Adding pineapple

The juice you used doesn't have any added sugar. So unless the pineapples that went into that juice were riper than the pineapples you puréed, the proportions of sugars (per unit of actual pineapple content) should have been about the same.

Did you happen to do the math to figure out whether 3.5 lbs of pineapple was contributing more or less total sugar than a gallon of that juice? Then there's the differences in dilution of the beer due to the water in the pineapples and the water in the juice.

 

You can just google "pineapple sugar content" or something like that to get find the sugar in grams per grams of pineapple. For the juice, just look on the back of the can.

 

Resurrecting this thread. Want to add pineapple to a cream ale which was just pilsner, corn, rice. Would you guys recommending adding fresh froZen cut pineapple to secondary? My other thought was cooking the pineapple to help get rid of some of the acidity and adding lactose to help make the fruit shine more/cut tartness.
@VikeMan

 

That's what I'd do. But thaw the frozen pineapple and "smush" it up somehow.

I don't know that cooking the pineapple would actually reduce acidity. But it would probably denature the enzyme in pineapple that eats proteins. As I understand it, it's that enzyme that causes the "burn" people experience with pineapple. Regarding lactose, if you want to add some sweetness to mask some sourness, that would certainly work to some extent.

 

I bought fresh pineapple today so I’m prolly gonna try cooking the pineapple then pureeing with lactose then freezing so that I can add frozen cubes to secondary. I’m thinking 1/2 pound lactose for 5 gallons... too much or too little?

 

I've never used it for exactly the purpose you're contemplating, but 1/2 lb seems like a safe place to start experimenting. Also, I've never added lactose in secondary that I can recall. I'm not sure how soluble it will be that way. Not saying it wouldn't work. I just don't know.

 

My guess is that if I cook the pineapple down with lactose then purée that the yeast will mix it all around while fermenting in secondary. Not sure but I guess no time like the present to try it out.

 

I'd suggest grilling or searing the pineapple to caramelize the sugars a little, just to add a little more complexity

 

I've done this in another beverage and it worked well. I think it would also work in a beer.

 

Resurrecting this thread one more time. The pineapple and lactose I cooked and froze in loaf pans and added to secondary is fucking killer. So light and refreshing and honestly brewery quality. Mission pineapple cream ale with lactose is a sucess.