Please critique my recipe

[Dixon9717]

Blonde Mango

7lb LME extra light.

1lb table sugar solution added after fermentation started.


1lb Carmel crystal 10
1lb carapils
Steeped in 2 gallons water for 30 minutes at 160*

Add 1 gallon water.
Add LME at this time for a 60 min boil.

.5 oz Sterling 45 min
1oz citra 10 min
1oz crystal 10 min

Wyeast 1272 @ 64*

In secondary will purée 4lbs frozen mango then transfer beer on top of that.
Projected OG was 1.066
Officially I got 1.060. I belief difference due to addition sugar not added at that time.

IBU 18.98
SRM 5.02


I am thinking of splitting the secondary in half and adding habanero to one half. What about the open space in a 6 gallon carboy with such a small volume of beer if I do divide it?



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[WayFrae]

I would have just used the 1 lb carapils and ditched the crystal, or if you wanted both use maybe a half pound each. The added sweetness might be nice with the mango though. But I have never brewed a fruit beer. It will likely turn out fine. Why are you adding the sugar after fermentation starts? It would be easier and more sanitary to just add it to the end of the boil.

The large headspace in the secondary with the mango should be fine since the mango will kickstart another fermentation period but the habanero should be put in a smaller carboy filed up to the neck to minimize oxidation. If you don't split them, a mango habanero blonde should be good.

It might be a good idea to pasteurize the mangoes and habaneros before adding them so you don't infect your beer.

 

[Spelaeus]

Recipe looks pretty good, but I agree on either using just the crystal 10 or the carapils, or going 50/50. Also seconded on the pasteurization. The mangoes can be either heat pasteurized or treated with campden tablets. The habanero I'd just cut up and soak in a little vodka. Also, have you used chili peppers in beer before? A little goes a long way, and habaneros are particularly hot so definitely be sure to be light handed with them.

 

[Dixon9717]

Thanks for the input. Wish I would have asked before I brewed to cut grains in 1/2 I read somewhere about adding sugar water at high krausen so I thought if give it a try. Can't remember the reason for it though. As for pasteurizing I understand that takes away some flavor should I add more? I've heard soaking fruit in vodka leaves the flavor in the vodka which isn't a bad thing for vodka but again wouldn't I have to use more fruit and peppers?I'm a pepper head so I like hot but not everybody does that's why the split. I was concerned about oxygenation with a big container. I'll find a smaller one for the pepper 1/2.
Still bubbling at day 5 .....

Thanks guys....


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[Spelaeus]

If you're using vodka for sterilization, generally you dump the vodka in the fermenter too. So no flavor is lost. If anything, the vodka helps the flavor get to the beer. Only issue with using it for the fruit is just how much vodka it would take. And then, yeah, it would be too much to add to the beer, not to mention expense and waste. As to other methods, heating doesn't so much reduce flavor as change it. You get a cooked fruit rather than a fresh fruit flavor. If done improperly, you also risk extraction of tannins and pectins. Campden tablets don't really alter flavor at all. I'd do a search on fruit pasteurization on here and read up a little.

As to the pepper... Go ahead and use it, but if you soak it in vodka you may want to start with just adding some of the vodka and tasting how much spice that adds before adding all the vodka and the actual pepper. I'm a pepper head too but I assume you still don't want your beer to drink like hot sauce. Use however much you feel is right, just letting you know a little goes a very long way in beer. I've used 1-2 peppers in a full 5 gallon batch, using peppers far milder than a habanero and gotten decent spice levels.

 

[kingwood-kid]

For the peppers, you might consider removing the seeds and white membrane inside before adding to your beer, so that you can tame the spiciness a little but keep the pepper flavor. I'd advise wearing gloves while doing this.

 

[Dixon9717]

I was reading somewhere that freezing the fruit/peppers then soak in Star-San would pretty much take care of any bacteria. And retain all the flavors. What is your thought on that?

As for removing the seeds and capsicum from the peppers is a good idea as it would over power the beer flavor.

Last year I added Cheyenne peppers from my garden to an amber ale using that method and didn't have any adverse effects.
Wasn't hot but definitely got the Cheyenne flavor.


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[WayFrae]

Don't use starsan to sanitize the fruit. First of all, I don't think it would work, and second that just seems gross to me. If you want to go the chemical route just use campden tablets.

 

[Dixon9717]

Thanks for the advice. I'll probably freeze then vodka soak....


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