When done correctly, fruit and beer can be an absolutely heavenly combination. Fruit-infused beers have become enormously popular in recent years, with everything from pastry stouts and milkshake IPAs to sour fruit beers, and not least the famous mango IPA that Norwegians have taken to their hearts. Even the large commercial breweries have jumped on the trend, taking the market by storm.
Why should we use fruit in beer?
Done right, fruit additions can elevate a beer to entirely new levels. There is, of course, enormous room for experimentation here, but if the balance isn't there, it can instead be an unpleasant experience. First and foremost, consider which beer styles pair well with different fruits, and what flavors you want to get from the malt, hops, and not least, the yeast. A good method is to think about what flavors you get from the beer itself, and what this would pair well with if it were a dish or a dessert.
Some examples of fruits that can pair with beer:
Dark beers often have roasted flavors and a lot of chocolate. Think about which types of fruit pair well with roasted chocolate flavors. Perhaps it can be combined with some citrus, like orange, or maybe passion fruit could fit in? Plums or what about blueberries? Or can the same flavor be achieved with the right hop addition?
Wheat beers will typically have flavors like bread and biscuits, and often banana and spice flavors from the yeast. Then we can think a bit about which flavors can be combined with this, such as red berries, or something more tropical like mango or apricot?
Sour beer styles can often have a quite dominant flavor profile; in such cases, light fruit types tend to fade into the background. Here, fruits with a lot of flavor, and preferably sour fruit types like raspberries or passion fruit, would be the right choice. But also keep in mind that acidity from both can become TOO strong, leaving you with the feeling that the enamel has corroded from your teeth.
How much fruit should I use in the beer?
It's easy to think that fruit contains flavors you want to add to your beer, but it's also important to remember that it contains water, sugar, and not least, acid. If we take strawberries as an example, this is a berry with a very light flavor profile and a lot of water. In other words, you might quickly find yourself needing to add very large quantities to get any significant flavor from it at all. This can quickly result in diluted beer, low alcohol content, and little flavor. And often with a somewhat artificial character to it all.
Again, it's about the overall balance, and the content of flavor, sugar, and especially acid in the fruit that determines the amount. Also keep in mind that fruit also contains some acid. The sweet taste associated with, for example, pineapple, can quickly become very sour and even bitter after the yeast has consumed the sugar content. While the actual taste of pineapple might have disappeared with the sugar.
In other words, it is difficult to give a specific answer on how much fruit works for your particular beer, so experimentation will be best here. Very roughly calculated, it is common to use 1-4 kg of fruit puree for about 25 liters of beer.
Using fresh fruit in beer
Fresh fruit is full of bacteria and wild yeast from nature itself, so hygiene is crucial if you are adding it to a clean beer. Some choose to add whole fruit directly to the fermenter, but there is definitely a risk of microorganisms growing. Even with a high alcohol percentage, fruit not covered by liquid can be a breeding ground for infections.
First, the fruit must be thoroughly washed. Rinse in clean running water, and remove any leaves, stems, and anything else you don't want in the fermenter. After this, the fruit must be peeled; this, of course, depends on the fruit or berries you have chosen. Some varieties, like cherries or plums, can be used with their pits, but in most cases, pits and skins do not provide good flavors. To get the most out of the fruit, it can be advantageous to process it with an immersion blender or similar to a puree.
Finally, it should be disinfected, either with heat or cold. Some brewers choose to freeze and thaw the puree several times. This will help to get rid of microorganisms, but also to break down the cell walls in the fruit, so that more flavor and sugar are released. This will work in most cases, but there is no guarantee that all microorganisms will be eliminated with this method.
To be absolutely sure, it is recommended to pasteurize the fruit puree before adding it. This means heating it gently to around 75-80 degrees Celsius and holding the temperature there for at least 15 minutes, before rapidly cooling it down and adding it to the fermenter. You can also choose to boil the fruit if you wish, but then you can expect a slightly different flavor profile (think of the taste of stirred jam versus cooked jam for comparison).
Fruit Purees
Our fruit purees from the French producer Fruit Rouges Co are pre-cleaned, mashed, and not least, pasteurized. This means you can pour them directly into the fermenter without any extra work. This is an incredibly simple and convenient solution, and highly recommended.
Fruit Essences
Essences are potent flavor bombs, and can be a good choice in the right amounts. Be aware that this does not necessarily give quite the same flavors as fresh fruit would, but sometimes it is precisely this slightly artificial taste you want. Think, for example, of the most popular fruit beers on the market today, such as Mango IPA, or Kronenbourg 1664 Blanc. These have relatively "perfumed" fruit flavors that give an exciting taste profile, and it can often be a good alternative if you are trying to clone them. Our natural fruit essences from Totally Natural Solutions are completely free of sugar or other additives, so they can even be added directly to the beer in the keg without affecting anything other than taste.
When should fruit be added when brewing?
Fruit is usually added directly to the fermenter after the vigorous fermentation has subsided, after about one week of fermentation. It can also be added before this time, but it can be debated whether much of the flavor and aroma is blown out of the airlock during vigorous fermentation.
Because fruit contains a fair amount of sugar that yeast is eager to consume, it's beneficial to let it ferment out afterwards. Therefore, it's recommended to add fruit after about one week of fermentation, and then let it ferment for at least another week before bottling or kegging. It's also important here that no fruit residues are carried over, as these can also contain sugar that is released after bottling, which can lead to overcarbonated beer, or in the worst case, bottle bombs.
Fruit essence can be added after fermentation is complete, for example, directly into the Cornelius keg.
Beer kits with fruit
In our range of all-grain beer kits, we also have several types with fruit. Here are some of the most popular:
