This beer was a split batch where half was aged on
raspberries and the other half on fresh loquats from the tree in my front yard.
The raspberry half was ready a while ago; however the loquat part took longer
to develop. When I first tried it there was harsh acidity that I figured would
eventually fade. My guess is it probably came from the skin of the loquats or
perhaps some mysterious native yeast. I just let it sit for a little longer and
eventually it was ready to go.
This was my first time working with fruit that I didn’t
freeze nor wash. I still think that freezing the fruit is good for extraction,
but it will harm any yeast or bacteria that are on the skin of the fruit. It
will be interesting to see if the character changes overtime due to possible
local yeast being introduced to the beer.
Appearance: Pours
a straw yellow with slight haze and a fluffy white head with moderate
retention.
Aroma: Citrus
acidity with small notes of barrel vanilla and a slightly apricot like aroma. There
isn’t much loquat coming through, but they don’t have much aroma to begin with,
especially when they’re young.
Flavor: Citrus
like lactic acidity that is bright and upfront. The finish has a slightly
corny/grainy finish, which in my past experience will eventually fade with
time. There is a slight loquat flavor, which comes across as kind of a peach
and apricot flavor. I think if they had more time on the tree then the flavor
would be more apparent, but I didn’t have time for that and it wasn’t a good
crop last year. They more mostly tart as opposed to fruity. Surprisingly there
is still some barrel flavor coming through on the back end.
Mouthfeel: Light
body, bright acidity with moderately high carbonation and a dry tannic finish.
Overall: I’m
pleased with the base beer itself, but I would have liked more of a loquat
presence. As I stated above I think they needed more time on the tree and I probably
could have used a higher percentage in the finished beer. Beyond that the beer
is easy to drink, albit maybe a bit too acidic, but no more acidic than a
gueuze.
