Flavoring beer

[goatee]

I want to do an apple ale this fall. I’ve watched a bunch of videos but most of them are just mixing beer and cider.
Here’s what I’m thinking,,, just a basic pale ale. Nothing fancy. Let’s say a smash. Then,,,, when I rack it to secondary I add one frozen concentrate apple juice.
It just seems so simple but I don’t know of anyone that’s done it. (To beer)
Plenty of people have used it to back sweeten ciders but,,, that’s not beer.

5 gallon, keg it. Has anyone done this?
Is there enough sugars in one frozen can to start up another fermentation? Or natural carbonation?
In the past I have always force carbed.
Corny kegs are rated to 130psi? I would assume I will be fine.
Is one can too much? I’m looking for a “reds apple ale” if anyone has ever tried that brand. I think it’s about what I’m looking for.
Flavor wise that is.

Also,, for the same weekend I’m going to need another keg for Saturday. (It’s always a 10 gallon weekend)
I’ve never made a stout and I really want to. For this one I’m going with a kit. So since kits have priming sugar’s included,
Can I just keg it all and do a normal carbonation in the keg? Do I have to “bleed” the pressure at all?
If I do it this way,, can I still age it? 2-3 months? Or is that only for pre carbonation?

Any tips you guys have is greatly appreciated.

 

[Zambi]

I've used apple juice on (quite a lot) of left over beer trub. That worked well.
It was about 1/3 beer, 2/3 apple juice.
No indication it would not work if you use more beer trub.
(Less is definitely not an issue as I have done that many times).
No experience with concentrate.
Just 1 tip: check for preservatives. Vitamin C is fine, sulphite not

 

[Sandy Feet]

You will get apple if you use too much table sugar to ferment with as well. I remember that from the old Mr. Beer days
Once you have kegged a stout (removed the yeast from the fermenter) and you have it cold crashed, it should be fine for a couple or three months, probably ideal after two months. Sometimes those kits aren't as efficient as they a supposed to be, so you might need some more grain. Hopefully, the kit comes with some decent yeast like White Labs WLP004 or the same thing from someone else. Hopefully, you gets some English hops like Fuggle or East Kent Goldings, and hopefully, they have some Maris Otter as a base malt. If not, design your own.

 

[J A]

Like @Sandy Feet says, apple is a flavor associated with poorly executed homebrew due to acetaldehyde ester production and imbalanced ingredients.
If you really want that flavor, you'll get plenty of it from apple juice.

Compute the sugar contribution from the concentrate based on the number grams of sugar per serving times the number of servings and you get 162 grams or just shy of 6 oz (weight). So your apple juice addition in secondary will be the equivalent of adding around 6 ounces of table sugar. Any sugar addition will start another fermentation and produce CO2 for carbonation. You can compute the volume of CO2 created using one of the calculators here on the site. You'll be producing more trub so you'll have to crash for quite a while and clear the yeast in the first pint or two.

If you're kegging, just force carb. You can do that very quickly and cleanly.

 

[Brewer #452531]

If left to ferment naturally, the apple juice concentrate can build up pressure in the tank, but if you've ever force-carbonated, you can control it by keeping the pressure at a reasonable level.

raft wars​

 

[Brewer #444076]

I want to do an apple ale this fall. I’ve watched a bunch of videos but most of them are just mixing beer and cider.
Here’s what I’m thinking,,, just a basic pale ale. Nothing fancy. Let’s say a smash. Then,,,, when I rack it to secondary I add one frozen concentrate apple juice.
It just seems so simple but I don’t know of anyone that’s done it. (To beer)
Plenty of people have used it to back sweeten ciders but,,, that’s not beer.

5 gallon, keg it. Has anyone done this?
Is there enough sugars in one frozen can to start up another fermentation? Or natural carbonation?
In the past I have always force carbed.
Corny kegs are rated to 130psi? I would assume I will be fine.
Is one can too much? I’m looking for a “reds apple ale” if anyone has ever tried that brand. I think it’s about what I’m looking for.
Flavor wise that is.

Also,, for the same weekend I’m going to need another keg for Saturday. (It’s always a 10 gallon weekend)
I’ve never made a stout and I really want to. For this one I’m going with a kit. So since kits have priming sugar’s included,
Can I just keg it all and do a normal carbonation in the keg? Do I have to “bleed” the pressure at all?
If I do it this way,, can I still age it? 2-3 months? Or is that only for pre carbonation?
strands hint
Any tips you guys have is greatly appreciated.

Has anyone successfully used frozen concentrate apple juice in a pale ale during secondary fermentation, and if so, how did it affect the flavor and carbonation? Also, for kegging a stout kit, is it necessary to bleed the pressure before aging, or can I age it normally after carbonation?

 

[Bigbre04]

Just a headsup, if you ferment out apple juice it can taste very medicinal. Cider generally needs to age for a few months to clean up that flavor. Also be sure to check the Brix of the concentrate.

Acetaldehyde is the flavor compound that tastes like green apple. It gives me a WICKED hangover lol. Unibrau used to(maybe still does) make a green apple belgian that(to me) was like a liquid migraine!

 

[Zambi]

Never used apple concentrate, but done a lot of brews with apple juice (preserved with vitamin C)
Do a search for "simple cider'

 

[Craigerrr]

There is probably a better way to get apple flavor into a beer, although I have no idea what that might be.
Frozen concentrated apple juice is going to be mostly sugar which will "ferment out" and increase ABV.
I wouldn't have known about the off flavor that @Bigbre04 mentioned.
Good luck in trying to get the flavor you are after!

 

[Bigbre04]

You can buy apple flavorings from amoretti I believe. Dunno if you have to have a commercial account or not though

 

[Mont Y. Märzen]

I've used Apples in a sour before. (Got a 1st place medal for it too!)

My usual process is to use fresh, real fruit. (pulp only, so no peelings or seeds as much as practical)

I put this in a ziplock, and freeze for a few days. Then thaw it partially, (at least not to room temp) and smash it up so its mush. (still in the bag) Then refreeze. Repeat at least once, but a third time doesn't hurt.

Add this to a sanitized strainer bag after primary is complete, after a diacetyl rest, and after cold crashing. (same fermenter, no need to rack to secondary) I let that sit about 2 days depending on the fruit, taking shot glass samples until I'm happy. (keeping it really cold, <31℉) Then, with sanitized hands of course, I pull the fruit bag and carefully squeeze it good, trying to avoid oxygenating the beer as much as possible. I rack to a keg and QuickCarb. I suppose you could prime and bottle/keg condition, but I'd be afraid that would eat the fructose and dramatically dry out and reduce the fruit flavor.

I've alternately, in a pinch for festivals, dropped the fruit bag into a keg before QuickCarbing which circulates, with CO2, the beer through the fruit. That works well for strong fruits like Blueberries. I'm not sure how it would work with Apples. I sometimes add Honey prior to racking which doesn't hurt as it enhances the fruit perception. Incidentally, that's what I used on that Apple Sour. (though it was bottle conditioned) I've done this on a Blueberry Honey Wheat and won a cash People's Choice award. I've also done this without Honey on a Watermelon Wheat (took a long time!), a Strawberry Amber Ale, a Peach Amber Ale, and a Chocolate Cherry Stout.

Another option if you have a keg setup is to use a Randall. (infuses as you pour)

I've used extracts and was never happy with them. I know folks who've used them and were less than pleased if not unhappy with the results. But other folks swear by them. Brand likely matters. Amoretti is one of the lackluster ones in my experience. It's an issue of taste I suppose.

 

[Mont Y. Märzen]

Acetaldehyde is the flavor compound that tastes like green apple. It gives me a WICKED hangover lol. Unibrau used to(maybe still does) make a green apple belgian that(to me) was like a liquid migraine!

That's because it's the chemical your liver makes processing ethanol! It's a waste product of metabolizing it, essentially poison, so you don't want to drink it, at least not at high enough levels to taste it. I consider it a serious flaw.

 

[Bigbre04]

@Mont Y. Märzen iv used amoretti craft puree and really like it. Especially compared to aseptic fruits like Oregon or aseptic.

I haven't used thier other flavorings, but I have a buddy who really likes thier flavorings. I know alot of bigger breweries use flavorings pretty regularly.

For reference I would have to pitch essentially a 5 gallon bucket of apricot puree to get an equal flavor to about 1/2 a gallon of amoretti craft puree.

 

[Mont Y. Märzen]

Ah, that might be the difference. My experience was with the extracts, not purees. I find the extracts just don't have enough umph.

 

[Bigbre04]

Ah, that might be the difference. My experience was with the extracts, not purees. I find the extracts just don't have enough umph.

the craft puree is somewhere between a flavoring and a puree. Its shelf stable even after its opened. its in the 30s Brix wise. The Apricot is killer, i have a sour on right now with only about half a gallon pitched at the same time that i pitched my voss. its a lovely clean sour.