What are your guys favorite vendors for fruit puree for homebrew? I've used raw fruit for a while, and looking to try some purees instead of raw fruit. Let me know, looking forward to hearing your responses. Cheers.
I haven't used them yet but hear great things about Oregon Fruit products. It's who Rare Barrel and Sante Ardarius use a lot.
I've used Vintner's Harvest raspberry and peach purée before. I had no problems and they're incredibly easy to use - just open the can and dump. They are already pasteurized which is nice. The problem is they cost a fortune.
I used vinters harvest blueberry puree on a couple occasions. I hated it, my beers all tasted like canned spaghetti sauce.
I've only used puree once and did not like the character it provided and it was also a mess at the bottom of my carboy that inevitably ended up in bottles. I only use raw fruit now.
I've used vintner's harvest once - 1 can of Apricot puree pitched with the wort in primary for a berliner weisse. It helped contribute some fruity tartness to the overall beer, but I wouldn't say it contributed 'apricot' flavors. More subtle passionfruit. I'd use 2 cans next time, and do it in secondary. Although I probably will never do that because that stuff's expensive! 1 can of apricot puree literally doubled the price of my overall BW recipe, and I don't think it was worth it in the end.
I've only used vintner's harvest apricot puree. It was very easy to use and gave a great flavor. Used 2 cans in secondary and it was noticeably fruity. For super juicy flavor, I'd recommend three cans. Expensive, but in the off season or in an area without access to great orchards it's a good option.
