So, I wanted to add white wine to my white IPA and was wondering if anyone has experience with adding wine to beer. Initially I was going to put grapes in secondary, but I figured wine uses better quality grapes than I’ll be able to find around here and might be less of a hassle. Is there anything I should avoid or look for when picking wine? Are there any unexpected results from mixing wine and beer that would make fruit a better option?
Why not try it in a glass first?
+14.5
You could also experiment with different yeasts on subsequent batches. I have found kolsch yeasts to provide fruity, white wine characteristics when fermented toward the warmer end of the recommended ranges…
EDIT- When you say “White IPA” are referring to Belgian yeast? This style confuses me because I have had commercial “White IPAs” that used Belgian yeast and others that did not. From memory, the most notable examples are Deschutes Chainbreaker (Belgian) and Odell Perle White (non-Belgian). It seems that ‘white’ refers to the use of wheat but not necessarily to the use of Belgian yeast according to some…
+2. There was an article in one of the brewing mags a couple years ago that focused on wine/ beer hybrids. The recipes from both breweries (maybe Dogfish and RR ?) used ~ 30% juice/must. I would taste first to find the ratio you like, though.
I was definitely planning on doing that to find the right taste, I just didn’t know if it would affect fermentation/bottling or something like that.
I used WLP380, a hefe yeast. I wanted a Belgian wit yeast but my LHBS didn’t have any in stock. The ambiguity of the style makes me happy. I like that suggestion for the kolsch yeast, I’ll look into it for next time.
I have not found hefe strains to work well with fruit the times I have tried them, but if you really want to try it out then set up a tasting. I’m having a hard time thinking of a wine varietal that would pair well with the flavors that come from a hefe. A clove-forward hefe might work with something like Syrah or Red Zin. A banana-forward hefe might be tough - maybe a less-acidic white that has some melon flavors.
I decided to try this myself by using a wine kit. I have a 3711 Saison with Nelson Sauvin & Motueka hops in the whirlpool, a lambic-esque sout and a pyment (grape mead) all using must from a Gewurztraminer wine kit.
Everything is still early in fermentation, so I don’t have any specific feedback for you at this point. But the advantage of using finished wine is that you can taste before you make your finished blend.
How about putting 100% pasturized grape juice in the fermentor?
Check out the mad fermentationist blog by Michael Tonsmiere. He has a few interesting recipes with wine added.
I just mix them in my belly.
Thanks for the feedback, guys! Eric, I’d be interested to know how those turn out. Tonsmiere’s blog took some digging, but definitely has good info.
I guess I’ll have to design another recipe with the intention of adding wine from the get go, because I already can see adjustments (yeast and hops in particular) to better accommodate the wine. The light clove and ginger flavors in this beer just reminded me so heavily of spices used for spiced grapes that I can’t resist attempting to blend this batch.