Brewing beer with apples is best done by avoiding the whole apple altogether, and by adding its juices at different times during the process.
For a standard 5-gallon batch of homebrewed beer, add apple flavor by adding ½ gallon of apple juice or cider to your wort when there are about 20 minutes left in the boil.
Types of beers that are good with apple added to the recipe: – American Lager / Pilsner – American Pale Ale – American Amber Ale – American Brown Ale – Fruited Sour Ale – Belgian-style or American Tripel
The most popular and accessible method of including apples in your beer recipe is to use frozen apple juice. Apple juice won’t leave the same sediment in your beer as a whole apple would, and it tastes just the same.
Instead of whole apples, your best bet is to use frozen apple juice. You’ll want at least half a gallon of juice per 5-gallon batch. The more juice you use, the stronger your apple flavor will be.
– Add juice/cider to fermentation This will cause a secondary fermentation that you will have to wait to finish, but it’s much better than using whole apples. Add the juice or cider to your beer during primary fermentation.