[fmader]

I'm working on a recipe for a cherry wheat. OG will be around 1.050. I plan on adding cherries to the secondary. I usually use fresh fruit for brewing, but cherries certainly aren't in season now. So, I'm looking at Oregon cherries. I'm thinking about blending tart and sweet cherries. I am thinking three 14.5 oz cans of tart cherries and two 14.5 oz cans of sweet cherries. I want a solid cherry presence, but at the same time, I don't want it overbearing. Is this a good amount? Also, should these cherries be in water or heavy syrup?

[kramerog]

If you are making 5 gallons of beer then you are a low.  The range for cherries is 1-2 lbs/gal and it would be better to be close to the high end.

I haven't used canned cherries, but I suspect the only difference between water/juice and heavy syrup is just sugar.

[fmader]

If you are making 5 gallons of beer then you are a low.  The range for cherries is 1-2 lbs/gal and it would be better to be close to the high end.

I haven't used canned cherries, but I suspect the only difference between water/juice and heavy syrup is just sugar.

You really think that's low for a beer this small and light? I was concerned with it being too much. I brew a tart cherry stout... the first time I used 10 lbs for 5 gallons and it took about a year to mellow out so that it tasted like a beer and not a pie. I used 7.5 this year and it was much better.

[kramerog]

If you are making 5 gallons of beer then you are a low.  The range for cherries is 1-2 lbs/gal and it would be better to be close to the high end.

I haven't used canned cherries, but I suspect the only difference between water/juice and heavy syrup is just sugar.

You really think that's low for a beer this small and light? I was concerned with it being too much. I brew a tart cherry stout... the first time I used 10 lbs for 5 gallons and it took about a year to mellow out so that it tasted like a beer and not a pie. I used 7.5 this year and it was much better.

Let your taste buds be the guide unless you plan to make the beer for me.

[fmader]

If you are making 5 gallons of beer then you are a low.  The range for cherries is 1-2 lbs/gal and it would be better to be close to the high end.

I haven't used canned cherries, but I suspect the only difference between water/juice and heavy syrup is just sugar.

You really think that's low for a beer this small and light? I was concerned with it being too much. I brew a tart cherry stout... the first time I used 10 lbs for 5 gallons and it took about a year to mellow out so that it tasted like a beer and not a pie. I used 7.5 this year and it was much better.

Let your taste buds be the guide unless you plan to make the beer for me.

Touche

[bigchicken]

I'm in the process of building a Chocolate Cherry Oat & Rye Stout recipe. I found this product at Trader Joe's the other day and am thinking of giving it a try. It appears to be a good mix of tart and sweet flavors.

http://www.traderjoes.com/fearless-flyer/article.asp?article_id=1477

If the juice tastes like they say in the flyer, I think it would be so much simpler than adding whole cherries.

[hopfenundmalz]

The Trade Joes juice would be one way.

I have used tart cherry concentrate in meads with good results. One year we found a blend of Montmorency and Balaton cherries in the concentrate that was excellent. That was before the wiped out 2012 crop in MI. Have not seen it since.

[fmader]

I'm going with a 32 oz bottle of tart cherry concentrate.

[hopfenundmalz]

I'm going with a 32 oz bottle of tart cherry concentrate.

You can add some at a time, to taste. Thos have a high Brix, so try and estimate the sugar going if you want to know ABV.

[kylekohlmorgen]

For non-sour / long-aging beers, I use tart cherry juice from TJ's/Whole Foods. Great stuff.

I've never used (or seen) concentrate. Is it in the frozen section? Can you buy it unpasteuized?

[fmader]

For non-sour / long-aging beers, I use tart cherry juice from TJ's/Whole Foods. Great stuff.

I've never used (or seen) concentrate. Is it in the frozen section? Can you buy it unpasteuized?

This is what I got. Hoosierbrew recommended it to me...

http://www.cherrybayorchards.com/cherry-concentrate/bottle.html

[kylekohlmorgen]

For non-sour / long-aging beers, I use tart cherry juice from TJ's/Whole Foods. Great stuff.

I've never used (or seen) concentrate. Is it in the frozen section? Can you buy it unpasteuized?

This is what I got. Hoosierbrew recommended it to me...

http://www.cherrybayorchards.com/cherry-concentrate/bottle.html

Bookmarked! Montmorency & Balaton cherry concentrate, plus dried whole fruit!

[HoosierBrew]

Makes a very nice tart beer !

[fmader]

For non-sour / long-aging beers, I use tart cherry juice from TJ's/Whole Foods. Great stuff.

I've never used (or seen) concentrate. Is it in the frozen section? Can you buy it unpasteuized?

This is what I got. Hoosierbrew recommended it to me...

http://www.cherrybayorchards.com/cherry-concentrate/bottle.html

Bookmarked! Montmorency & Balaton cherry concentrate, plus dried whole fruit!

I actually ordered mine from Amazon.... The shipping was about $4 cheaper.