Fruit additions and keeping the sweet?

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by InVinoVeritas, Jul 21, 2013.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. InVinoVeritas

    InVinoVeritas Initiate (0) Apr 16, 2012 Wisconsin

    So I just made for the first time a blueberry blonde; also my first fruit addition. I think it turned out ok, thou it was perhaps better tasting as just the pure blonde and better right when I added the puree at the start of secondary. It came out pretty dry and upon further thought, thinking about it logically, of course it did since fructose would be all or nearly entirely fermentable. I happened to look into cider making and in that process the author used, I forget which, a chemical to stop fermentation and then back sweetened. I’m still bottle conditioning, so that won’t work for me unless I want to have flat beer, right? So am I on the right track that I’d have to go forced carbonated if I want to keep the sweet around? I would think there’d be artificial options that aren’t fermentable sugars.

    As a somewhat parallel conversation, do you guys use the drying purposefully as a means to add complex? I’m thinking in terms of a sour blend of a number of different aged brews. Also with my blonde, if I had a keg system, I could have killed the yeast at bottling and then add more puree.
     
    #1 InVinoVeritas, Jul 21, 2013
  2. scurvy311

    scurvy311 Savant (1,135) Dec 3, 2005 Louisiana

    The best (although few) fruit beers I've done have been around 1.016-1.020. The residual sweetness really helps the flavors brought by the fruit. Mashing higher, like mid 150s, would help make the mash less fermentable. You could also go with a less attenuating yeast. That would help with the bottle conditioning issue you are concerned with. I keg also, but as long as ale yeast is alive it will ferment, although much slower, at fridge temps. Mashing higher and using lower attenuating yeast will take care of that by creating some sugars that are more difficult to be fermented.

    What was your mash temp and yeast used?
     
    #2 scurvy311, Jul 21, 2013
    InVinoVeritas and Duff27 like this.
  3. InVinoVeritas

    InVinoVeritas Initiate (0) Apr 16, 2012 Wisconsin

    I'm still extract brewing, but I have read consistent with what you said that a higher mash would leave less fermentables. However, I didn't think about that control once I go all grain; thanks for the point. As for the yeast, used Wyeast 1762. For reference, I finished at 1.012.
     
    #3 InVinoVeritas, Jul 21, 2013
  4. scurvy311

    scurvy311 Savant (1,135) Dec 3, 2005 Louisiana

    Understood about extract brewing. Euro ale 1338 or ESB 1968 yeast would work and be less fermentable. I've never used lactose with fruit beers but I know it adds a creaminess and sweetness without being fermentable.
     
    #4 scurvy311, Jul 21, 2013
    InVinoVeritas likes this.
  5. GreenKrusty101

    GreenKrusty101 Initiate (0) Dec 4, 2008 Nevada

    Potassium sorbate will stop further fermentation (and carbonation if not force carbonating)
     
    #5 GreenKrusty101, Jul 21, 2013
  6. InVinoVeritas

    InVinoVeritas Initiate (0) Apr 16, 2012 Wisconsin

    Yup, that was the chemical mentioned. Thanks for the refresher!
     
    #6 InVinoVeritas, Jul 21, 2013
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.