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Fruit juice concentrate causing refermentation

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  • Fruit juice concentrate causing refermentation

    We make a Berliner Weisse and add fruit juice concentrate to the Brite tank before racking beer on top.

    We Sold and Served several batches of this beer on draft. Now we are canning it and I'm concerned that the juice May cause refermentation in the can. We don't filter, but I'm considering using a stainless trip clamp gasket filter during the transfer. Anyone have recommendation to make sure the yeast is absent or will not be able to referment after packaging?

    Thanks for any input.
    Scott Swygert
    Founder - Honky Tonk Brewing Co.

  • #2
    Originally posted by Swags View Post
    We make a Berliner Weisse and add fruit juice concentrate to the Brite tank before racking beer on top.

    We Sold and Served several batches of this beer on draft. Now we are canning it and I'm concerned that the juice May cause refermentation in the can. We don't filter, but I'm considering using a stainless trip clamp gasket filter during the transfer. Anyone have recommendation to make sure the yeast is absent or will not be able to referment after packaging?

    Thanks for any input.
    Hi Scott -- Your concerns are 100% valid. This will absolutely start to referment. The only true way you are going to be able to prevent this is to flash pasteurize the beer. Your other option is to add the juice in the fermenter towards the end of primary fermentation and allow the yeast to ferment out the additional sugar. This is the process we employ when we add fruit puree to some of our beers.

    Cheers!
    - Chris
    Christopher Tkach
    Idle Hands Craft Ales
    Malden, MA
    chris@idlehandscraftales.com

    Comment


    • #3
      I agree your concerns are 100% valid, but you have more options than just flash pasteurization.

      You can add something to stop the yeast (potassium sorbate, sodium metabisulfite).

      You can remove the yeast (micro filtration). In a TRUE Berliner Weisse this may be very difficult due to Brett or Bacteria presence. If you kettle soured, then this is still an option. Filtration should be finer than 5 microns, and I would suggest absolute over nominal.

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      • #4
        My two cents would be to add the concentrate a few days after fermentation started, after pasteurizing the concentrate to ensure it is sterile. This way, you ferment out the simple sugars, and leave behind the fruit flavors. Increase FG by means of grist mash or back-sweetening to make up for the lost sweetness if you truly want that there.
        Ryan
        Viridian Brewing Company
        [Brewery-In-Planning]

        Comment


        • #5
          Another option would be sterile filtration at 1-2um to remove all the yeast.
          Brewmaster, Minocqua Brewing Company
          tbriggs@minocquabrewingcompany.com
          "Your results may vary"

          Comment


          • #6
            Sterile filtration means you then need to keep things sterile for the rest of the packages life, and as much as brewers like to think they know whats what, your little five head canning line is anything but sterile.

            Sugar plus yeast=CO2 production. Period.

            Filtering with a small scrap of mesh won't change that.

            Comment


            • #7
              We recently started canning a pale ale with fruit syrup added in the bright tank. We were concerned about refermentation in the can as well, and decided to put a lenticular filter after our centrifuge to take out whatever yeast is left in the beer prior to bright tank filling. One issue with adding the fruit to the fermenter is that, depending on what type of fruit product you're using (i.e. whole fruit, puree, syrup), fermenting out the sugar can change the perceived fruit flavor. Compare taking a bite out of a lemon vs. taking a sip of lemonade. There's similarity, but the taste is very different.

              Comment


              • #8
                Sterile Filtration

                Originally posted by Ted Briggs View Post
                Another option would be sterile filtration at 1-2um to remove all the yeast.
                Sterile filtration would actually require a .45um filter, brewing yeast is 3-5um in size. If you are gonna filter this way you need to drop down to .45 to ensure no refermentation in the package by any other organisms. As someone else already said above, it's highly doubtful your can line is sterile so this isn't the best option. Pasteurization is your best bet but I doubt that is a real option for you.

                -Kevin W

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                • #9
                  The best option I have found for my situation is to wait until fermentation is nearly subsided, then add sterile juice. It will still ferment out the sugars in the juice, but doesn't seem to loose as much aromatics and finer flavors as when added early on.

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                  • #10
                    I'm with wailingguitar on this one 100%. Add the fruit day 7ish and let the yeast ferment it out, should only take a couple days to completely ferment out the fruit. You can add 25% more fruit just to be sure you'll get the same fruit presence without the sugars. You can also rest easy knowing you won't be putting a bunch of Oxidized Berliner Weisse in cans; something I would be worried about throwing fruit in the cold brite tank and sterile filtering. That fruit purée is bound to have dissolved oxygen in it.

                    My personal experience, we let all our fruited berliners ferment out the purée and still get great fruit flavor.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Concentrate vs. Puree

                      Originally posted by Junkyard View Post
                      I'm with wailingguitar on this one 100%. Add the fruit day 7ish and let the yeast ferment it out, should only take a couple days to completely ferment out the fruit. You can add 25% more fruit just to be sure you'll get the same fruit presence without the sugars. You can also rest easy knowing you won't be putting a bunch of Oxidized Berliner Weisse in cans; something I would be worried about throwing fruit in the cold brite tank and sterile filtering. That fruit purée is bound to have dissolved oxygen in it.

                      My personal experience, we let all our fruited berliners ferment out the purée and still get great fruit flavor.
                      Thanks for all the responses. Im leaning toward adding the juice to fermenter this time. Seems like the least amount of new equipment or added unknowns for me.

                      Junkyard, we've been using juice concentrate in the brite b/c there's no pulp etc. Do you think puree is better or more cost effective if added to the fermenter?
                      Scott Swygert
                      Founder - Honky Tonk Brewing Co.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Keep in mind also that you will get the most out of your fruit source if you spund your ferments, avoiding excess blow-off. The majority of flavor contained within fruit is from volatile aroma oils, similar to the flavor source from dry hopping.
                        Ryan
                        Viridian Brewing Company
                        [Brewery-In-Planning]

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Bio-fine and Potassium Sorbate

                          My BSG sales rep. recommended using Bio-fine to drop the yeast out. We typically don't use it. He said 60 ppm which seems low compared to the Kerry recommendations and brewery posts on this website. Ranges all over the map from 6 oz. to 100 oz. in 24 bbls.

                          I'm also considering using Potassium Sorbate. His recommended dosage rate was 140g / bbl. which would be 3.3 kg in 24 bbls. Seems like a lot and I don't know if this has any effect on flavor.

                          Also, realizing that we were adding a lot of sugar with the Cherry Juice concentrate. We probably added about 8 gravity points worth after fermentation. Like FG 1.007 up to FG 1.015 with the sugar. Still tasted great and sour with that much sugar. Seems like a little sugar may not cause problems, but I'm seeing potential for disaster with that much.

                          I have heard of a brewery intentionally refermenting in the can so I'm thinking a point or two of extra sugar wouldn't cause a problem if we use the bio-fine and maybe some Potassium Sorbate.

                          Again, thanks to all of you for your comments.
                          Scott Swygert
                          Founder - Honky Tonk Brewing Co.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Originally posted by Swags View Post
                            My BSG sales rep. recommended using Bio-fine to drop the yeast out. We typically don't use it. He said 60 ppm which seems low compared to the Kerry recommendations and brewery posts on this website. Ranges all over the map from 6 oz. to 100 oz. in 24 bbls.

                            I'm also considering using Potassium Sorbate. His recommended dosage rate was 140g / bbl. which would be 3.3 kg in 24 bbls. Seems like a lot and I don't know if this has any effect on flavor.

                            Also, realizing that we were adding a lot of sugar with the Cherry Juice concentrate. We probably added about 8 gravity points worth after fermentation. Like FG 1.007 up to FG 1.015 with the sugar. Still tasted great and sour with that much sugar. Seems like a little sugar may not cause problems, but I'm seeing potential for disaster with that much.

                            I have heard of a brewery intentionally refermenting in the can so I'm thinking a point or two of extra sugar wouldn't cause a problem if we use the bio-fine and maybe some Potassium Sorbate.

                            Again, thanks to all of you for your comments.
                            I think the potassium sorbate is your best option. It will have a slight effect on flavor depending on dosage and beer style.

                            Bio-Fine will help drop yeast, but it is not perfect and it does not incapacitate the yeast fully. As you noted, dosage rates are all over the board. My experience is it takes trials to get dosing perfect. I used roughly 1500ml in a 30BBL batch of IPA.

                            Also, most people don't really read instructions well, but Bio-Fine (silicone dioxide) is supposed to be used as a pre-filter agent, and as such it should be removed (filtered out) before final packaging. This has not been commonly practiced in my experience though.

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