[dbarber]

I made a BDS with sour cherries and brett.  Amazing beer, last year it took a BOS and a runner-up BOS.  I only used 1 lb per gallon, frozen and pitted.

[corkybstewart]

I made a BDS with sour cherries and brett.  Amazing beer, last year it took a BOS and a runner-up BOS.  I only used 1 lb per gallon, frozen and pitted.

I have 2 bottles of my brett BDS cherry beer brewed about 8 years ago.  It was one of my very best beers ever and set me on a path of experimentation. 
This past fall I did a Belgian blonde, racked it onto 12 pounds of bing cherries with a starter of Orval dregs.  It's got a very nice dry cherry hint to it, but not as much brett as I hoped

[tschmidlin]

We had plans for cherries and food and drink this year. The 90F weather in March followed by frost/freeze has wiped out 90% of the pie (sour/tart) cherries here in Michigan (2nd for cherry production). It might be and expensive year for cherries. Lets all hope that there is a bumper crop of cherries in Washington.

The wife was talking to a woman from a local orchard that has started making hard cider two years back. Same story for the apples. They were trying to get cider apples from New England, but the weather did a number on the apples there too. Lets all hope there is a bumper crop of apples in Washington.

Well, most of the orchards are in eastern WA, and I believe so far so good.  I can say that my cherries and apples are doing really well, possibly even a bumper crop, but since I have one apple, one sour, and one sweet cherry, that's not going to go very far

[kylekohlmorgen]

Everyone seemed to have Bings in the STL Farmers' Market over the holiday weekend, but I didn't see any Rainier (which I like to have on hand).

Wasn't looking for sour cherries, but I didn't see much of them, if at all.

What are the seasons for sour and rainiers?

[nateo]

The Mennonite stores around me start taking orders for Rainiers in July, and I believe they got them late August last year.

[erockrph]

The Mennonite stores around me start taking orders for Rainiers in July, and I believe they got them late August last year.

I got some Rainiers recently at my local supermarket, but they were pretty bland. I'm pretty sure they were from Cali. The Rainiers that are around in the mid-to-late summer are worth the wait.

[tschmidlin]

We used Van cherries in a BDS and it turned out great - a lot of flavor in those cherries.  They're too soft for market though, so a guy went and picked them himself at a farm in eastern WA.  At that orchard they keep them as pollinators.

[kylekohlmorgen]

Never used cherries in a beer before, but I have a great wild beer (we'll call it a Flanders Red) that's begging for them!

When is the prime time to buy sour cherries?

I'm thinking I'll buy them from the farmers market, freeze, then thaw about 5 lbs and add to the beer.

[morticaixavier]

Never used cherries in a beer before, but I have a great wild beer (we'll call it a Flanders Red) that's begging for them!

When is the prime time to buy sour cherries?

I'm thinking I'll buy them from the farmers market, freeze, then thaw about 5 lbs and add to the beer.

depending on where in the world you are, now through the end of june is cherry season (assuming northern hemisphere)

[kylekohlmorgen]

I'm from Indiana - I think we get most all of our crop from Michigan.

There were a LOT of stands with Bings in STL, though. I don't know if they grow them in Missouri or if the farmers just all purchase from the north.

[morticaixavier]

I'm from Indiana - I think we get most all of our crop from Michigan.

There were a LOT of stands with Bings in STL, though. I don't know if they grow them in Missouri or if the farmers just all purchase from the north.

all those northern tier states are good for tart pie cherries which I think are ideal for everything except eating out of hand. but yeah, keep your eyes open at farmers markets etc. now is the time.

[hopfenundmalz]

I'm from Indiana - I think we get most all of our crop from Michigan.

There were a LOT of stands with Bings in STL, though. I don't know if they grow them in Missouri or if the farmers just all purchase from the north.

The tart cherry crop in MI was 90% wiped out by the March hot weather followed by the freeze.

[morticaixavier]

I'm from Indiana - I think we get most all of our crop from Michigan.

There were a LOT of stands with Bings in STL, though. I don't know if they grow them in Missouri or if the farmers just all purchase from the north.

The tart cherry crop in MI was 90% wiped out by the March hot weather followed by the freeze.

that's right, I remember hearing about that. that is rough. Cherry pie will be at a premium this year

[nateo]

I don't know if they grow them in Missouri or if the farmers just all purchase from the north.

I'm pretty sure they grow them here. Wineries have to use like 85% state-grown produce in their wines, and there are a fair number of cherry wines around. There are blueberry farms everywhere here, too. I don't know if that means anything for cherries.

[dbarber]

Here in PA, they just started picking sweet cherries.  Sour cherries are usually picked from mid to late June.