I've been researching my next beer and I have found a wealth of information on doing fruit additions. However, the probelm is just that - a wealth of freaking information. It seems that there are a wide variety of ways to handle the fruit additions.
1. End of boil (need to be cautious of temp)
2. In primary (need to be cautious of blows, possible containmination from opening and measuring, yada yada)
3. In secondary (add here but then rack yet again???)
4. As tincture - suggested by Jeff W. Have Radical Brewing to read per Jim V's suggestion. But looking at 2.5 lbs of figs... is this viable?
Then there is the different view points for fresh vs. puree....
So I ask you CHAOS, what methods do you all use? What is your preferred method?
BTW: the recipe I have in mind is a vanilla fig porter for the fall.
Cheers,
Bill
Bill,
I add my fruit in the secondary when the yeast are done with the wort. I feel like if you add fruit too early on, some of those flavors may get eaten off, so to ge ta more pure flavor, add it later. I use either frozen berries and puree them or a can of the ready to go puree that you can by at Brew & Grow or Brew Camp. I wouldn't use fresh unless you buy fresh and then puree it, freeze it and thaw it. Fresh fruit can be buggy. Frozen will kill some of that. I've used figs too, puree is the way to go, you get more flavor by breaking down the fibers of the fruit.
Hope that helps!
Nanc
Awesome! Thanks Nancy!
I'm getting some organic figs from goodness greeness directly, bypassing the store. I was just starting to read more on puree, seems like the way to go.
I usually buy fresh fruit and puree it. Figs seem like that would present some difficulties though. As far as contamination goes just sanitize everything at 180 degrees for 30 minutes.
Other than that I'm with chirocky. Adding fruit in the secondary has consistently given me the best results. It means you have to leave your beer in the fermenter an extra week or so, but it's worth it. I just added some limes to my hefeweizen yesterday. Excited to see how it turns out.
A vanilla fig porter sounds great.
I am biased, though. I think every beer sounds great.