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Author Topic: Adding fruit puree to primary without infecting my brew  (Read 3596 times)

Offline Bevilaquafoto

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Adding fruit puree to primary without infecting my brew
« on: April 22, 2015, 07:03:35 pm »
I am brewing a second batch of a very nice hefeweiss, only this time, I want to add apricot puree to the primary. My brewshop suggested adding it to the primary a few days after pitching yeast so as to ferment out some of the sugar, and leave a less strong flavor. Can anyone advise me on how best to dump in the fruit without causing an infection? Should I just sanitize the outside of the can, and the can opener? I would assume that the puree itself has been pasteurized. Any thoughts on this would be greatly appreciated.
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Offline HoosierBrew

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Re: Adding fruit puree to primary without infecting my brew
« Reply #1 on: April 22, 2015, 07:36:23 pm »
If you want, sanitize the outside of can and opener, then just add it to a secondary  and rack the beer on top. Easy peasy. It's what I do.
Jon H.

Offline cascadesrunner

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Re: Adding fruit puree to primary without infecting my brew
« Reply #2 on: April 22, 2015, 09:33:39 pm »
+1 to dropping it in the secondary and racking on top.
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Offline brulosopher

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Re: Adding fruit puree to primary without infecting my brew
« Reply #3 on: April 22, 2015, 10:35:47 pm »
I've added fruit purée directly to primary and have never had contamination issues, fwiw.

Offline Bevilaquafoto

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Re: Adding fruit puree to primary without infecting my brew
« Reply #4 on: April 23, 2015, 05:46:34 am »
Thank you all! Will sanitize well, and pour it in.
Lorenzo Bevilaqua
Lorenzo Bevilaqua Photography
302A West 12th Street
Suite 245
New York, NY 10014
http://www.lorenzobevilaqua.com
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Offline pete b

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Re: Adding fruit puree to primary without infecting my brew
« Reply #5 on: April 23, 2015, 09:15:07 am »
I agree with racking onto the fruit, but is a few days after pitching the yeast a bit too soon to be racking the beer off the yeast cake?
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Offline HoosierBrew

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Re: Adding fruit puree to primary without infecting my brew
« Reply #6 on: April 23, 2015, 09:39:21 am »
I agree with racking onto the fruit, but is a few days after pitching the yeast a bit too soon to be racking the beer off the yeast cake?

Yeah, it is too soon. I should've been more specific. I wait until primary fermentation is done, then rack onto puree in secondary. The secondary fermentation from the fruit seems a lot more gentle to me, so IMO less of the fruit aroma/character gets driven off as opposed to the more turbulent primary fermentation.
Jon H.

Offline duboman

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Re: Adding fruit puree to primary without infecting my brew
« Reply #7 on: April 23, 2015, 03:14:45 pm »
I'm getting ready to brew my American Peach Wheat with Peach puree. (like Wheach)  I have always waited for fermentation to complete and then rack to secondary onto the fruit. I experience a bit of secondary fermentation form the puree and once it's complete I crash and package. I'm sure you can do this in primary once fermentation has finished but I don't personally know anyone that does it that way
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Offline brewinhard

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Re: Adding fruit puree to primary without infecting my brew
« Reply #8 on: April 23, 2015, 04:13:47 pm »
 Plus if you are adding the puree just a few days into primary with a rocking top-cropping hefeweizen strain you may as well be dumping your money and puree down the drain as it could possibly blow off right out of your fermenter. 
I too have always allowed the primary fermentation to slow or finish prior to racking the beer on top of the puree in a secondary fermenter with great results. 

Offline pete b

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Re: Adding fruit puree to primary without infecting my brew
« Reply #9 on: April 24, 2015, 07:01:54 am »
This thread is inspiring me to bottle my last gallon of bretted peach saison that's in my root cellar. Last year I made a 7.5 gallon batch of rhubarb saison and when I bottled that I racked 2 gallons on top of 2 pounds of ripe peaches from our tree and pitched some brett. Its pretty darn delicious. I'll be making a large batch this year.
Edit: I actually think it was a lot more than two pounds of peaches.
« Last Edit: April 24, 2015, 07:37:58 am by pete b »
Don't let the bastards cheer you up.