Brewing with Jam

[agentgonzo]

OK, weird idea that came about in a conversation with my housemate that went weird because we have too much jam in the house.

What do you think of using jam/conserve when making a fruit beer. You have to add a lot of strawberries to make a fruit beer taste of strawberries, and the taste in jam is already concentrated. It already contains a lot of sugar to ferment away too, so obviously, you'd need to take this into account when formulating the recipe. As the jam's already pastuerised, you can add it at the end of the boil or into the fermenter so you don't need to add it to the boil where you'll boil away a lot of the nice flavours.

Any ideas? Is this as crazy as it sounds?

[Rookie]

If you are okay with the sugar that is in jam there is no reason not to use it.

[edit1now]

We've put jam in TC a couple of times - we had several jars of homemade Morello cherry anno 2001, a bit like tar, as in you couldn't get it out of the jar. Boiled-up in some water to dilute to a sensible OG, and mixed with AJ. Most of the fruit flavours disappeared during fermentation, unfortunately.

Maybe put some (lots?) just before the end of the boil, so it's been boiled again for sterility, or just chuck some straight from a sealed jar into the fermenter? The Belgian fruit beers like framboise (strawberry version of kriek) and framboise brown ale (e.g. Liefmans) get a lot of crushed raw fruit in the secondary fermenter, I think. We're talking 15kg in 50 litres, if I remember Michael Jackson correctly.

[Buzz]

And there's me thinking you've got Paul Weller coming over for a brewday. I'll get my coat...

[EportJake]

And there's me thinking you've got Paul Weller coming over for a brewday. I'll get my coat...

Ha ha