Sour fruit beer?????

[Braufessor]

Ok -

My wife and I grow a lot of various fruit and vegetables. Thinking ahead a month or two. We grow rhubarb, cherries, raspberries, apples, strawberries, blueberries, etc. My wife was asking about making some sort of beer with excess rhubarb...... I was thinking something like a Rhubarb/Raspberry sour. (maybe with apple or cherries as well...... although, don't want to get it so muddled up with various fruits.

I was thinking something like a basic pilsner malt beer. Ferment it with Roselaere and secondary on fruit that had been frozen as we harvest it over the summer. Kind of thinking "New Glarus Serendipity" or something like that if you have had it. Goal is a tart, fruity, sour ale. Not looking for any "funkiness."

Any thoughts on this?

Feel free to send me to past links that might address this. Any "do's" or "don'ts" or other advice would be great.

 

[MileHighBrewer]

If you are trying to avoid funk, don't use most of the available brett strains or blends. You could probably do something with brett Trois and a heavy dose of lacto. Fruit comes at the end of secondary, when you've achieved something close to what you like, THEN add the fruit to compliment.

FWIW 2 years ago Cantillon did a rhubarb lambic for Zwanse Day, I liked it, most did not.

 

[Calder]

No funk .......... how about a Berliner, on rhubarb and raspberry.

 

[Cyclman]

I know it's not answering your question, but many of those fruits would be incredible in a cider or mead...just a thought.

 

[Braufessor]

I have never brewed a berliner..... but I like that idea. What would be the best way to proceed with something like that? Brew a "normal" berliner and then rack it onto fruit at a later stage of secondary? What might a timeline look like for this type of beer....
Primary
Secondary
Fruit....

As mentioned, I would have to do some more research on a berliner as I have not brewed one.

I will have to pass on the mead idea..... I am just not a fan of mead.

 

[ChugachBrewing]

I just brewed a Berliner and added some rhubarb. Results pending. I've also made lots of rhubarb ale where I made a base beer, fermented clean, and then added lots of rhubarb post primary. Still came out very tart. My advice is to harvest and freeze the rhubarb earlier in the season, it has less of a grassy taste than in the fall.

Sent from my PG86100 using Home Brew mobile app

 

[EpicCuriousity]

Like the idea of using rhubarb, and the cherries. Maybe not together, but both of those are delicious and cherries are pretty traditional in sours. I'd also recommend adding some wheat to go along with your pilsener malt.

 

[TheZymurgist]

Here are a couple links on the rhubarb berliner. Looks pretty good:
http://www.themadfermentationist.com/2014/01/rhubarb-berliner-weisse-tasting.html
http://ryanbrews.blogspot.com/2009/01/rhubarb-berliner-weiss.html

Also, you could consider doing a 100% brett fermentation. There are certain strains that are very fruity, without any funk, when used as the primary. I believe Brett Trois is one of those.

 

[Braufessor]

Here are a couple links on the rhubarb berliner. Looks pretty good:
http://www.themadfermentationist.com/2014/01/rhubarb-berliner-weisse-tasting.html
http://ryanbrews.blogspot.com/2009/01/rhubarb-berliner-weiss.html

Also, you could consider doing a 100% brett fermentation. There are certain strains that are very fruity, without any funk, when used as the primary. I believe Brett Trois is one of those.

Cool - great info - thanks.

 

[TheZymurgist]

Here are a couple more links for a recipe and tasting of a 100% Brett Trois IPA:

http://www.themadfermentationist.com/2012/08/100-brett-trois-ipa-tasting.html
http://www.themadfermentationist.com/2012/07/100-brett-trois-ipa-recipe.html