Working with Fruit Puree

[stoneybrew]

I'm looking to do a Raspberry wheat beer and planning on using some of the Oregon Brand Fruit Puree. Any suggestions on the best time to add it if I want a good fruit flavor, but have it still taste like beer? I've seen about a 50/50 split for primary vs. secondary. Are there drawbacks to either?

Thanks for the advice.
~Stoney

[fitz]

Personally, I would add it in at the primary stage just because you have more room for the activity. If you put it in the carboy, you may have a volcano of beer if you aren't really careful. As I stated in a previous thread about lactose, if you are making fruit beers, and you don't have much fruit flavor, try to add some lactose to "sweeten" the beer some. That is what you have to do with wine to "get the fruit flavor back" once the yeast has eaten all the sugar.

[stoneybrew]

Thanks for the feedback. I'll give it a go.

[Elwood]

Stoney,
How did it go?

I'm brewing a blackberry wheat this week using the Oregon puree as well. I was planning on letting the primary ferment for a few days, until it begins to slow, then add the fruit. Then rack it to the secondary when fermentation is finished. This seemed a decent alternative to a blow off tube... or crudding up an airlock.