Elvis Juice[s]

[nigelnorris]

In a conversation elsewhere I asked how come no one uses the fleshy bit of a grapefruit when they're making something like this. No one answered so here I am. Aiming to make about 18L, split into two buckets. One will get the zest from 3 grapefruits, the other the flesh.

Here's the original DIYDOG recipe I'm approximating using what I have in the cupboard:

MALT: Extra Pale 4.50kg 9.91lb ; Caramalt 0.88kg 1.92lb

HOPS [g]
Start Bitter : Magnum 2.5
Middle Flavour : Simcoe 12.5 : Amarillo 12.5
End Flavour: Mosaic 25 : Citra 25 : Amarillo 12.5 : Simcoe 12.5
Dry Hop Aroma : Citra 50 : Amarillo 50 : Simcoe 50

Wyeast 1056 American Aleâ„¢

ABV IBU OG
6.5% 60 1060

Here' the actual ingredients I'm planning on using

Elvis Juice (American Pale Ale) 21L

Original Gravity (OG): 1.048 (°P)
Final Gravity (FG): 1.009 (°P)
Alcohol (ABV): 5.2 %
Colour (SRM): (EBC): 10.9
Bitterness (IBU): 33.4 (Tinseth) [DIYDOG shows as 60, I'm assuming some will come from the fruit.]

4kg United Kingdom - Extra Pale
0.6kg United Kingdom - Maris Otter Pale
0.5kg United Kingdom - Cara Malt

5g Summit (18.5% Alpha) @ 60 Minutes (Boil)
7.5g Simcoe (12.7% Alpha) @ 30 Minutes (Boil)
7.5g Summit (18.5% Alpha) @ 30 Minutes (Boil)
20g Citra (11% Alpha) @ 0 Minutes (Boil)
20g Mosaic (12% Alpha) @ 0 Minutes (Boil)
10g Simcoe (12.7% Alpha) @ 0 Minutes (Boil)
10g Summit (18.5% Alpha) @ 0 Minutes (Boil)
30g Citra (11% Alpha) @ 5 Days (Dry Hop)
30g Simcoe (12.7% Alpha) @ 5 Days (Dry Hop)
30g Summit (18.5% Alpha) @ 5 Days (Dry Hop)


Single step Infusion at 65°C for 75 Minutes. Boil for 60 Minutes

Fermented at 20°C with Safale - American Ale Yeast US-05

Recipe Generated with Brewer's Friend

 

[nigelnorris]

Cocked up the water quantities and ended up with 21L so I've adjusted the values in the recipe to reflect what I actually ended up with in the buckets.

 

[pms67]

Cocked up the water quantities and ended up with 21L so I've adjusted the values in the recipe to reflect what I actually ended up with in the buckets.

Can you just add 2l to make up the volume and just have a weaker beer?

 

[nigelnorris]

Can you just add 2l to make up the volume and just have a weaker beer?

It's the other way around, I was aiming for 18L, which is what I usually get from a brew, dunno where the extra three litres came from. [Thinking about it my sparge bucket looked more full than usual so it was probably in there somewhere.] So I do have a weaker beer, but at around 5% that will be enough for me so I'm not complaining.

Actually reading back I might have missed your point - the DIYDOG recipes are all 20L, not the usual 23L, so I'm one over rather than two short.

 

[nigelnorris]

Been in the bucket for 7 days now so time to start messing with it. Going to stick the zest into one, the flesh into the other, then keep them both at 19C for about three days to dry the rest of the sugar out. Four days of dry hopping after that.

 

[MmmmCitra]

Been in the bucket for 7 days now so time to start messing with it. Going to stick the zest into one, the flesh into the other, then keep them both at 19C for about three days to dry the rest of the sugar out. Four days of dry hopping after that.

I've made my own version of Elvis Juice, VERY nice too and pretty close to the original.............I dry hopped with the skin from organic fruit (no pith) and also used the juice and 'bits' of grapefruit straight into the wort, only thing i'd change would be put the juicy bits in a bag as they ended up in the bottles and produced quite a bit of sediment, no real problem though.

 

[nigelnorris]

I've made my own version of Elvis Juice, VERY nice too and pretty close to the original.............I dry hopped with the skin from organic fruit (no pith) and also used the juice and 'bits' of grapefruit straight into the wort, only thing i'd change would be put the juicy bits in a bag as they ended up in the bottles and produced quite a bit of sediment, no real problem though.

I thought about bagging them up but it's my plan to use a nylon straining bag anyway, to keep the hop pellets at bay.

 

[nigelnorris]

Just about to bottle it up after two weeks or thereabouts. Final timescale was:

7 days fermenting
Added the zest/flesh and left it at 20C for three days
Scraped out the flesh and added the dry-hops [Including some Mosaic but I can't edit the OP to list that.], three days at 14C [The flesh was floating about on the top, I tasted it and it was completely bland, all used up so I dumped it to prevent it interfering with the hops.]
Cold crashed it at zero for two days.

Today it all gets bottled into 500ml PETS, primed with 1 sugarlump per.

Incidentally I looked it up on the Brewdog website, where it says

"AN AMERICAN IPA WITH A BITTER EDGE THAT WILL PUSH YOUR CITRUS TOLERANCE TO THE BRINK AND BACK; ELVIS JUICE IS LOADED WITH TART PITHY GRAPEFRUIT PEEL"

Not zest, but peel, including pith. Might be true, the DIYDOG recipe book only gives a prototype recipe, not the actual one used.

 

[nigelnorris]

It's come out quite pleasant; cloudy still but a lovely colour and overall appearance not too distant from grapefruit juice. Still fresh out of the bucket so a way to go yet, but on first impressions I actually prefer the taste of flesh Elvis over the zesty version. The zesty version has a bit more sharpness, but flesh Elvis is more grapefruity.

 

[MmmmCitra]

Good stuff, glad it tastes good, time will improve and clear it a bit more, it's certainly one i'll be brewing again........

 

[jceg316]

Good to see the results of this. I'm still planning to make one myself, maybe I'll mix the peel and the flesh. Could call it Elvis Flesh.

 

[nigelnorris]

One week in and opened a bottle of each last night. Just about carbed, still cloudy. Taste great. The zest version is slightly more bitter, the fruit version slightly more grapefruity, both slightly more of each than the shop bought version. Neither batch will last long I'm sure of that.

Next time [I've only just started on this version, but already I know that there will be a next time] I'll be using two grapefruits, taking away the pith, and lobbing the whole lot into the FV same time as the dry hops, probably muslin bagged. Will taste on a par with the real thing.

Highly recommended!

 

[Irishwizard]

Nice one Nigel.bit strange that we are both doing the same thing at the same time.Based on your experience I may put some of the flesh in a couple of days before bottling. Ive got the rind soaking in vodka at present, Im just waiting for the fermentation to die back a bit before anymore additions

 

[nigelnorris]

Oh here we go, an actual substantive difference between the two. z-Elvis is clear as a bell now after ten days. f-Elvis still looks like alcoholic pond water. I'm sure it will clear in time but there you go, if you want something to look nice and drink quickly, leave the fruit out.

 

[Irishwizard]

Oh here we go, an actual substantive difference between the two. z-Elvis is clear as a bell now after ten days. f-Elvis still looks like alcoholic pond water. I'm sure it will clear in time but there you go, if you want something to look nice and drink quickly, leave the fruit out.

Right Nigel, here goes. My brew had half a GF rind at 5 days and the other half at 10 days. (10L brew) Just cracked a bottle and very nice indeed, considering it will need a few weeks in the bottle to mature. I consider it a success.

 

[BeardedMag]

How much zest/flesh did you add? :)

Just about to bottle it up after two weeks or thereabouts. Final timescale was:

7 days fermenting
Added the zest/flesh and left it at 20C for three days
Scraped out the flesh and added the dry-hops [Including some Mosaic but I can't edit the OP to list that.], three days at 14C [The flesh was floating about on the top, I tasted it and it was completely bland, all used up so I dumped it to prevent it interfering with the hops.]
Cold crashed it at zero for two days.

Today it all gets bottled into 500ml PETS, primed with 1 sugarlump per.

Incidentally I looked it up on the Brewdog website, where it says

"AN AMERICAN IPA WITH A BITTER EDGE THAT WILL PUSH YOUR CITRUS TOLERANCE TO THE BRINK AND BACK; ELVIS JUICE IS LOADED WITH TART PITHY GRAPEFRUIT PEEL"

Not zest, but peel, including pith. Might be true, the DIYDOG recipe book only gives a prototype recipe, not the actual one used.

 

[Irishwizard]

Just to reiterate, if this was asked of me? no flesh
Half a rind at 5 days and the other half at 10 days.
The 10 day addition was soaked in vodka.
I used a small zester for the purpose.
This was in a 10 L brew.
Tasted great ( my son drank most of it!)..I don't think you need the flesh IMO

 

[nigelnorris]

How much zest/flesh did you add? :)

Can't remember if it was two or three grapefruits, but whatever it was this is what I decided to do next time:

https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/threads/elvis-juice-s.72536/#post-700122