7 replies to this topic

[Poptop]

Fellas,
I've been sitting on a Saison I made where I added a pound each of chopped dried plums and raisins. It has a very pleasant flavor as is, mellow with only hints of the dried fruits. I think the flavor is going to deepen over some more time and I'm considering bottling. I've come up with the notion of adding X amount of either a nice dry Sherry or Tawny Port to the batch, sort of spruce it up even further for the holidays and also give it more of a carbonation that what I would get from kegging. Do you think I'd run the risk of bombs because the residual yeast would attack the Sherry/Port sugar?

[neddles]

Seems like there could be risk in either direction. I would also be worried about sulfites in the fortified wines inhibiting refermentation. Maybe not a big deal in small quantities but there's only one way to find out if it works or not. I'm not really sure what the sugars are in sherry or port but I would guess, as you have, that they are fermentable. Long story short... I have no idea what to tell you to do!

[Poptop]

Seems like there could be risk in either direction. I would also be worried about sulfites in the fortified wines inhibiting refermentation. Maybe not a big deal in small quantities but there's only one way to find out if it works or not. I'm not really sure what the sugars are in sherry or port but I would guess, as you have, that they are fermentable. Long story short... I have no idea what to tell you to do!

neddles, indecision may or may not be your problem I'm thinking the kegging route will be the safest approach should I incorporate either spirit......

[neddles]

neddles, indecision may or may not be your problem I'm thinking the kegging route will be the safest approach should I incorporate either spirit......

Indecision and incomplete knowledge.

[Poptop]

I know the feeling

[armagh]

Sherry is fortified after fermentation is completed, and while it has residual sugar, the neutral brandy used to fortify would probably overwhelm the residual beer yeast.  Port is fortified during fermentation and has a greater concentration of residual sugar.  Either way, you are adding a fortified beverage of high gravity (11-13% for sherry and 19-22% for port)  relative to beer and I don't think beer yeast could compete.

[Poptop]

Thanks Armagh, so I shouldn't incur any real issue to add (some) and sugar as I normally would for bottling correct?

[armagh]

If I were adding fortified wine to a beer at packaging, I would keg and carb.  Only way to be sure.