Fruit on brett/bugs: how long do you like it to sit?

I recently went 6 weeks at fermentation temps with 10 pounds of tart cherries. Turned out very well.

Here are a few links:
http://beeradvocate.com/community/threads/keg-of-flanders-kriek.134681/
http://www.themadfermentationist.com/
http://ryanbrews.blogspot.com/2011/03/blending-and-fruiting-lambics-my.html

 

As a rough guide, at least 3 months, but you really have to taste it periodically to get to just right.

 

I recently racked one of my beers onto blackberries and I'm planning on at least 3 months but I'll probably taste it after two months to see where its at.

 

My preference is to age a sour beer until it is pretty much done, and then rack onto fruit for 2-3 months (makes split batches easy too). Once the gravity stabilizes, I bottle. I'd rather have the option of enjoying the fruit flavor "fresh" and seeing how it ages, rather than missing the fresh phase entirely.

 

Russian River uses dried fruit, so the issue of losing that fresh fruit character is moot for them. I don't recall the process for all of their fruited sours off-hand but I know for Supplication and Consecration, they add Brett to the barrel first and give it a head start of ~two months, then add fruit and bugs.

 

Yep, dried fruit is a bit different.

For Supplication/Consecration, RR does Brett and fruit at the same time after a clean primary, when the beer goes into the barrels. The house lactic blend a bit later. For something like Framboise for the Cure, the fruit goes in closer to the end.

Luckily one of their brewers is serving as a tech editor for my book, so hopefully I've got the details on their process right! One of the things I'm most excited to get out there are the one page "process flow" diagrams for each of the breweries I profiled.

 

Assuming you are referring to National High Five Day, shouldn't be a problem. It's off to the copy editor Monday.

 

Little late for Yom Kippur