I’m wondering about brewing with avocado. I did a little searching on threads and found stuff on Guacamole Beer but I’m curious about how avocado comes out in different kinds of beer (or if it’ll come out at all).
What are your experiences with brewing with avocado? I know the brewers on this forum are crazy so I don’t put it past them to have experimented with it.
First, you need to define for yourself what you hope to get from the avocado. How will it contribute to the beer? Imagine what you want the finished beer to taste like…and why!
Drew did an guacamole saison but I am pretty sure the only avocado in it was avocado honey.
Avocado is such a strange fruit in that it gives the impression of being a very strong and dominant flavor but it really isn’t If you eat a big spoonful of mashed avocado you can taste it but mostly it’s a texture/fat thing. I make an avocado ice cream that, except for being bright green, would be hard to place as avocado. It’s a lot like egg yolk in that.
Then there is the issue of fats and head retention…
I suspect you would be better off, like with pumpkin beers, thinking about the supporting flavors that we associate with avocado.
But I don’t wish to discourage. do indeed try it. I would add skinned, frozen, thawed avocado to the primary after the bulk of fermentation was complete.
It would also be a good idea to research sugar content just to take that into account.
I was thinking along the same lines as Mort in terms of fats and oils. I think you will hard time getting much head retention but I have not tried it.
It’s an interesting idea.
Paul
My experience w/avocados is that they quickly turn black. Maybe in secondary where the oxygen has been scavenged, but I think your color will be affected.
Can’t speak for the avocados but as for the fat, it shouldn’t be a problem. I’ve made a chocolate porter with baker’s chocolate and had no problem with head retention. Fat floats. Just siphon the beer from under it.
not that this relates to this particular situation but did you know that if you leave the pit in the avocado it will not turn black? even if you have mashed the avocado, if you then but the pit in the mash it will prevent the black
I normally resort to just eating it ;D
Perhaps I’ll give it a try. I’m hoping to get more of a crop this year, if I can keep the squirrels from dropping them.
I can’t imagine an avocado beer. But hey, it looks good on you!
I can imagine a homegrown avocado with a cup of homegrown/roasted coffee. Every morning… Talk about synergistic flavors! Oh the humanity! It brings a tear…
(I have to fight the mongooses for the ones that hit the ground. I suspect they love avocados even more than I do, judging by their ferocity)
Shameless, Carl. I’m having a homegrown/homemade apple pie with my Folgers.
Probably tastes much better than the apple pie ale I envisioned and realized I’d rather just eat an apple pie.
That seems unpleasant. Maybe throw some cobras in your yard?
Myth…disproven by ATK. Not to mention experience! You can accomplish the same thing by placing plastic wrap right pon the surface.
Also…http://www.paradisegroveavocados.com/avocado-101/faq/
"Oxidation, which occurs due to air exposure, can cause the fruit of an avocado and/or guacamole to turn brown on the surface. To delay this process, brush it with an acidic agent such as lemon, lime and even orange juice or vinegar, then place it in an air-tight container, cover it with clear plastic wrap and keep it refrigerated until you eat it.
Placing the avocado seed in the guacamole may help maintain the dip’s original color because the seed reduces the amount of surface area that’s exposed to air, thereby minimizing oxidization. "
"Though there are more than a few old-wives tales claiming that throwing the pit into the bowl will help prevent this from happening, it’s a trivial task to prove that this isn’t true.
Harold McGee did it in his great book The Curious Cook by leaving two bowls of mashed avocado sit side-by-side, one with the seed placed in it, the other with a seed-sized light bulb stuck into it. Both browned at exactly the same rate."
If Harold McGee says it, you can believe it.
No snakes in Hawaii.
No snakes…just really big spiders and cursed talisman
;D
learn something new everyday.
I was kinda prepared because my wife is a big believer in this and for years I’ve been telling her I don’t see it working! So I was aware of these resources already.
As someone once said on this forum, only in reference to northern grown zucchini, “You have to lock your car, or someone will put avocados in there.”
These are just the recognized varieties. Wild avocado trees often spring from random cross-breeding. Seeds do not reproduce true to the fruit they come from, and some of those wild cross-breeds are incredibly delicious!
Two months back, Angel City here in LA (the Alan Newman/Jim Koch seed project that they bought from the founder) did an Avocado beer for an Avocado fest. Same sort of idea as the guacamole saison only he went and added both avocado flesh and garlic (I will let no sulfur bearing components near my brew!)
He mashed the avos and added some in the whirlpool.
http://laist.com/2013/08/20/angel_city_avocado_beer.php
I love avocados, but yeah… I’ll stick with the Saison Guacamole approach.
Interesting! Thanks for the link!
Yeah I was imagining a very light beer like a pilsner that had hints of that avocado sweetness, almost a savory kind of sweetness. Depending how pungent or potent the flavor is I will consider adding some sort of fruit (in very, very light amounts) to a successive brew to maintain a delicate and light approach but to add some complexity.
Thanks for all the information, everyone!
