weizen America 1.035 4
18.8 1.50 lbs. Red Wheat Malt Germany 1.039 8
12.5 1.00 lbs. Briess DME- Extra Light America 1.046 8
12.5 1.00 lbs. Briess DME- Weizen America 1.046 8
12.5 1.00 lbs. Flaked Soft White Wheat America 1.034 2
12.5 1.00 lbs. Pale Malt(2-row) America 1.036 2
6.3 0.50 lbs. Flaked Oats America 1.033 2

Potential represented as SG per pound per gallon.


Hops

Amount Name Form Alpha IBU Boil Time
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
0.25 oz. Simcoe Whole 14.40 15.8 60 min.
0.25 oz. Hallertau Hersbrucker Whole 4.75 0.9 5 min.
0.50 oz. Strisselspalt Pellet 1.80 0.7 2 min.


Extras

Amount Name Type Time
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.00 Oz Bitter Orange Peel Spice 15 Min.(boil)
0.75 Oz Coriander Seed Spice 5 Min.(boil)
1.00 Oz Black Currant Flavoring Other secondary/bottling
1.50 Oz Sweet Orange Peel Spice 10 Min.(boil)


Yeast
-----

WYeast 3942 Belgian Wheat


Notes
-----

Add black currant preserves to secondary

 

[the_bird]

What keeps you from treating it like any other fruit? Pasteruize it by heating it in a little bit of water at 150 - 160 for ten minutes, then add that to the secondary. I'm pretty sure the pectin doesn't become an issue until temps get above that range, and as you said clarity isn't an issue with this brew (it a wit, it's a desireable trait).

Or, do as Crabmeat suggests.

 

[Evan!]

Bird,

I haven't pasteurized before. What do you mean "heating it in water"? Put the jar in some hot water? Do I keep the top on?

 

[the_bird]

When I made my raspberry ale, I added the berries to a small amount (about a cup) of water (along with some maple syrup in this case). I just heated in a small pan for ten or fifteen minutes at that temp. If you're concerned with sterilizing it (it SHOULD be fine, anyway), you could add the preserves to a small amount of water and heat it up like that, then cool and add to the secondary.

 

[Evan!]

Oh, okay. Yeah, that's what I did with my cranberries---actually, given the thickness of the skins, etc., I steamed them for a few mins, then added them to boiling water and pureed them. Perhaps I'll do the same thing with the preserves, just to be sure. I'm not entirely comfortable with tossing a jar of preserves directly into my beer, even if it has been sealed.

 

[Chairman Cheyco]

You can either just put it into a pot or do it double boiler like bird said. Just watch the temperature and hold it at about (but not above 150 for 30 minutes. Then add to secondary.

BTW, that's a really good looking recipe.

 

[Evan!]

You can either just put it into a pot or do it double boiler like bird said. Just watch the temperature and hold it at about (but not above 150 for 30 minutes. Then add to secondary.

BTW, that's a really good looking recipe.

Thanky, I'll let you know how close to the mark I hit it. As I said, the currant essence calls for adding it at bottling, but after the fiasco with the spruce essence taking over my Ye Olde Scroate, I'm going to add some to the carboy a week before bottling, being very conservative, and then taste it at bottling. If I need to add more, I can.

I wish Unibroue would be more forthcoming with their ingredients. I love how Stone actually lists the entire recipe and directions for their VE's right on their website! Anyway, hopefully this will come close. The essence sure smells good...


Oh, and I don't think bird was talking about a double boiler---I think he just meant mixing the fruit with water and heating it. I won't boil it though. Any idea what temperature is sufficient to kill any nasties that might be lurking?Also, maybe this is a stupid question, but given that Star San is no rinse, and basically turns into yeast nutrients after awhile, what would happen if I added some starsan solution to it, instead of heating it? Wouldn't it still sanitize it? Or would the amount of star-san necessary for sanitization be enough to introduce off-flavors into the beer.

 

[Chairman Cheyco]

Like I said, 150F for 30 minutes should be good enough to kill most things.

That's an interesting idea with the star-san. The problem that I can see with it is that Star-San stops working once the pH gets too high, (I think at 3.2.) Whether or not it could kill all the baddies before that limit is reached would require testing. Personally, I'd just heat it up

 

[the_bird]

I wasn't talking about a double-boiler, but if you have one that would work even better.

 

[Lunchbox57]

Has anybody ever used sulfites to null the pectin haze? Know anything about it?