[brewinhard]

RE: blueberry beer.  Semi local brewery brewed one in the past and it smelled and tasted EXACTLY like blueberries.  Extract of course.  I have serious doubts a real fruit beer would touch it.  It was actually "too good to be true/holy crap!".  Sorry if some call that cheating or ketchup on a steak but that beer sold extremely well.   

Yup! My local brewery does the same. And it is there best seller by far. They do at least toss in a small handful of blueberries in the glass at the bar to "enhance" the effect. Works every time!

[bayareabrewer]

Finally a recipe!  This is not a fruit vs extract thread. LOL 

I would say that the pro brewers that are using real fruit are using juice that is being used as a flavoring and back sweetener at packaging, it is not fermented like a homebrewer would do but I don't know every fruit beer/sorry I didn't mean to say that. 

While there are a few of LHBS extracts that are decent and most are bad, the one I posted is a completely different animal.  It is actual fruit that is distilled.  Note that it is $10/oz...  I hear Olive Nation is good.  I was provided the extract source I posted from a pro brewer who uses it. 

RE: blueberry beer.  Semi local brewery brewed one in the past and it smelled and tasted EXACTLY like blueberries.  Extract of course.  I have serious doubts a real fruit beer would touch it.  It was actually "too good to be true/holy crap!".  Sorry if some call that cheating or ketchup on a steak but that beer sold extremely well.  

if this is the metric we are using for quality then Natty Ice, Zima and St Ides malt liquor are great beers.

[Andy Farke]

Here's my general all-grain recipe for fruit beers:

Targets: 1.045 o.g., 1.012 f.g., 19 IBU, 4 SRM
Aim for fairly "low mineral" water profile

- 4.5 lbs. pilsner malt
- 4 lbs. white wheat malt
    Mash grains at 152 degrees for 60 minutes; sparge using method of choice
    60 minute boil adding ingredients as follows:
- 1 oz. Mosaic hops (12.3% alpha), 10 minute boil
- 1 oz. Mosaic hops (12.3% alpha), 1 minute boil
- 1 pkg. Safale American ale yeast (US-05) OR 1 pkg. WLP320 (White Labs American Hefeweizen) liquid yeast in starter (either seems to work pretty well)
- 4 days into fermentation, add ~5 or 6 cups of fruit puree to primary (or more, depending on the fruit type); this is roughly one large can (3 lbs.) of puree
- ferment to completion, and keg or bottle. May add a small amount of fruit extract to taste, if desired

I like a good late addition of Mosaic or a similarly fruity/citrusy hop, as it melds well with many fruits and helps enhance the overall fruit character of the beer. You may choose to vary the hop depending on the fruit, or you may go just with a small amount of bittering hops instead.

[zwiller]

Finally a recipe!  This is not a fruit vs extract thread. LOL 

I would say that the pro brewers that are using real fruit are using juice that is being used as a flavoring and back sweetener at packaging, it is not fermented like a homebrewer would do but I don't know every fruit beer/sorry I didn't mean to say that. 

While there are a few of LHBS extracts that are decent and most are bad, the one I posted is a completely different animal.  It is actual fruit that is distilled.  Note that it is $10/oz...  I hear Olive Nation is good.  I was provided the extract source I posted from a pro brewer who uses it. 

RE: blueberry beer.  Semi local brewery brewed one in the past and it smelled and tasted EXACTLY like blueberries.  Extract of course.  I have serious doubts a real fruit beer would touch it.  It was actually "too good to be true/holy crap!".  Sorry if some call that cheating or ketchup on a steak but that beer sold extremely well.  

if this is the metric we are using for quality then Natty Ice, Zima and St Ides malt liquor are great beers.

I get that.  Right now, my locals are making some God awful stuff and it is making waves.  Peanut Butter Cup porter etc...  They continue to take WBC medals.  Better metric? 

Having brewed for a wedding before, do yourself a favor brew a pilot batch now and test it.  Be sure to bottle some (or preferable all) with killer labels (hire a guy if you can't do it well) for wedding keepsakes.  For my cousin's, I invited her Dad over to help me and when she found out about it she broke down.  Make appropriate arrangements with caterer/etc to chill and store beer at least overnight. 

[Westley]

Speaking of fruit, I have somewhere around 15 pounds of guava paste. I already made a delicious guava Melomel, and was thinking of trying some in a beer sometime.

[Andy Farke]

Speaking of fruit, I have somewhere around 15 pounds of guava paste. I already made a delicious guava Melomel, and was thinking of trying some in a beer sometime.

Holy cow, that sounds awesome! Thoughts for what you'd use it in? I could see guava being a pretty flexible flavor across a few different styles...

[Westley]

Speaking of fruit, I have somewhere around 15 pounds of guava paste. I already made a delicious guava Melomel, and was thinking of trying some in a beer sometime.

Holy cow, that sounds awesome! Thoughts for what you'd use it in? I could see guava being a pretty flexible flavor across a few different styles...

I have enough guava paste, I'll probably end up trying a few styles. I might start with a guava ale, then try a guava pilsner. The fruity flavor might go well with an IPA if I can balance the hops with it.

[reverseapachemaster]

Speaking of fruit, I have somewhere around 15 pounds of guava paste. I already made a delicious guava Melomel, and was thinking of trying some in a beer sometime.

Holy cow, that sounds awesome! Thoughts for what you'd use it in? I could see guava being a pretty flexible flavor across a few different styles...

I have enough guava paste, I'll probably end up trying a few styles. I might start with a guava ale, then try a guava pilsner. The fruity flavor might go well with an IPA if I can balance the hops with it.

In the 50 clone recipes article recently published on the AHA website, the Hawaii clone is Maui's POG IPA. It's a delicious beer with guava. Might want to take a look at it for inspiration even if you end up only using guava.

[ynotbrusum]

On the guava note - perhaps a guava Gose?  That could be the Margarita of beers.  Have fun and enjoy those guava concoctions!