Greetings fellow Homebrewers. I have access to a bunch of plums this year and would like to use them in a stout. How many pounds per gallon should I use to get a noticeable flavor?
I was thinking of using a Belgian (Trappist / abby) yeast to accentuate the plum flavors. Does anyone have experience using plums in a beer? If so, what was your experience? What style of beer did you use? Any other thoughts?
Cheers,
Brandon
Plums have pretty low acidity (like peaches and mango), so I bet you’d have to use A LOT to get noticeable character in a stout. Cherries show up and work well in stout in part because their high acidity brings the flavor up to a noticeable threshold. I would say to look for a typical amount of cherries in cherry stout recipes and triple that amount for your plum amount, then it would likely be noticeable. I often use at least double (usually triple) the level of mild fruits (peach,etc.) as I would stronger/more acidic fruits (cherry, raspberry). I also like the idea of using the Belgian strain to accentuate the fruit. Good luck !
Thanks for the tip. I had never thought about the acidity of a fruit vs the strength of its flavor. That sounds like a good way to gauge how much fruit should be used. I might add a small amount of cloves also just to make it interesting.
+1 to lots of fruit. We make a lot of melomels and with fruit like plums and peaches we use tons of fruit. Some say that fruits like these aren’t worthwhile but I think part of that comes from the fact that commercial examples just don’t use enough fruit because its expensive. You could add a smaller amount of something acidic like wild grapes, raspberries or blackberries.
I think the Belgian yeast is a good idea but not sure about a stout because the roastiness of the malt is another flavor to overcome. I think a dark Belgian ale could work? I could also see a saison. Also, be careful with those cloves. A little can accentuate that quality in some Belgian yeast strains but definitely stick with a small amount.
+1 to just brewing a dark Belgian instead of a stout. I’ve never been a big fan of Belgian stouts - I’ve always found the flavors to clash. A Dubbel or Quad, however, is a perfect fit for plums. WY1762 in a dubbel with some D-180 and a touch of Special B would be amazing with plums.
Another option would be an English Barleywine, which you can also use WY1762 in to good effect.
As far as amounts go, I’ve never used them, but I’d be willing to bet you need a lot. Like 2-3 pounds per gallon.
One other thought - Caliente hops have a great Red plum aroma to them. An ounce at flameout in something like a stout may help reinforce the aromatics a bit. I brew a hoppy Belgian dark ale using them and it’s a serious plum bomb.
I agree with Eric about a dubbel or quad. I believe that 1762 throws a good bit of clove which it sounds you would like in this beer, as I would. I looked at my notes for the plum mead we started last fall. We used 14.5 # of fresh ripe Italian plumbs for 5 gallons
. Its not bottled yet but the plum flavor was assertive after primary. I really think this beer has potential.
Sierra Nevada did a quad on plums. I loved it. SN Ovila Quad w/plums
Plums contain a fair amount of sorbitol which is not fermentable but is sweet.
Hmmm… that certainly explains the whole prune thing
Yeah, the quad with plums sounds a whole lot better to me than trying out compete a roasty stout with plums. It would take a ton in stout. Plus the Belgian yeast he wants would fit right in. I need to brew a quad with plums sometime.
Thanks for all the suggestions! A dubbel or quad with plums definitely sounds like a winning combo. If I have enough plums I may also use them in a stout just for fun. Also, the WY1762 sounds like a good choice for the yeast.
I like the idea of using Caliente hops for their red plum aroma. Sounds like a great addition.
Would I be able to get the recipe for your hoppy Belgian dark ale? It sounds delicious!
Here you go. I went through a phase a couple of years ago where I brewed a bunch of beers that were essentially crosses between an APA and some other style. Most of them were “meh” at best, but the APA-meets-dubbel was one of my biggest successes. I use the Unibroue strain whenever I can, but 1762 would be a good substitute. I ferment in the 63-64F range.
For a 3-gallon batch:
Title: Belgian Dark Ale
Brew Method: BIAB
Style Name: Belgian Specialty Ale
Boil Time: 60 min
Batch Size: 3 gallons (fermentor volume)
Boil Size: 3.5 gallons
Boil Gravity: 1.041
Efficiency: 80% (brew house)
STATS:
Original Gravity: 1.051
Final Gravity: 1.010
ABV (standard): 5.38%
IBU (tinseth): 36.89
SRM (morey): 16.32
FERMENTABLES:
4 lb - Belgian - Pale Ale (78.7%)
0.5 lb - German - Munich Light (9.8%)
0.33 lb - Belgian Candi Syrup - D2 - (late addition) (6.5%)
0.25 lb - Belgian - Special B (4.9%)
HOPS:
0.4 oz - Centennial, Type: Leaf/Whole, AA: 10.2, Use: First Wort, IBU: 15.44
0.25 oz - Motueka, Type: Pellet, AA: 7.2, Use: Boil for 15 min, IBU: 6.14
0.25 oz - Centennial, Type: Leaf/Whole, AA: 10.2, Use: Boil for 10 min, IBU: 5.78
0.5 oz - Caliente, Type: Leaf/Whole, AA: 15.3, Use: Boil for 5 min, IBU: 9.53
0.5 oz - Caliente, Type: Leaf/Whole, AA: 15.3, Use: Boil for 0 min
1 oz - Caliente, Type: Leaf/Whole, AA: 15.3, Use: Dry Hop for 7 days
0.33 oz - Centennial, Type: Leaf/Whole, AA: 10.2, Use: Dry Hop for 7 days
0.33 oz - Motueka, Type: Pellet, AA: 7.4, Use: Dry Hop for 7 days
MASH GUIDELINES:
YEAST:
Wyeast - WY3864 (Canadian/Belgian)
TARGET WATER PROFILE:
Profile Name: Hoppy Bitter Profile
Ca2: 110
Mg2: 10
Na: 20
Cl: 20
SO4: 250
HCO3: 55
This sounds like a great recipe! I plan on starting to ferment in corny kegs so it will fit easily. Thanks again 