[Gloridaze Brewing Company]

I'm working on a peach Kolsch.  The unflavored base beer is in the fermenter right now bubbling away.  I've done some research as to how much puree to add and I have a general consensus of 1 to 2 lbs per gallon should be good especially since peach doesn't have a strong flavor.

I've killed many a beer by overdoing flavor additions after primary fermentation.  I'm considering adding the puree in stages.  For my 2.5 gallon batch, adding 1.5 lbs of peach puree after primary fermentation is done, waiting 4-5 days, tasting it, and adding more if the peach flavor isn't strong enough.

I've need read about anyone adding fruit puree in this staggered fashion, but can't think of any reason that it wouldn't work just fine.  Does anyone have any experience doing it in this way? TIA

[klickitat jim]

I seem to get more peach flavor from whole peaches than puree. I think it's a skin thing

[blair.streit]

I seem to get more peach flavor from whole peaches than puree. I think it's a skin thing

Do you follow any special technique, or just mash 'em up and throw 'em in?

[HoosierBrew]

Peach flavor doesn't come through well for me. Apricot puree works much better IME. The flavor and aroma actually come through in the end product. YMMV.


Edit -  I don't see any reason you couldn't add in stages, except that you need to give the puree a couple weeks at each stage to ferment out. Would lengthen the process.

[Scot (one T)]

+1 To apricot.   Very similar flavor and aroma but much more intense. 

[homoeccentricus]

Cantillon has an apricot lambic, but not a peach lambic. Peach doesn't work. Personal experience: it doesn't work in mead either.

[Gloridaze Brewing Company]

I recently read about apricot being the way to go, but I bought a can of Vintner's Harvest Peach Puree so that's the way I'll go this time.  I do have some apricot extract left from an old kit that I may use if I don't get enough peach flavor from the puree.  Right now I'm focused getting the right amount of peach from the puree.  My overzealous nature says to throw the whole 49oz can into the 2.5 gallon batch, but I've done stuff like that before and ended up with a vanilla bomb stout and over-oaked porter.  Kolsch is a light flavored beer and don't want to overdo it.  That's why I was considering the half now, half later approach.  Any advice would be great.

[Iliff Ave]

I would go with the half now, half later (if necessary) approach. I have a wheat beer that I used 45 oz of pureed pears for 5 gallons and it seems to be about the perfect amount. I realize that is a different base beer and different fruit however I assumed the pears would get easily lost.

[pete b]

Cantillon has an apricot lambic, but not a peach lambic. Peach doesn't work. Personal experience: it doesn't work in mead either.

I make peach mead almost every year and it definitely works. Also I made a successful Bretted Peach Saison. Lots of ripe, fresh peaches is key. I freeze them then thaw and add in mesh bags. They simply are halved, pits removed, washed and frozen.

[klickitat jim]

My peach experience is with sour beer. First time was quartered frozen store bought about 10 lbs in 6 gallons. Peach came through but not the leading character. That was a Roselare beer. The most recent was a lacto then bret beer using about 3 gallons of Oregon Fruit peach puree added to 6 gallons of beer. The peach is very light in that one but ots pretty aggressive sour and bret.

My next fruited sour beers will be Roselare and I'm going to use Tart Cherry and Raspberry concentrate from a health food supplier.

[HoosierBrew]

  My overzealous nature says to throw the whole 49oz can into the 2.5 gallon batch

IMO it won't be overkill to do that. Might give you the best chance of having peach character. Now 49 oz of cherry or raspberry puree would be pretty close to overkill.

[Gloridaze Brewing Company]

Thanks for all the advice.  I'm still not sure what the best direction to go in is.  I suppose being conservative is the safest approach, can't take it out.  I'll let you know how it turns out.

[troybinso]

Although you can't take it out, you can blend back more base beer.

If your experience with overdoing it is from bottled extracts, then I totally understand why you are cautious. The difference is those extracts just don't taste that great no matter how little you use, but fresh fruit and the fruit purees are almost always delicious. Personally I would go with the whole can.

Also, once you open that thing it is kind of a mess. I'm not sure how you could store it in a sanitary manner.

[brewinhard]

Also, once you open that thing it is kind of a mess. I'm not sure how you could store it in a sanitary manner.

+1 to this. I would not bother trying to save some for adding at a later date.  Just add it all and take good notes.

[Gloridaze Brewing Company]

Just wanted to close the loop on this thread. I ended up dumping with whole can into the batch. Half sanitation concerned, half overzealousness. Glad I did. The peach flavor was kinda light, plus the Vintner's Harvest Peach Puree gave an under ripe peach flavor, not the sweet ripe peach flavor I wanted. I ended up add 3/4oz apricot extract which was not 100% the flavor I was going for but it helped. Overall I was pretty happy with the way it turned out.