Adding fruit to beer kits

[ScubaPaul1181]

So, pretty new to brewing but fancy adding fruit to beer kit brews.

Was thinking to brew a base brew then rack off into some plastic demijohns to allow small scale experimenting. Was planning to use frozen fruit

What are people's thoughts/experiences?

 

[Dutto]

I've never bothered with frozen fruit but I brewed this last year with a brilliant result:

WILCO PILSNER WITH LOWICZ CHERRY SYRUP
Started 29thAugust 2017
Adjunct of 1,200ml of Lowicz Cherry Syrup instead of sugar.
Yeast pitched at 24 degrees.
Fermented on worktop at ambient.
Transferred to King Keg 8th September 2017
OG 1.048
FG 1.010
ABV 5%

Tested 11th November 2017 - VERY nice.
Slight “bitter” taste but still has Cherry Flavour to it.

The joy of using a cordial is that it can be repeated if it's nice!

 

[ScubaPaul1181]

This sounds like a cracking idea! Thank you. I'll be adding a few of these syrups to my shopping list

I'm still keen to give the frozen fruit a go, I'm keen for mango beer somehow. Anybody attempted this?

 

[Godsdog]

Done a couple of kits with frozen fruit,mango didn't much care for but the blueberry one was quite nice.just chucked em in frozen in a muslin bag around day 5 of the fermentation for around a week

 

[HoppyTommy]

I drank a load of Leffe Ruby whilst staying on a French camp site over the summer. I usually stick to pale hoppy summer beers but this was really drinkable. I started to research a recipe but found people generally very scathing about fruit beers. Anyone done a clone of Leffe Ruby?

 

[ScubaPaul1181]

I've similar reasons, lot of fruit beer in France!

What base kit would people think? Seems a pale ale would be better, what about standard ales?

 

[Dutto]

...........

I'm still keen to give the frozen fruit a go, I'm keen for mango beer somehow. Anybody attempted this?

I did a Mango Wine with some success ...

GRAPE AND MANGO JUICE
Started 21stJanuary 2016
Recipe:
6ltr Lidl Red Grape Juice
1ltr Lidl Mango Juice
0.5litr Strong Earl Grey Tea
1tsp pectolase
1kg sugar
3pkts Wilco Wine Yeast

Method:
Make Earl Grey Tea and dissolve pectase in tea.
Add all juice and Earl Grey Tea to pan then add sugar and stir to dissolve.
Boil for 5 minutes.
Pour into 3 x 5 litre DJ's and top up to 5 litres in each DJ.
At 20 degrees record OG, pitch yeast, fit air-lock. record FG, add 1 crushed Campden Tablet & bottle.
3rdFebruary 2016 racked to 3 DJ's & Finings added.
9thFebruary 2016 cleared wine into 2 DJ's with Campden Tablets then bottled.
OG 1.064
FG 0.960
ABV 13.65%
Verdict– Already drinkable by June 2016.

If memory serves me properly, by the end of three months the Mango flavour had almost entirely disappeared.

.........

What base kit would people think? Seems a pale ale would be better, what about standard ales?

Most of the time, for any experimentation I use a Wilco Cerveza Kit on the basis that it is very bland, can carry any flavour that is added to it and is cheap and easy to brew!

PS
I used the Pilsner Kit mentioned because SWMBO "couldn't remember" what I asked her to buy from Wilco!

It was a reasonable replacement being almost as bland as the Cerveza.

 

[DavidDetroit]

This sounds like a cracking idea! Thank you. I'll be adding a few of these syrups to my shopping list

I'm still keen to give the frozen fruit a go, I'm keen for mango beer somehow. Anybody attempted this?

I did an extract, wheat-based with frozen mango and frozen raspberries. The smell was perfect but the flavor was lacking. I should have back sweetened with a non-fermenting sugar--don't remember the name. Well worth the effort though.
Edit: I'd be happy to post my recipe BUT have experienced brewers tweak it for you.

 

[ScubaPaul1181]

Cheers. I think as I've some B&M kit on, I'm going to play with a secondary fermentation with frozen mangoes and frozen blueberries. Just a few litres of each.

I'll try and remember to post my results!

 

[BeerCat]

MaltMiller have a new range of flavourings which are really nice. Perfect for wheat, i add it straight to the glass. Have tried mango and raspberry and i am impressed.

 

[parpot]

Cheers. I think as I've some B&M kit on, I'm going to play with a secondary fermentation with frozen mangoes and frozen blueberries. Just a few litres of each.

I'll try and remember to post my results!

How did your B&M Mango additions work out?

 

[HoppyTommy]

My recent attempt at a Belgian Cherry Beer tastes just like the "Snake Bite and Black" I used to drink as a student!!

The flavour wasn't quite what I intended but on the whole it is a peculiarly nice pint.

 

[ScubaPaul1181]

How did your B&M Mango additions work out?

It went ok. It was my second brew. So i wouldn't repeat the method. Which was let it ferment for 14 days then chich the fruit in a demijohn and give it another week in that. Still had an ok flavour but I primed it with carb drops, and under primed it really.

When I do it again, I'll put the fruit in from the start. I've kept back a bittrb so time will tell on that. And I drink all others. Blueberries worked better than mabgo, but both were pleasant enough

 

[GhostShip]

Call me old fashioned but I’ve never really got the fruit beer thing.

I was in Strasbourg last weekend and ordered a Kasteel Rouge in a bar thinking I fancied a ruby red ale. It was made with cherries and tasted like a child’s juice. Revolting.

 

[dad_of_jon]

Call me old fashioned but I’ve never really got the fruit beer thing.

I was in Strasbourg last weekend and ordered a Kasteel Rouge in a bar thinking I fancied a ruby red ale. It was made with cherries and tasted like a child’s juice. Revolting.

you didn't enjoy the 8% them? - I love the stuff! you can get it in 500ml cans. To be fair its on the brutal side of fruit beers, that's why I love it.

 

[Kenboy]

This sounds like a cracking idea! Thank you. I'll be adding a few of these syrups to my shopping list

I'm still keen to give the frozen fruit a go, I'm keen for mango beer somehow. Anybody attempted this?

I've done a mango IPA. I used fresh mango rather than frozen. Peeled and heated for about 15 mins, cooled and froze before defrosting and adding to the beer once gravity was down to about 1.020.

If anything I didn't add enough mango. Only used about 600g for 23 litres. Next time I'll triple the amount and add some lactose at the start of the process.