[reverseapachemaster]

You only want to age sour beer on fruit for a few months so adding fruit right after primary fermentation ends means you're going want to bottle it within 4-6 months due to the fruit but the beer itself may not be ready by that time. You would be better off freezing the fruit and adding it after about six months.

Otherwise, a sour mash beer or a beer just soured with lactobacillus would be a better option if you want to use the fruit right away.

[morticaixavier]

You only want to age sour beer on fruit for a few months[...]

I am curious as to why you say this? is there concern with tannins? As Iunderstand it traditional fruit lambics are aged on the fruit for many many months. often there is nothing left of the cherries but the pits.

I had a bottle of the Almanac Brewers reserve which was aged in a wine barrell on plums and cherries for a year before bottling. It's delicious

[reverseapachemaster]

You only want to age sour beer on fruit for a few months[...]

I am curious as to why you say this? is there concern with tannins? As Iunderstand it traditional fruit lambics are aged on the fruit for many many months. often there is nothing left of the cherries but the pits.

I had a bottle of the Almanac Brewers reserve which was aged in a wine barrell on plums and cherries for a year before bottling. It's delicious

Like with hops you can lose some of the fresh character of the fruit after a few months. Cherries hold up really well to long term aging on the beer but they seem to have a unique staying power. Admittedly, I've never used plums in a sour beer so I'm not sure when it's best to pull them off. Apricots tend to be aged for only a few months, even by the largest lambic brewers.

[morticaixavier]

You only want to age sour beer on fruit for a few months[...]

I am curious as to why you say this? is there concern with tannins? As Iunderstand it traditional fruit lambics are aged on the fruit for many many months. often there is nothing left of the cherries but the pits.

I had a bottle of the Almanac Brewers reserve which was aged in a wine barrell on plums and cherries for a year before bottling. It's delicious

Like with hops you can lose some of the fresh character of the fruit after a few months. Cherries hold up really well to long term aging on the beer but they seem to have a unique staying power. Admittedly, I've never used plums in a sour beer so I'm not sure when it's best to pull them off. Apricots tend to be aged for only a few months, even by the largest lambic brewers.

good to know. I have just embarked on this wild and crazy ride that is sour brewing so all info is welcome

[AmandaK]

If you haven't stumbled across it yet, the Mad Fermentationist blog is a pretty good resource for this type of thing.

Some examples:
http://www.themadfermentationist.com/2010/07/peach-sour-beer-tasting.html
http://www.themadfermentationist.com/2010/05/best-way-to-add-fruit-flavor-to-beer.html
http://www.themadfermentationist.com/2013/06/sour-dubbel-with-plums.html