Beer Forum

Does anyone have any experience adding apple juice to beer in order to impart a very mild apple taste?

I am wonder about how much too add to a 5 gallon batch and if there are any pitfalls to watch out for?

I brew 2 gallons of beer and add a gallon of fresh orchard cider to make a 3 gallon batch. You could do the same for 5 gallons if you used like 3 gallons beer plus 2 gallons cider. Or 3.5 and 1.5. Anywhere in there is pretty good. If you went 4 plus 1 then the apple flavor would be more mild. I like a good cidery beer. Here's my recipe:

http://forum.northernbrewer.com/viewtop ... le#p662452

westcoastbrewer wrote: to impart a very mild apple taste?

Keep in mind that after the juice ferments, it won't be an apple taste per say, but a cider taste. In the same way that wine rarely tastes 'grapey'... which sounds like a combination of grabby and rapey.

"Did you run into Ozwald at the store? How was he?"
"Man, he got all GRAPEY..."

I dislike that.

Suck a dick, Spidergraper.

I tried it once for an amber that I made around last thanksgiving, the results were very iffy. I'm not sure if the brew got infected (I don't think so because it didn't have any of the "normal" infection off-flavors) but the thing turned out really tart. It went from 1.050 to 1.010 and I think the wlp001 fermented out any sugars associated with the apples and left just that tart, apple kick.

If you get better results let me know, I was looking for some apple character and I'd love to know it worked for someone.

Protesto wrote:I tried it once for an amber that I made around last thanksgiving, the results were very iffy. I'm not sure if the brew got infected (I don't think so because it didn't have any of the "normal" infection off-flavors) but the thing turned out really tart. It went from 1.050 to 1.010 and I think the wlp001 fermented out any sugars associated with the apples and left just that tart, apple kick.

If you get better results let me know, I was looking for some apple character and I'd love to know it worked for someone.

Will do, do you know about how much juice or cider you added?

Thanks,
Joe

It ended up being just under 2 gal

you could get some potassium sorbate or campden tabs and then put some in at the point where it has the taste you want.

We did that with a mead - let it ferment to the point it had the balance of sweet/dry that we wanted and then stopped the yeast. . .

just an idea.