Pomegranate Gose

[WhatAlesU9]

I am pretty new to home brewing. Have actually only done 2 batches and none in the past 6-7 years. I have a Mr. Beer kit and am interested in trying to brew a Gose. Mr. Beer has a kit for a grapefruit gose (Salty Dawg). I don't really like grapefruit so I thought I would just substitute pomegranate for the grapefruit. Is there anything special I need to do with it? I think I read or heard somewhere, that you should freeze the fruit to avoid contamination. Is that what I need to do? Any insight would be greatly appreciated.
Cheers!

 

[RPh_Guy]

Bringing the grapefruit to pasteurization temperature for an adequate amount of time is the only guaranteed way to prevent contamination. For example you could cut it up, put it in some water, bring it to a boil, quickly chill, and then dump it in the fermenter toward the end of fermentation.
You could use pasteurized pomegranate juice instead.
Another option is flavoring (e.g. Brewers Best natural flavoring).

Freezing doesn't kill microbes, and they live both inside and outside the fruit, so soaking it in anything won't do the job either.

Welcome to HBT!

 

[cactusgarrett]

I think I read or heard somewhere, that you should freeze the fruit to avoid contamination.

Freezing fruit just aids in getting the most flavor out of it, as it breaks down the cell walls; it doesn't sanitize/sterilize - as RPh suggested, pasteurization is the only recourse for that. Typically, washed and frozen should suffice, as the typical procedure is to add fruit to an already-fermented beer. In doing this, the alcohol present and the low pH go a long way in preventing infection.

 

[WhatAlesU9]

Thanks for the input. I'm a little confused though. Both of you mention adding the fruit to the already fermented or at least partially fermented beer. However, the instructions say to add it during the brewing process. I'll attach the instructions because I have a few other questions regarding this (again the recipe calls for grapefruit, but I'm trying to sub pomegranate).
Some of my questions are:
1.) It says that while the grains are steeping, grate the grapefruit and place the zest, pulp, and juice into a bowl (discard the white peels/pith). Mix in the sea salt and cracked coriander, place it in the 2nd muslin sack and set aside. Again, I'm trying to use pomegranate and figure I'd crush the seeds, but I don't see how juice stays in a muslin sack. Do I just put the crushed seeds in the sack with the coriander and sea salt and add the juice extracted to the pot?
2.) It later says, after the 30 minute boil remove the grain sack, strain it over the pot pouring hot tap water over it, bring the grain water back to a boil, add in the fruit muslin sack and let it boil for 5 minutes. After that boil, remove from heat and add the hop muslin sack. It then says to add the canned Brewing Extract and the LME. How long am I supposed to leave the fruit muslin sack and the hop muslin sack in the pot? Do I take them out before I add the BE and LME? Or do I leave them in the pot, add the BE and LME and stir and then remove them before transferring the wort to the fermenter?
Thanks again for the help.
Here's the link to the Mr. Beer website for the Salty Dawg Gose:
https://www.mrbeer.com/salty-dawg-grapefruit-gose

 

[IslandLizard]

You know nothing, Mr. Beer!

 

[cactusgarrett]

Take your Mr. Beer instructions and light them on fire.
Don't use fruit in the brewing process - the boil and fermentation both scrub the fruit of the desired flavors. Zest is possible in the boil, but it also works (better) as a tincture at packaging time.

 

[WhatAlesU9]

Unfortunately the only thing I have is a Mr. Beer kit/fermenter as I have a small apartment in NYC and don't have the room for more elaborate equipment.
That being said, should I just change the brewing process and not add the fruit until the beer is fermenting for 7 or so days (as that's when the say to add the lactic acid). If doing so, I may just go with pasteurized pomegranate juice. But do I still put the sea salt/coriander in at the time indicated in the instructions.
And again, how long do I leave the hop pellet sack in for?
Thanks again for the insight.

 

[cactusgarrett]

Oh, the fermenter and gear are serviceable, don't get me wrong. Just trash the instructions. Always add fruit/juice after fermentation for the reason stated previously. Salt and coriander are good in the boil - those aren't soft flavors that get boiled away or require care to retain. If you use fruit, depending on what it is, you might need a couple weeks or longer to impart the desired flavors.

Regarding dry hopping, that one is to your taste as well. But usually, you're looking at no shorter than 3 to 5 days.