Add Ingredients to Keg

[vthokiedsp]

hey everyone. i made a batch of 5.4% cream ale and ended up 6.5 gallons instead of 5. The extra 1.5 gallons went in a second keg and is carbed up. Since it's got alcohol and CO2, do i need to worry about sanitizing any ingredients that i might want to throw in the keg to experiment with flavors? Example would be blueberries, or mint leaves, or both. I'm thinking as long as i put them in a pouch or something to contain the mess, an infection or tainting the beer is very unlikely correct?

i usually just tincture but feel like trying something else.

thanks.

 

[Bubba Wade]

I would be inclined to do a modified pasteurization of fruit. You want it hot enough to kill bacteria, but not hot enough for pectin formation. However, some fruits, such as blueberries have very low pectin levels (almost none). You might be able to hold the blueberry puree at 160 °F for around 10 minutes to kill off stray yeast or bacteria.

 

[Nosybear]

hey everyone. i made a batch of 5.4% cream ale and ended up 6.5 gallons instead of 5. The extra 1.5 gallons went in a second keg and is carbed up. Since it's got alcohol and CO2, do i need to worry about sanitizing any ingredients that i might want to throw in the keg to experiment with flavors? Example would be blueberries, or mint leaves, or both. I'm thinking as long as i put them in a pouch or something to contain the mess, an infection or tainting the beer is very unlikely correct?

i usually just tincture but feel like trying something else.

thanks.

No, not correct. The fruit or leaves will be carrying bacteria and some may be harmful. As an example, when I make sauerkraut, I don't add bacteria. They're already there on the cabbage leaves. Pasteurize. Making a tincture will kill most bacteria, too, due to the high alcohol level.

 

[vthokiedsp]

No, not correct. The fruit or leaves will be carrying bacteria and some may be harmful. As an example, when I make sauerkraut, I don't add bacteria. They're already there on the cabbage leaves. Pasteurize. Making a tincture will kill most bacteria, too, due to the high alcohol level.

ok, so 5% alcohol and the absence of air isn't enough eh? not a problem. i'll just make a short and shoddy tincture. fire in the hole.

thanks.

 

[HighVoltageMan!]

It very common to add fruit to beer, mead and wine without pasteurizing. The fruit is usually frozen to open the cell walls of the fruit. If fruit is pasteurized it destroys a lot of the fresh flavor.

Good quality fruit should be used, if it is in the least bit questionable, don’t use it.

Fruit meads are almost always done without any heating of the fruit, it’s simply added before, during and or after fermentation. Not sure why this is not more widely known. I have made meads, worked with both pros and homebrewers who never heat the fruit with no problems at all.

This article Is about fruit meads, no where is it mentioned that fruit needs to be heated, it’s cleaned, frozen and crushed. The fruit is then added to the fermenter. It’s written by Curt Stock, widely regarded as an expert on fruit meads. https://www.bjcp.org/mead/melomel.pdf

 

[GFHomebrew]

Ive taken this approach on past fruit beer with a N=1 as nosey put a it result. Cleaned -rinsed -soaked in starsan- frozen in freezer.

 

[Hawkbox]

I've always used the packs of frozen berries, just letting them thaw, mushing them in the bag and then dumping them in. But that isn't fresh fruit and it was cider, so I guess I have no useful opinion on this.

 

[56 Firedome]

I often use Blood Orange or Palisades Peaches, both fresh, in Saison or IPA. I buy the Peaches from the farmers Market & the Blood Oranges from the King Soopers. I crush & strain the Puree & freeze the Juice. I often want to brew when the fruit is not available. I hadn't thought about it before but I guess I'm sanitizing at the same time. I add the juice in the Secondary wait a couple of days & then cold crash for 4 or 5 days. I have recently used Gelatin to clear the haze, then transfer to the Keg. My thinking was to leave the settling behind in the Secondary not the bottom of the Keg. I prefer using the Juice to the Puree as I seem to loose 1/2 Gallon to Secondary solids.