Kreik ale?

[beer gut]

Hi all I am going to brew a Kreik ale and I need some advice on how much sugar will i gain from the cherries. My plan is to use 5kg of fresh cherries and to add the crushed cherries to beer on the last three days of fermentation and then leave to stand with the cherries for 3 weeks, what I need a little advice on is how much sugar/ gravity extra will I get from my cherries?

[jmc]

This link any good?
Cherry Carbohydrate

According to that 100g cherries have 12g carbohydrate, 120g per 1kg, so 600g in 5kg.

I'd say that's max value if all available as fermentable sugars, though if you added some lactic mix to it they'd probably eat everything that's available.

[beer gut]

Hi jmc that link was help as was your post. They have alot less sugar than I thought if calculations are correct I am looking at a extra 5 gravity with the cherries. Thanx again

[bigdave]

Just out of interest, how are you going to sterilise your cherries? surely just chucking them in the FV risks infection

[beer gut]

Hi I have washed them and put them in the freezer for 1 to 2 months which will help to kill the bacteria and if you chuck them in to the fermentation bucket while it is still fermenting that will kill the rest of the bacteria and by the last of the few days of the fermentation the ph is higher as is the alcohol which also protects the ale. if you use chemicals it runs the risk of tainting the ale taste.

[EoinMag]

Hi I have washed them and put them in the freezer for 1 to 2 months which will help to kill the bacteria and if you chuck them in to the fermentation bucket while it is still fermenting that will kill the rest of the bacteria and by the last of the few days of the fermentation the ph is higher as is the alcohol which also protects the ale. if you use chemicals it runs the risk of tainting the ale taste.

What type of cherries are you using? If you are using normal eating cherries there's a danger it will have a medicinal twang. If you use kriek cherries from Belgium that won't happen.

[beer gut]

Hi I am not sure but they are black colour. I did not know that I am going to use black cherry flavour from the home brewing store hop and grape. I have been told that the cherry stone gives a marzapan taste to the ale.

[EoinMag]

if you use normal cherries and not kriek cherries there is a risk that you will end up with a synthetic/medicinal type cherry taste. This is why special cherries are used in fermentation.
The flavour that you associate with artificial cherry tastes appears to be the real thing when extracted.