Introducing Fruit?

[a1anm]

I made my first home brew a couple of weeks ago. It was a Coopers kit stout. I've got it bottled and waiting until it's ready.

I've got another kit fermenting now. It is a Coopers kit lager but I used honey instead of sugar and it seems to be shaping up nicely.

I am now thinking about my third attempt and would like to introduce some fruit (or maybe elderflower?) to get something nice and summery. Not sure what fruit exactly but I just wondered what the process for adding fruit is?

Do I just add it in the beginning along with the wort or should it be added later?

 

[RobWalker]

its better to add it after to retain flavour, but you could easily add it in juice form too. proper fruit takes a good bit of work and can leave you open to infection if you do it wrong.

elderflower's a good bet, use it in IPAs or golden ales. Badger Golden Glory uses peach blossom extract and it's similar. either that, or a wheat kit with some raspberry syrup in would be fantastic. Lowicz Raspberry Syrup is available in the foreign bit in morrisons, it's polish and makes a great addition.

 

[graysalchemy]

If you want the flavour of delicate fruits to come through ie strawberry elderflower etc then it is best steeping them at the end of fermentation like dry hopping. If you add them at the beginning then the flavour can be lost. However if you are using robust fruit in a robust beer then put them in at the start and ferment them. I have an elderberry stout which has the fruit added at the start the fermented fruit add an almost port like element to compliment the stout.

With regards to quantities In my stout I used 1lb per gallon. Which i think I came to the conclusion of after reading Ray Daniels designing great beers. :thumb:

 

[a1anm]

its better to add it after to retain flavour, but you could easily add it in juice form too. proper fruit takes a good bit of work and can leave you open to infection if you do it wrong.

elderflower's a good bet, use it in IPAs or golden ales. Badger Golden Glory uses peach blossom extract and it's similar. either that, or a wheat kit with some raspberry syrup in would be fantastic. Lowicz Raspberry Syrup is available in the foreign bit in morrisons, it's polish and makes a great addition.

Thanks. I quite like Golden Glory once in a while so I might try something similar at some stage.

I really like the sound of the wheat beer with raspberry so think that will be my next brew :) If I add the syrup should I add it near the end as well?