Experience with Guavas?

Discussions of fruits, veggies and grains other then just mashing

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Twisted Brick
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Experience with Guavas?

Post by Twisted Brick »

My neighbor has offered me the impending fruit from his guava tree. I have no idea what kind of guavas they are, only that they are sweet and very fragrant. It appears his lone tree may produce +300 3.5oz fruits.

From the limited info available on guava wine/brandy production (including members), they have worked mainly with either pineapple guavas or California strawberry guavas (feijoa) with positive results. My initial plan is to ferment the fruit with nutrients, a small amount of sugar, and EC-1118 yeast. Here is one write-up for guava wine.

My question is: are there any members who have experience and can advise if the fruits can simply be washed and cut up, brought to temp in water and chopped up with a mud mixer?

Thanks in advance.

TB
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Guava pulp.jpg
100gm fruit
100gm fruit
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Re: Experience with Guavas?

Post by greggn »

Twisted Brick wrote: Sat Oct 09, 2021 3:44 pm My question is: are there any members who have experience and can advise if the fruits can simply be washed and cut up, brought to temp in water and chopped up with a mud mixer?

Sorry, I have no experience with guavas but just looking at those photos makes me think "mead."
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Re: Experience with Guavas?

Post by MihiT »

I've fermented fejoa but not sure it's the same thing you're thinking of.
Scooped the guts out into a pillowcase and gave the old toe-jam mash in a fishbin. All wild ferment/enzymes.
Makes a damn tasty liqour.
And a good cider. Bit tart so need some unfermentables/sweetners
Think I also did some as a vinegar but wasn't so successful.

Guava should go nicely, I've never had enough to bother so just scoff the fruit.
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Re: Experience with Guavas?

Post by Deplorable »

I'm interested in this little project of yours. I'll follow along since I've never even eaten a fresh Guava, much less had any thing made from fermented Guava.
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Twisted Brick
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Re: Experience with Guavas?

Post by Twisted Brick »

Thanks for the input guys. I think I'll take up the offer and store the ripe fruit in the fridge until I have enough to ferment. I'll assess the first batch yield and go from there.
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NZChris
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Re: Experience with Guavas?

Post by NZChris »

You could do a small experiment first. If it looked successful you could use it for a starter. I've got a small experiment with a different fruit going right now and it's looking very likely that it won't be suitable for distilling.

I have cherry guavas, (Psidium cattleyanum), here, the climate is slightly too cold for yours. I've never successfully fermented anything to drink out of them.

Pineapple guavas are juicer than both, but they are still a mongrel to press to get juice or wine of them.
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Twisted Brick
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Re: Experience with Guavas?

Post by Twisted Brick »

NZChris wrote: Mon Oct 11, 2021 11:37 am You could do a small experiment first. If it looked successful you could use it for a starter. I've got a small experiment with a different fruit going right now and it's looking very likely that it won't be suitable for distilling.

I have cherry guavas, (Psidium cattleyanum), here, the climate is slightly too cold for yours. I've never successfully fermented anything to drink out of them.

Pineapple guavas are juicer than both, but they are still a mongrel to press to get juice or wine of them.
The prospect of pulping/juicing the guavas is not high on my list. Good idea on a test to determine if fermenting on the skin is a viable approach.
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Re: Experience with Guavas?

Post by NZChris »

We have a steam juicer that I've used on cherry guavas and pineapple guavas, but I've never fermented the juice. We make jelly from the cherry guavas and ice cubes for G&Ts from the pineapple guavas. It would work equally well on the big pink guavas, but I doubt we'll ever get more than we can eat.
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Re: Experience with Guavas?

Post by leont »

Twisted Brick wrote: Sat Oct 09, 2021 3:44 pm My neighbor has offered me the impending fruit from his guava tree. I have no idea what kind of guavas they are, only that they are sweet and very fragrant. It appears his lone tree may produce +300 3.5oz fruits.

From the limited info available on guava wine/brandy production (including members), they have worked mainly with either pineapple guavas or California strawberry guavas (feijoa) with positive results. My initial plan is to ferment the fruit with nutrients, a small amount of sugar, and EC-1118 yeast. Here is one write-up for guava wine.

My question is: are there any members who have experience and can advise if the fruits can simply be washed and cut up, brought to temp in water and chopped up with a mud mixer?

Thanks in advance.

TB
.
Guava pulp.jpg
Guava Exterior.jpg
It's been a lot time since your post here, but I wonder about your result! I've never done something with guava so I am interested to read how it was. Thank you!
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Twisted Brick
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Re: Experience with Guavas?

Post by Twisted Brick »

Hi Leon,

Unfortunately, this project never got off the ground, er tree! The labor required to remove the seeds was prohibitive, along with a less-than-stellar yield of pulp.
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Re: Experience with Guavas?

Post by Tōtōchtin »

I don't know if it will work but this summer I wanted to try guavas or patayas in a fruit brandy. My plans are to ferment a guanabana and distill that. Then cut that to 30% to run through a couple of thumper s mixed whole guavas and the pulp of passion fruit. I think that would deliver more flavor then maceration. If it doesn't come out right I'll mix it with some rum feints.
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