• Jammin Time

    From gtwrek@21:1/5 to All on Fri Jul 19 17:34:07 2019
    XPost: rec.food.preserving

    (Yes a crosspost to two newsgroups. Relevant both places, and I don't
    think I'm going to overrun anyone's inboxes...)

    Jammin time. Our peach tree (like many I understand) tends to produce
    all its ripe fruit at once. Usually during a heat wave too.
    (Although us out US west coast aren't as bad as you folks in the
    central and east coast, yeash, looks like some ugly heat waves..)

    This year's preserves time, we decided to try some new recipes using a
    slow cooker. Standing over a hot stove, constantly stirring the
    preserves, waiting for the correct temperature, (again heat wave),
    didn't seem as attractive. (It always seems to take forever to
    reach that critical Jam temperature - phase changes and all that)

    Using the slow cooker meant spreading the actual canning time over
    more days. Longer cooks in the slow cookers, followed by the water
    baths. Borrowing another slow cooker, we could have two batches
    cooking at once.

    We used a Vanilla Peach Butter recipe for one. This worked great -
    basically a blended peach, sugar, lemon juice, and a scraped vanilla
    bean - set on the slow cooker on low. Prop up the top a bit after
    it reaches temp to allow water vapor to escape.

    Second slow cooker was a standard Peach Preserves, with added pectin.
    Same idea for the slow cooker.

    First batches of both turned out fine.

    On the second batches, the temp on the Peach Preserves cooker got
    away from us - the batch started to carmelize. Turned quick too
    (those darned phase changes again). Spouse and I decided this wasn't
    going to make an attractive preserve at all.

    However, one not to waste, (it's carmelized, not scorched yet) I gave
    the now carmelized preserves a quick blend with the immersion blender.
    Tasted the results - It's very much like a candy syrup now - like a
    deep amber 290F syrup. Good complex taste, with some peach notes
    (not much as I would expect) I've made home made syrups before,
    ... for my homebrew. (see - it's on topic).

    So put up 3 quarts (not bothering with smaller pints or half-pints)
    of my homemade "peach candy syrup". I'll figure out some homebrew
    recipe to craft with it - maybe a Belgian Dark Strong.

    So the yield:

    19 half pints peach vanilla butter
    3 quarts peachy candy syrup
    22 half pints peach preserves
    2 gallons frozen chopped peaches

    Also on deck last night - the eldest coming home this weekend to
    celebrate his 21st. Want's burgers and brews for him and his buddies.
    Our freezer's been mostly empty for a while, so (also same night):

    10 lbs brisket + 10lbs chuck went through the grinder for burgers.

    Busy night.

    Regards,

    Mark

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  • From Drew Lawson@21:1/5 to gtwrek on Sat Jul 20 01:29:05 2019
    XPost: rec.food.preserving

    In article <qgsuue$gtp$1@dont-email.me>
    gtwrek@sonic.net (gtwrek) writes:
    (Yes a crosspost to two newsgroups. Relevant both places, and I don't
    think I'm going to overrun anyone's inboxes...)

    I did not know that rec.crafts.brewing was still active.
    It's been many years that I've been away.

    You have done me good for that information.

    --
    Drew Lawson | We were taking a vote when
    | the ground came up and hit us.
    | -- Cylon warrior

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  • From Bill O'Meally@21:1/5 to gtwrek on Sat Jul 20 08:07:19 2019
    On 2019-07-19 17:34:07 +0000, gtwrek said:

    <snip>

    However, one not to waste, (it's carmelized, not scorched yet) I gave
    the now carmelized preserves a quick blend with the immersion blender.
    Tasted the results - It's very much like a candy syrup now - like a
    deep amber 290F syrup. Good complex taste, with some peach notes
    (not much as I would expect) I've made home made syrups before,
    ... for my homebrew. (see - it's on topic).


    YMMV, but I never use cooked fruits/syrups in my brews due to the very
    reason you state: you lose the fruit character/flavor/aroma. I don't
    even put them in the brew kettle during boil. I always use raw, crushed
    fruits in the secondary for my fruit beers.
    --
    Bill O'Meally

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  • From gtwrek@21:1/5 to Drew Lawson on Sat Jul 20 17:10:58 2019
    XPost: rec.food.preserving

    In article <qgtqp1$1dud$1@cloud.furrfu.com>,
    Drew Lawson <drew@furrfu.invalid> wrote:
    In article <qgsuue$gtp$1@dont-email.me>
    gtwrek@sonic.net (gtwrek) writes:
    (Yes a crosspost to two newsgroups. Relevant both places, and I don't >>think I'm going to overrun anyone's inboxes...)

    I did not know that rec.crafts.brewing was still active.
    It's been many years that I've been away.

    You have done me good for that information.

    It has about as much activity as this group!

    Regards,

    Mark

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  • From Baloonon@21:1/5 to Bill O'Meally on Sun Jul 21 15:33:51 2019
    Bill O'Meally <omeallymd@geemail.com> wrote:

    On 2019-07-19 17:34:07 +0000, gtwrek said:

    <snip>

    However, one not to waste, (it's carmelized, not scorched yet) I gave
    the now carmelized preserves a quick blend with the immersion blender.
    Tasted the results - It's very much like a candy syrup now - like a
    deep amber 290F syrup. Good complex taste, with some peach notes
    (not much as I would expect) I've made home made syrups before,
    ... for my homebrew. (see - it's on topic).

    YMMV, but I never use cooked fruits/syrups in my brews due to the very
    reason you state: you lose the fruit character/flavor/aroma. I don't
    even put them in the brew kettle during boil. I always use raw, crushed fruits in the secondary for my fruit beers.

    What would you recommend as a first time experiment?

    I'm thinking of leaving behind at bottling time a gallon of an upcoming semi-Festbier (Munich/Vienna malt, Hallertau hops, lager yeast) and adding fruit. I'm thinking I'd want something not too assertive. Peaches and
    apricots should be in season when I brew, but I'm open to alternatives.

    I'm not interested in going the Lambic/wild yeast route, I just want to add
    a bit of a fruit accent, if I do it.

    This article gives me an idea of technique, but I'd be happy to get any
    other advice or ideas on things to try.

    https://byo.com/article/fruit-brew-part-2-techniques/

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  • From Bill O'Meally@21:1/5 to Baloonon on Mon Jul 22 10:30:23 2019
    On 2019-07-21 15:33:51 +0000, Baloonon said:



    What would you recommend as a first time experiment?

    I'm thinking of leaving behind at bottling time a gallon of an upcoming semi-Festbier (Munich/Vienna malt, Hallertau hops, lager yeast) and adding fruit. I'm thinking I'd want something not too assertive. Peaches and apricots should be in season when I brew, but I'm open to alternatives.

    I'm not interested in going the Lambic/wild yeast route, I just want to add
    a bit of a fruit accent, if I do it.

    This article gives me an idea of technique, but I'd be happy to get any
    other advice or ideas on things to try.

    https://byo.com/article/fruit-brew-part-2-techniques/

    I make a blueberry blond every year, which was my first fruit beer. You
    might consider that, in that it is a very mild fruit. Maine berries
    should be ripening soon, but frozen friut is nigh as good. I have a
    very old hand-cranked crusher, but you can use your clean hands to
    crush the fruit as well. Peaches or apricots sound like a great choice
    as well.

    I never have problems with infection, as the article suggests. I think
    it is more than the alcohol content and the pH. The reactiviation of fermentation by the added fruit I think competes with any pathogens
    that might be present. I do the scondary in a fermemtation bucket in
    that separating the liquid from the pulp in a carboy is a total PITA --
    just take my word for it (live and learn!). Once or twice daily, push
    down any cap that forms with a large, sanitized spoom. After secondary
    on the fruit for maybe a week, I skim out as much of the pulp as
    possible with a sanitized strainer, then rack into a carboy to
    condition for up to a few more weeks.

    Fruit beers are one of the only times I add sulfite to beer. By the
    time of the "tertiary" fermentation, there is usually a good bit of
    head space in the carboy, which makes me nervous about oxidation. About
    10 ppm is sufficient to be an effective antioxidant. This step is, of
    course, optional.

    This year I decided to brew my first kettle sour after 30 some odd
    years of brewing. I thought my blueberry recipe would be a good
    candidate, and the first few sips from the keg have been promising!
    --
    Bill O'Meally

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  • From Baloonon@21:1/5 to Bill O'Meally on Tue Jul 23 02:10:19 2019
    Bill O'Meally <omeallymd@geemail.com> wrote

    I make a blueberry blond every year, which was my first fruit beer.
    You might consider that, in that it is a very mild fruit. Maine
    berries should be ripening soon, but frozen friut is nigh as good. I
    have a very old hand-cranked crusher, but you can use your clean hands
    to crush the fruit as well. Peaches or apricots sound like a great
    choice as well.

    I never have problems with infection, as the article suggests. I think
    it is more than the alcohol content and the pH. The reactiviation of fermentation by the added fruit I think competes with any pathogens
    that might be present. I do the scondary in a fermemtation bucket in
    that separating the liquid from the pulp in a carboy is a total PITA
    -- just take my word for it (live and learn!). Once or twice daily,
    push down any cap that forms with a large, sanitized spoom. After
    secondary on the fruit for maybe a week, I skim out as much of the
    pulp as possible with a sanitized strainer, then rack into a carboy to condition for up to a few more weeks.

    Fruit beers are one of the only times I add sulfite to beer. By the
    time of the "tertiary" fermentation, there is usually a good bit of
    head space in the carboy, which makes me nervous about oxidation.
    About 10 ppm is sufficient to be an effective antioxidant. This step
    is, of course, optional.

    This year I decided to brew my first kettle sour after 30 some odd
    years of brewing. I thought my blueberry recipe would be a good
    candidate, and the first few sips from the keg have been promising!

    Thanks, that's helpful info. I'll keep it in mind when I brew after the horrible heat finally breaks.

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