Last year I experimented with three small batches of Backyard Harvest Pale Ale: one with peaches, one with apricots and one with jalapeños. The apricot batch turned out the best, so this year I’m doing a 5 gallon batch of Apricot Pale Ale. We grew the apricots and all the hops for this batch.
The recipe is very similar to last year’s. This time I’m only using the cascade hops we grew, and I’m adding the apricots to primary instead of secondary. I didn’t bother trying to sterilize the fruit since I dumped the scalding hot wort on top of them in the fermenter before chilling and pitching the yeast. I’ll be kegging this batch instead of bottling.
Apricots are ready to pick.
Picking apricots
Rinsing the apricots
Removing the pits from the apricots.
Apricots were frozen until the hops were ready.
Picking cascade hops.
Cascade hops.
Once we picked enough hops for the batch it was brew day! The grains and yeast were purchased at the local home brew shop. I think real breweries puree their fruit, but that sounded messy so we just cut the apricots in half, removed the pits, and put them in a mesh bag.
Picking up ingredients at the home brew shop.
Getting ingredients ready.
The most glamorous step of brew day: cleaning.
Almost ready to mash out.
Sparging
Clarify. Chill. Ferment. Spent grain.
After a week of fermentation I pulled out the bag of soggy apricots, transferred the beer to another fermenter, and added more cascade hops.
Racking and dry hopping the beer.
In a couple days I’ll keg the beer and let it condition for a couple weeks. Check back in early October for tasting notes and the recipe!
