Margarita Gose

[isomerization]

Hey Morrey, I'm planning ahead for my Watermelon Gose attempt. I have freeze distilled my watermelon juice, any other mods for this versus the Magarita variant? I used 1 oz each of salt and cracked coriander last time, and was quite pleased, but the lime was definitely dominant, so not sure if that covered up flavors that will be exposed with just watermelon. I'm also planning on using a FO addition of El Dorado to try and balance the fruit.

 

[TravelingLight]

Hey Morrey, I'm planning ahead for my Watermelon Gose attempt. I have freeze distilled my watermelon juice, any other mods for this versus the Magarita variant? I used 1 oz each of salt and cracked coriander last time, and was quite pleased, but the lime was definitely dominant, so not sure if that covered up flavors that will be exposed with just watermelon. I'm also planning on using a FO addition of El Dorado to try and balance the fruit.

Damn, that'll be nice with El Dorado! Good call.

Also, I do believe Morrey tweaks the salt addition a hair on the watermelon variant. But I'm not certain so I'll defer to him.

 

[Morrey]

Damn, that'll be nice with El Dorado! Good call.

Also, I do believe Morrey tweaks the salt addition a hair on the watermelon variant. But I'm not certain so I'll defer to him.

I think you'll be safe to reduce the salt a tad on the melon...maybe .75 oz vs a full oz. Of course I like salt on my watermelon (southern thing I suppose) and Anderson Valley Briny Melon Gose is pretty salty. Judgement call based on your personal tastes.

El Dorado sounds nice, so please report back so we all can see your results.

One thing about the watermelon Gose is the watermelon juice concentrate looks bright red, but when added in 5G of beer, the flavor is nice but the color is not evident. To add back some reddish watermelon color, I dry hopped an ounce of dried hibiscus petals (muslin bag) overnight**. Wow it turned bright red for sure and gave the beer a slight flavor almost like rose hips. This all played very nicely in the beer. When I tapped my first sample after kegging it all looked like a strawberry milkshake and I was horrified. This calmed down quickly and the beer cleared and remained bright red.

**Second attempt, I racked the beer on the hibiscus and only left it sit an hour. Not long enough, so I have settled on a 12 hour hibiscus hop for the correct color and subtle flavor.

I love the melon Gose too and make this during the summer. I shift to the margarita version in the fall when fresh melon supply dries up.

 

[Morrey]

the lime was definitely dominant

Lime is a dominant flavor profile for sure. With the base beer being so tart, it is hard to tell where the tartness ends and the lime begins. But this is such a beautiful combination and perfectly matched IMHO.

The watermelon is subtle and softer... somewhat different and my wife's favorite beer of anything I make. Please see my reply to your post and to TravelingLight's reply.

You are in for a summer treat!!

 

[isomerization]

Great stuff Morrey and Traveling Light, will post back with results, hoping to make this in early July. I'm definitely going to try the hibiscus petal "trick", any suggestions on sourcing them?

 

[ShareBrewing]

I believe Brewers Best should have packs (2.5 oz) of dried hibiscus flower. Can find it for pretty cheap. Did wonders in my hibiscus orange wit. Highly recommended. Hibiscus is cool to use because it can add its own perceived tartness that's floral yet somewhat blueberry like. Plus a ton of color in a short time.

 

[isomerization]

I believe Brewers Best should have packs (2.5 oz) of dried hibiscus flower. Can find it for pretty cheap. Did wonders in my hibiscus orange wit. Highly recommended. Hibiscus is cool to use because it can add its own perceived tartness that's floral yet somewhat blueberry like. Plus a ton of color in a short time.

Awesome, thanks for the insight!

 

[arnobg]

How much oak are you guys using? I purchased a big back of Jack Daniel Oak Barrel Chips from Lowes for $6 and was thinking about using those oak chips to make my tequila tincture. Think it would impart too much whiskey flavor?

 

[arnobg]

I think you'll be safe to reduce the salt a tad on the melon...maybe .75 oz vs a full oz. Of course I like salt on my watermelon (southern thing I suppose) and Anderson Valley Briny Melon Gose is pretty salty. Judgement call based on your personal tastes.



El Dorado sounds nice, so please report back so we all can see your results.



One thing about the watermelon Gose is the watermelon juice concentrate looks bright red, but when added in 5G of beer, the flavor is nice but the color is not evident. To add back some reddish watermelon color, I dry hopped an ounce of dried hibiscus petals (muslin bag) overnight**. Wow it turned bright red for sure and gave the beer a slight flavor almost like rose hips. This all played very nicely in the beer. When I tapped my first sample after kegging it all looked like a strawberry milkshake and I was horrified. This calmed down quickly and the beer cleared and remained bright red.



**Second attempt, I racked the beer on the hibiscus and only left it sit an hour. Not long enough, so I have settled on a 12 hour hibiscus hop for the correct color and subtle flavor.



I love the melon Gose too and make this during the summer. I shift to the margarita version in the fall when fresh melon supply dries up.

Here's my watermelon version last year using the same concentrate method for the melon.

It adds no color at all so for the color I did a 1.5 Cup hot water /1 oz hibiscus tea steeping for two minutes then added that tea to the keg. Color came out spot on.

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1498061067.684321.jpg

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1498061085.935234.jpg

 

[Morrey]

Here's my watermelon version last year using the same concentrate method for the melon.

It adds no color at all so for the color I did a 1.5 Cup hot water /1 oz hibiscus tea steeping for two minutes then added that tea to the keg. Color came out spot on.

View attachment 405037

View attachment 405038

I like your "tea" idea. This is my version dry hopping the hibiscus petals. Darn, this sucker looks like it may spill out laying sideways...

 

[Morrey]

I believe Brewers Best should have packs (2.5 oz) of dried hibiscus flower. Can find it for pretty cheap. Did wonders in my hibiscus orange wit. Highly recommended. Hibiscus is cool to use because it can add its own perceived tartness that's floral yet somewhat blueberry like. Plus a ton of color in a short time.

Amazon is also a source. I bought a pound for a few dollars.

 

[ShareBrewing]

How much oak are you guys using? I purchased a big back of Jack Daniel Oak Barrel Chips from Lowes for $6 and was thinking about using those oak chips to make my tequila tincture. Think it would impart too much whiskey flavor?

I used a spiral that was about 14g. Maybe 1/3 of the actual spiral. Spirals and cubes are just my preference.

Oak chips I've heard can be pretty intense in oak flavor and can have pretty fast extraction. That's a fairly general opinion here on HBT. To me, American oak IS the flavor of whiskey. So to me, the wood would be enough to flavor the tequila like whiskey (or like a reposado).

If the whiskey quality of the wood isn't to your liking, you could always take a small hand full of chips, soak em in a few shots of Jack, strain the chips and add those to the tequila. Lots of ways you can go here my friend.

 

[ShareBrewing]

This watermelon is really getting me thinking about juicing down 3 or 4 of em and freezing it all down... Was never really a big fan of many of the watermelon beers I've tried, especially sour ones. But this is really a cool idea, and I would love to go overboard on it. It really sounds good in a lime beer.

How many watermelons (or lbs of it) does it take to get that 1 pint of concentrate that you add? I'd aim for at least a full quart or more.

 

[Morrey]

This watermelon is really getting me thinking about juicing down 3 or 4 of em and freezing it all down... Was never really a big fan of many of the watermelon beers I've tried, especially sour ones. But this is really a cool idea, and I would love to go overboard on it. It really sounds good in a lime beer.

How many watermelons (or lbs of it) does it take to get that 1 pint of concentrate that you add? I'd aim for at least a full quart or more.

I usually buy a medium seedless watermelon which yields at least a half gallon of juice. After freezing, collecting, refreezing and collecting, one half gallon of juice yields 16 oz which is what I use for a 5G keg.

Lime tends to eclipse other flavors remembering you'll also have a tart element in the sour beer. Watermelon is subtle so consider tasting w/o lime first, than maybe a lime tincture would be a good way to add slowly if you still want that addition.

 

[arnobg]

I think I'm gonna try a lime watermelon gose after this margarita one. I recently brewed a Blonde Ale and used the same watermelon process but also added a vodka tincture of lime zest from 4 limes. The result was incredible. Melon and lime go really well together it was super refreshing. I think the sour would make it even better.

Here's my lime/melon blonde. Used the 8 oz of melon concentrate and 4 zested likes in 2 oz of vodka. That was for a 3 gallon batch though.

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1498403185.022431.jpg

 

[Tricerahops220]

Along with my buddy fellow HBT member Key West Brewing, we exchanged ideas about the best way to create a Margarita Gose without overdoing things, but to create a taste profile that gets your attention.

I started the 5G batch with a basic 50/50 wheat to 2 row base and kettle soured with L Plantarum down to 3.24 ph. I kept the Saaz hop bill low (8 IBU) during the boil following souring. I was generous with a full ounce of pink sea salt and an ounce of coriander knowing I wanted a salty flavor profile with this beer.

The 1.040 beer finished nicely at 1.008 with US-05. First time I made a sour with dry yeast and it worked as well as any liquid like WLP001 or WLP029 I had used prior. I'll stick with US-05 from now on.

During fermentation, I zested 4 small limes taking the green skin with a vegetable peeler leaving the white pith behind. I soaked these lime peels in 3/4 cup of good anjeo tequila to make a tincture. The limes marinated in this tincture for two weeks while beer was in primary.

When racked to keg, I strained the zest and pitched the tincture while siphoning beer to keg. My initial taste was very "limey" but I was lacking tequila depth for my tastes. I next took a cup of the same tequila in a mason jar and added two medium toasted oak cubes. My goal here was to emulate a beer that was aged in a tequila barrel. The tequila picked up a really nice oaky aroma while aging one additional week.

In the meantime while this oak tincture was infusing, I was carbing the keg and sampling. The lime calmed down perfectly and needed no additional adjustments. I then pitched the oak infused tequila tincture and let it rest several more days.

I hate to sound self-serving, but this has got to be one of the best beers I have ever made! The salt balances the lime and the oak is very subtle but adds in with the hint of tequila making this a perfect margarita style. Glad this is a relatively low ABV beer since I can't seem to stay away from it!

Just wanted to share........

I am just trying to wrap my head around how this whole process works after reviewing it for a couple of hours.

I couldn't find the full summary in here so bear with me if i missed it somewhere along the way.

So you start a sour, just like any other beer, with a 50/50 wheat and 2-row base. You mash this and once complete, you put it into your BK just like you would any other beer. Then you take that, ramp it up to a boil for 5 minutes to kill anything off that may be in your wort, then cool it to anywhere from 115 degrees to 105 degrees where you pitch your L plantarum (souring agent/probiotic - exact amount is still TBD). You leave all of this wort in the kettle and maintain a temp of 105-115 up to 72 hours until your pH drops to where you want it (in this case 3.29). Once you hit that point, you bring the kettle back to a boil and continue brewing as one normally would.

You go about whatever hop additions you want to make (typically something with a lower AA% toward the end of the boil/flameout in the case of a Gose or sour). Add the salt (timing unknown, I would assume with 5 mins left in the boil), and your spices. Continue with your standard operating procedure and cool your wort (with a GF of 1.040) to pitching temp and pitch the US-05.

Leave the beer in primary for 2 weeks before pitching your lime zest infused tequila. Let the batch sit for 1 more week before transferring the batch to keg where you added your 2 tequila infused oak cubes and starting the carb.

Let the keg rest/cool for the next couple of days and serve?

Am i understanding this correctly?

 

[arnobg]

I am just trying to wrap my head around how this whole process works after reviewing it for a couple of hours.



I couldn't find the full summary in here so bear with me if i missed it somewhere along the way.



So you start a sour, just like any other beer, with a 50/50 wheat and 2-row base. You mash this and once complete, you put it into your BK just like you would any other beer. Then you take that, ramp it up to a boil for 5 minutes to kill anything off that may be in your wort, then cool it to anywhere from 115 degrees to 105 degrees where you pitch your L plantarum (souring agent/probiotic - exact amount is still TBD). You leave all of this wort in the kettle and maintain a temp of 105-115 up to 72 hours until your pH drops to where you want it (in this case 3.29). Once you hit that point, you bring the kettle back to a boil and continue brewing as one normally would.



You go about whatever hop additions you want to make (typically something with a lower AA% toward the end of the boil/flameout in the case of a Gose or sour). Add the salt (timing unknown, I would assume with 5 mins left in the boil), and your spices. Continue with your standard operating procedure and cool your wort (with a GF of 1.040) to pitching temp and pitch the US-05.



Leave the beer in primary for 2 weeks before pitching your lime zest infused tequila. Let the batch sit for 1 more week before transferring the batch to keg where you added your 2 tequila infused oak cubes and starting the carb.



Let the keg rest/cool for the next couple of days and serve?



Am i understanding this correctly?

You're on the right track overall but there are a few important things to change.

When you cool it after your mash/short boil you want to cool it to a temp within tolerance for you specific lactobacillus strain. If you use plantarum you really don't want it over 100F, I keep it around 90F. This is dependent on the lacto strain you use. Additionally, you want to use lactic acid and drop the pH of your wort to 4.4 range before pitching the lacto. This keeps any other bugs at bay and let's your lacto do it's thing.

As for the hop addition it doesn't matter how much you use because the wort is already soured. Typically for a gose you want to shoot for 5-10 IBU's from a noble hop. I shoot for 8 IBU's and do a 60 minute addition only. No late additions or flameout for this style.

You're on point with fermentation. Should take 10-14 days in primary but don't add anything! The tinctures get added to the keg when you rack your beer to it.

Don't stress too much I remember my first gose and it seems like a lot, but just follow instruction and it will all make sense and turn out great! Also do some research on eliminating O2 in your kettle when pitching your lacto.

 

[Morrey]

I am just trying to wrap my head around how this whole process works after reviewing it for a couple of hours.

I couldn't find the full summary in here so bear with me if i missed it somewhere along the way.

So you start a sour, just like any other beer, with a 50/50 wheat and 2-row base. You mash this and once complete, you put it into your BK just like you would any other beer. Then you take that, ramp it up to a boil for 5 minutes to kill anything off that may be in your wort, then cool it to anywhere from 115 degrees to 105 degrees where you pitch your L plantarum (souring agent/probiotic - exact amount is still TBD). You leave all of this wort in the kettle and maintain a temp of 105-115 up to 72 hours until your pH drops to where you want it (in this case 3.29). Once you hit that point, you bring the kettle back to a boil and continue brewing as one normally would.

You go about whatever hop additions you want to make (typically something with a lower AA% toward the end of the boil/flameout in the case of a Gose or sour). Add the salt (timing unknown, I would assume with 5 mins left in the boil), and your spices. Continue with your standard operating procedure and cool your wort (with a GF of 1.040) to pitching temp and pitch the US-05.

Leave the beer in primary for 2 weeks before pitching your lime zest infused tequila. Let the batch sit for 1 more week before transferring the batch to keg where you added your 2 tequila infused oak cubes and starting the carb.

Let the keg rest/cool for the next couple of days and serve?

Am i understanding this correctly?

I have a couple of documents in MS Word that I'll be glad to send if you'll PM me with an email address. These documents outline a step by step process to make a Margarita Gose. The other document tells how to make a watermelon concentrate that you may enjoy during the summer. You'd add the watermelon concentrate instead of the tequila lime tincture if you choose this version.

 

[ShareBrewing]

Hmm. I just thought of a way to use the limes in the beer instead of adding fresh squeezed juice. Made a BIAB hard lemonade with 24lbs of fresh lemons recently and I just realized I could use the same method for infusing limes into the beer.

Would it be possible to stew several pounds of fresh cut limes @ flameout in a brewbag before pitching yeast? Cut maybe cut 5-6 pounds of limes (in wheels, discard pithy ends) per 5 gal, and steep @ ~165F for about 30 min. The limes slices should break down and release their juices and flavors. It would help to add about 0.5 oz lime zest per 5 gal as well. It may even help to cut the limes (not used for zesting) and freeze the slices overnight before brewing. Cut and add the limes not used for zesting on the actual brewday. Once the steep is done, remove the brewbag and squeeze the **** out of it to get the last of the juicy goodness.

Combined with the tequila-lime tincture, do you think this could be a good idea? I didn't loose much volume to the lemons after squeezing, so this wouldn't be a concern. Thoughts?

 

[TravelingLight]

Hmm. I just thought of a way to use the limes in the beer instead of adding fresh squeezed juice. Made a BIAB hard lemonade with 24lbs of fresh lemons recently and I just realized I could use the same method for infusing limes into the beer.

Would it be possible to stew several pounds of fresh cut limes @ flameout in a brewbag before pitching yeast? Cut maybe cut 5-6 pounds of limes (in wheels, discard pithy ends) per 5 gal, and steep @ ~165F for about 30 min. The limes slices should break down and release their juices and flavors. It would help to add about 0.5 oz lime zest per 5 gal as well. It may even help to cut the limes (not used for zesting) and freeze the slices overnight before brewing. Cut and add the limes not used for zesting on the actual brewday. Once the steep is done, remove the brewbag and squeeze the **** out of it to get the last of the juicy goodness.

Combined with the tequila-lime tincture, do you think this could be a good idea? I didn't loose much volume to the lemons after squeezing, so this wouldn't be a concern. Thoughts?

IMO, Morrey has dialed in this recipe pretty damn spot on. Personally, I don't think it needs more lime. But, of course, that's absolutely up to you.

 

[Morrey]

IMO, Morrey has dialed in this recipe pretty damn spot on. Personally, I don't think it needs more lime. But, of course, that's absolutely up to you.

Back in the original post, I referenced KeyWestBrewing who went back and forth with me developing the best process to use lime. Since he had access to lots of fresh limes in FL, he took the fresh lime approach while I worked with concentrates, zest and tinctures. We compared notes often until we both agreed the tincture method was the most controllable and predictable way to use lime which can be tricky.

By no means am I trying to "sell" my process as the only way to use lime. There are many ways to skin this cat so please let our thread subscribers know of ways you have used lime successfully.

 

[isomerization]

Wanted to chime in on freezing Lacto stocks for future starters. Going to be brewing a double kettle sour batch (details below) this weekend. I pulled a OYL-605 stock (9 ml from previous starter plus 6 ml of 50% sterile glycerol) from the freezer (2-3 months old). It soured 1.5 L of 1.040 wort to 3.45 within 36 hours. So, I'd say that method works great! Nice to save the $10ish bucks on a fresh pack...

So double kettle sour, has anyone tried this? I'm going to do the following, 8lb each of German Pils and White Wheat Malt. Will end of with 12 gallons after sparging (1.036-1.040 pre-boil gravity). After chilling to 90F or so, I will then split into 2 fermenters and pitch half of the starter into each.

Fast forward 48 hours, I will combine both batches back into the kettle and boil for 30 min (10 IBU bittering charge). One batch is going to be a Galaxy dry hopped Pineapple Berliner, so that one will be pulled out (5.25 gallon) and chilled in a SS conical. The remainder of the batch will be a Watermelon Gose. Salt, coriander and 2 oz El Dorado hops will be added for 5 min of boiling before cooling and into a different fermenter.

Hope it works out! The watermelon concentrate shouldn't be an issue, but I'm a little concerned about the pineapple addition. I'm going to juice 3 of them and pasteurize before adding after primary is done. I've read a lot of conflicting reports on how to use pineapple. So we'll see...

 

[arnobg]

Wanted to chime in on freezing Lacto stocks for future starters. Going to be brewing a double kettle sour batch (details below) this weekend. I pulled a OYL-605 stock (9 ml from previous starter plus 6 ml of 50% sterile glycerol) from the freezer (2-3 months old). It soured 1.5 L of 1.040 wort to 3.45 within 36 hours. So, I'd say that method works great! Nice to save the $10ish bucks on a fresh pack...



So double kettle sour, has anyone tried this? I'm going to do the following, 8lb each of German Pils and White Wheat Malt. Will end of with 12 gallons after sparging (1.036-1.040 pre-boil gravity). After chilling to 90F or so, I will then split into 2 fermenters and pitch half of the starter into each.



Fast forward 48 hours, I will combine both batches back into the kettle and boil for 30 min (10 IBU bittering charge). One batch is going to be a Galaxy dry hopped Pineapple Berliner, so that one will be pulled out (5.25 gallon) and chilled in a SS conical. The remainder of the batch will be a Watermelon Gose. Salt, coriander and 2 oz El Dorado hops will be added for 5 min of boiling before cooling and into a different fermenter.



Hope it works out! The watermelon concentrate shouldn't be an issue, but I'm a little concerned about the pineapple addition. I'm going to juice 3 of them and pasteurize before adding after primary is done. I've read a lot of conflicting reports on how to use pineapple. So we'll see...

Why not just kettle sour and not have to do all of that work with the split fermenters?

 

[isomerization]

Why not just kettle sour and not have to do all of that work with the split fermenters?

The short answer, is that's how I did it last time (first one, went perfect).

The long(er) answer, is that I'd like the pineapple berliner weisse to not sour as much as the watermelon gose, since that fruit addition will likely bring a lot of acidity to the table. Also, a lot of trub and lacto can be left behind and not boiled (no idea if this helps).

EDIT: Also I have an aluminum-based kettle, and I read that prolonged exposure to low pH can strip the outer layers, so didn't want to risk that.

 

[isomerization]

Mashed and started the kettle sour Friday, let it ride about 42 hours before moving to the boil and splitting the batch into 2 different recipes. Here's a pic of the fermenters that prevent O2 ingress and allow the trub/excess Lacto? to drop out:

Check of the pH (both were within 0.01 of each other):

Last time I used this Lacto, the wort dropped to ~3.2, so not sure why it dropped more this time, let's hope its not too tart (especially after the pineapple addition).

I'm using US-05 for the Watermelon Gose and F1/C4 (WLP644 x Conan hybrid from Suregork) for the Pineapple Berliner Weisse. Interestingly, the F1/C4 yeast starter (decanted from 1L) had dropped clear, while the US-05 hadn't:

 

[TANSTAAFB]

How do you like that Apera pH meter? I've been looking at it on Amazon for a while. Does it stay calibrated and is it accurate and consistent?

 

[isomerization]

How do you like that Apera pH meter? I've been looking at it on Amazon for a while. Does it stay calibrated and is it accurate and consistent?

I like it a lot actually. I keep it in the storage solution (3M KCl) and it will stay within 0.02 of the pH 4 standard for weeks. I pretty much only use it for sours as Bru'N water is so accurate for mash pH.

 

[TravelingLight]

I like it a lot actually. I keep it in the storage solution (3M KCl) and it will stay within 0.02 of the pH 4 standard for weeks. I pretty much only use it for sours as Bru'N water is so accurate for mash pH.

Great to know. I've been needing a new meter and this one may be it. I want one that I don't have to incessantly calibrate every damn time I use it. Thanks for the heads up.

 

[Morrey]

I like it a lot actually. I keep it in the storage solution (3M KCl) and it will stay within 0.02 of the pH 4 standard for weeks. I pretty much only use it for sours as Bru'N water is so accurate for mash pH.

Same here....Bru'n Water is dependable to the point I only seldom double check behind the program since my spot checks with the meter were continually on target. However, since we do kettle sours, the meter earns its keep then for sure.

 

[isomerization]

Calibration only takes 1-2 minutes as well (pH 7 and 4) as there aren't long wait times for pH stabilization.

 

[TANSTAAFB]

Calibration only takes 1-2 minutes as well (pH 7 and 4) as there aren't long wait times for pH stabilization.

That's awesome, thank you!

Great to know. I've been needing a new meter and this one may be it. I want one that I don't have to incessantly calibrate every damn time I use it. Thanks for the heads up.

Be careful when you're looking on Amazon...the 0.1 version for much cheaper is very appealing but the 0.01 version is much more accurate for a few bucks more

 

[isomerization]

Update on my double kettle sour effort:

Beers were kegged Monday, placed on the kegerator to chill until Tuesday, hit with 40 psi for 24 hours and should be ready for tasting this evening. Gravity/pH samples both smelled wonderful. I'm hoping the watermelon is a bit more prominent in the flavor than the aroma (could tell it was there, but likely confirmation bias). Although, I have had watermelon beers before that tasted artificial, even with the brewer claiming real fruit was used, so maybe that's a good thing...

 

[isomerization]

I realized I hadn't uploaded pics or tasting notes...

Here's the pineapple Berliner:

Very crisp tartness, more general tropical fruit flavor versus specifically pineapple. Low level of sweetness, yeast profile almost non-existent (good thing here I think). Easy drinking beer to enjoy by the pool.

Watermelon gose:

The watermelon concentrate didn't do much for the color, but the 1 oz hibiscus tea gave it a nice rose tint. Flavor profile is watermelon and honeydew, highlighted by a salty finish. Everything plays really well together and this one was preferred by 10/11 tasters! I think I liked it better than Margarita variant (no knock on that one though).

I have to say overall that I think this approach worked out perfectly. The base beers end up so different after the appropriate additions/fruits. Saves on the amount of Lacto needed to sour too.

 

[Morrey]

I like the color of your watermelon Gose. So you steeped 1oz of dried petals in hot water? how long did you leave it to steep, then you pitched strained tea at kegging?

Wife likes the watermelon much more than the margarita version. I use watermelon during season, then shift to lime when melons run out.

 

[isomerization]

I like the color of your watermelon Gose. So you steeped 1oz of dried petals in hot water? how long did you leave it to steep, then you pitched strained tea at kegging?

Wife likes the watermelon much more than the margarita version. I use watermelon during season, then shift to lime when melons run out.

Correct, 1 oz in a cup of boiled water that had cooled to 170F or so for about 15 min. I then strained through a paint bag and added to the keg. This honestly was one of the most nuanced beers I've made!

You could also make extra watermelon juice concentrate and store it in the freezer. I kept mine for about 2 months before using.

 

[Morrey]

Correct, 1 oz in a cup of boiled water that had cooled to 170F or so for about 15 min. I then strained through a paint bag and added to the keg. This honestly was one of the most nuanced beers I've made!

You could also make extra watermelon juice concentrate and store it in the freezer. I kept mine for about 2 months before using.

I note in your beer pipeline sig you have a Pineapple BW. I have used Monin extract but never used fresh pineapple. I considered grilling fresh pineapple slices, and what I didn't gobble up, I'd put in muslin bags to rack the beer on in secondary. How are you going yours?

 

[Braumeise]

Along with my buddy fellow HBT member Key West Brewing, we exchanged ideas about the best way to create a Margarita Gose without overdoing things, but to create a taste profile that gets your attention.

I started the 5G batch with a basic 50/50 wheat to 2 row base and kettle soured with L Plantarum down to 3.24 ph. I kept the Saaz hop bill low (8 IBU) during the boil following souring. I was generous with a full ounce of pink sea salt and an ounce of coriander knowing I wanted a salty flavor profile with this beer.

The 1.040 beer finished nicely at 1.008 with US-05. First time I made a sour with dry yeast and it worked as well as any liquid like WLP001 or WLP029 I had used prior. I'll stick with US-05 from now on.

During fermentation, I zested 4 small limes taking the green skin with a vegetable peeler leaving the white pith behind. I soaked these lime peels in 3/4 cup of good anjeo tequila to make a tincture. The limes marinated in this tincture for two weeks while beer was in primary.

When racked to keg, I strained the zest and pitched the tincture while siphoning beer to keg. My initial taste was very "limey" but I was lacking tequila depth for my tastes. I next took a cup of the same tequila in a mason jar and added two medium toasted oak cubes. My goal here was to emulate a beer that was aged in a tequila barrel. The tequila picked up a really nice oaky aroma while aging one additional week.

In the meantime while this oak tincture was infusing, I was carbing the keg and sampling. The lime calmed down perfectly and needed no additional adjustments. I then pitched the oak infused tequila tincture and let it rest several more days.

I hate to sound self-serving, but this has got to be one of the best beers I have ever made! The salt balances the lime and the oak is very subtle but adds in with the hint of tequila making this a perfect margarita style. Glad this is a relatively low ABV beer since I can't seem to stay away from it!

Just wanted to share........

OMG! I want this - like now (at 10:30 in the am)

This sounds so awesome!

 

[isomerization]

I note in your beer pipeline sig you have a Pineapple BW. I have used Monin extract but never used fresh pineapple. I considered grilling fresh pineapple slices, and what I didn't gobble up, I'd put in muslin bags to rack the beer on in secondary. How are you going yours?

Cut up pineapple into chunks, blended, strain through a paint bag, heat to 170F for about 10-15 min (pasteurize and denature the proteases in pineapple). Add to fermentor for 2-3 days (fermented out completely).

 

[TravelingLight]

Cut up pineapple into chunks, blended, strain through a paint bag, heat to 170F for about 10-15 min (pasteurize and denature the proteases in pineapple). Add to fermentor for 2-3 days (fermented out completely).

I've been wanting to try a pineapple beer and you may have just sold me. A few questions if I may...

How much pineapple or how much juice do you aim for in a batch (assuming five gallons?)?

Do you add to the fermenter after the beer has fermented out?

Finally, even though the pineapple "referments" out, I assume it still carries some flavor through on the back end?

Thanks dude.

 

[isomerization]

I've been wanting to try a pineapple beer and you may have just sold me. A few questions if I may...

How much pineapple or how much juice do you aim for in a batch (assuming five gallons?)?

Do you add to the fermenter after the beer has fermented out?

Finally, even though the pineapple "referments" out, I assume it still carries some flavor through on the back end?

Thanks dude.

I used 3 pineapples in this almost 5 gallon batch. I added after fermentation was complete and allowed 5 days for completion, but I'd guess it was done earlier than that. There was absolutely flavored carried through, although I get kind of a generic tropical fruit flavor versus pineapple. The caveat here is it tastes like real fruit and not an extract, so not sure what exactly is possible with pineapple flavor, if that makes sense.

I recently noticed this product as well: https://www.ritebrew.com/product-p/827373.htm