Grapes in beer?

jmcnamara

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Apparently, my uncle-in-law has a ton of concord grapes and said i could have them (not sure what he meant by that, probably just a sh!t ton).

anyway, i'll do some searching, but any ideas on a beer for this? I believe dogfish head did something using wine must, but i think that might be a little out of my league.

I do have ingredients for a wit on hand i've been meaning to brew, so that's an easy quick option. I'd imagine i have to be careful with tannin extraction however i handle the grapes
 
I'd try wine.
haha, i don't think i have the patience for wine

just read a few articles that suggested just putting a blonde on top of the grapes directly. then let it ferment. i have been meaning to do another sour, i think this might be the time
 
haha, i don't think i have the patience for wine

just read a few articles that suggested just putting a blonde on top of the grapes directly. then let it ferment. i have been meaning to do another sour, i think this might be the time
So therefore taking on the wild yeast on the skins of the grapes? Sounds interesting
 
exactly. i wouldn't add any yeast. of course, i wouldn't be able to reproduce the beer at all, and i'd probably lose a fermentor to the wild bugs, but it could be good.

i do have a 5 gallon glass fermentor around...wild bugs can't get into that right?
 
Apparently, my uncle-in-law has a ton of concord grapes and said i could have them (not sure what he meant by that, probably just a sh!t ton).

anyway, i'll do some searching, but any ideas on a beer for this? I believe dogfish head did something using wine must, but i think that might be a little out of my league.

I do have ingredients for a wit on hand i've been meaning to brew, so that's an easy quick option. I'd imagine i have to be careful with tannin extraction however i handle the grapes
Dogfish Head's was an ancient beer recreation but why not? Wine must is nothing other than crushed grapes. Macerate your grapes and chuck them in! Don't let them sit on the skins and you shouldn't have to worry about tannins.
 
This might end up in the “20 most hated trends...” thread. But then again, it might be the new rave.

My motto” Can vs. Should
 
I've been trying a few wort/grape must beers recently. All interesting, a few awful but most really good. They're nearly all blond mixed ferment beers. A fair few use the grapes/juice as a secondary ferment.

If you're going to use the natural grape yeasts/microbes i'd be tempted to put in some neutral beer yeast as well. The natural wines I've had run the gamut from lovely acidic fruit to undrinkable vinegar. Sadly more of the latter.
 
Apparently, my uncle-in-law has a ton of concord grapes and said i could have them (not sure what he meant by that, probably just a sh!t ton).

anyway, i'll do some searching, but any ideas on a beer for this? I believe dogfish head did something using wine must, but i think that might be a little out of my league.

I do have ingredients for a wit on hand i've been meaning to brew, so that's an easy quick option. I'd imagine i have to be careful with tannin extraction however i handle the grapes

Forget the name but Dogfish Head did, either a 60 minute or 90 minute with dark grapes and it sucked IMO. I have had a couple of nice beers done with light colored grapes. One in particular at Cascade Brewing's Racoon Lodge in Beaverton, OR. The nose was pure Champagne and the beer had a delicateness that I've never experienced in any other beer. IIRC it was barrel aged with some kind of bugs and then racked onto the grapes in another barrel, or visa versa.
 
This might end up in the “20 most hated trends...” thread. But then again, it might be the new rave.

My motto” Can vs. Should
True. But the grapes are free and I've been sitting on these ingredients for about 2 months. Not like I'm wasting much
 
I've been trying a few wort/grape must beers recently. All interesting, a few awful but most really good. They're nearly all blond mixed ferment beers. A fair few use the grapes/juice as a secondary ferment.

If you're going to use the natural grape yeasts/microbes i'd be tempted to put in some neutral beer yeast as well. The natural wines I've had run the gamut from lovely acidic fruit to undrinkable vinegar. Sadly more of the latter.
I like the idea of some quality yeast for the malt portion then let nature take its course with the grape sugars. Maybe even rack it off original yeast cake after mostly fermented, onto grapes? I think you were thinking of that.
Absolutely do it, however you do it!
 
Sixty-one was Dogfish Head's 60 minute ale with Syrah must. It sucked.
 
Interestingly enough. Just got my latest issue of BYO (September) and there is an article and recipes for beer/grapes.
20190820_202623.jpg
 
Finally went to pick up the grapes. Got about 2 lbs before the mosquitos made us leave. Kinda neat to prune the grape clusters off
Hoping to brew sometime this week. Just gonna wing it, I still dont fully trust the recipe builder and dont feel like tinkering with it
 
Go for it! After all this beer making thing is not always perfect. If it doesn't come out good, you will just have wasted the same amount for a bad dinner and possibly a crappy movie.:D
 
Concord aren't wine grapes. Careful blending too much into a beer, remember concord grape juice is sweet from the sugar. The longer you let the must sit on the skins the redder and deeper the color will impart.
 
Concord aren't wine grapes. Careful blending too much into a beer, remember concord grape juice is sweet from the sugar. The longer you let the must sit on the skins the redder and deeper the color will impart.
Yeah, my wife has had a few and can attest that they taste like grape jam. Hoping to brew tomorrow
 
Concord aren't wine grapes. Careful blending too much into a beer, remember concord grape juice is sweet from the sugar. The longer you let the must sit on the skins the redder and deeper the color will impart.
And it makes a really nasty wine - think Mogen David (if you're that old). Use real wine grapes if you can get them, or frozen grape concentrate.
 

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