Puna Noni Sour

Time for some Radical Brewing!  When Bryan came to visit us from Oahu I asked him to bring an interesting and wild Hawaiian ingredient. Noni juice is what arrived. The noni fruit is loaded with carbs, dietary fiber, and a host of other micronutrients and phytochemicals. The Puna Noni juice label describes the product as a nutrient supplement with a suggested daily dose of about 1oz (should be about an ounce per serving of beer in the final product). Searching the web, you can find several noni homeopathic applications none of which have been thoroughly investigated.  From urinary tract infections to cancer inhibitors, noni juice seems to have a number of health benefits.  This beer might be the cure you're looking for! Apparently, the juice is already fermented prior to bottling so there might already be some interesting critters in the juice.  This would also explain why I didn't see a jump in OG after adding the juice.  For better or worse, I applied the juice after the boil so as not to disrupt the funkiness already present in this concoction.

Puna Noni Juice

This has got to be radical brewing, right Randy Mosher?  This fruit develops a strong odor as it ripens that give it nicknames like "cheese fruit" and "vomit fruit".  You'd never think that this species is in the coffee family!  According to the noni Wikipedia article, people will only eat this fruit during times of famine.  Well, let's see how it does in a homebrew.  Should be an interesting experiment and I have several glass carboys that are screaming for long-term projects.

Noni Fruit, Morinda citrifolia

Puna Noni Sour

Specialty Beer

BJCP: 23A	Date: 12/20/2011
Type: All Grain	Brewer: Sean
Batch Size: 5.00 gal	Asst Brewer:
Boil Time: 90 min	Equipment: Chillindamos Brewhaus
Est Original Gravity: 1.061 SG	Measured Original Gravity: 1.059 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.017 SG	Measured Final Gravity: 1.010 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 5.9 %	Actual Alcohol by Vol: 6.4 %
IBUs (Tinseth’s): 38.1 IBUs	Est Color: 14.3 SRM
Total Hop Weight: 3.80 oz	Calories: 196.2 kcal/12oz
Description: The noni juice is dark brown and very aromatic. The flavor and aroma are hard to describe since I haven't had anything like this before. Definitely funky! Should put most recipes found in "Radical Brewing" in the tame category. I'll categorize this brew in BJCP Category 23 - Specialty Brew for its unusual and exotic fermented fruit ingredient and no definitive baseline style.
Ingredients Amt Name Type # %/IBU 8.40 gal SD/RO 50/50 Water 1 - 0.50 tbsp pH 5.2 Stabilizer (Mash 90.0 mins) Water Agent 2 - 8 lbs Pilsner (2 Row) Ger (2.0 SRM) Grain 3 65.6 % 4 lbs Munich Malt (9.0 SRM) Grain 4 32.8 % 3.2 oz Carafa II (412.0 SRM) Grain 5 1.6 % 1.60 oz Tettnang [4.10 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 6 24.5 IBUs 1.00 Items Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 mins) Fining 7 - 1.20 oz Saaz [3.80 %] - Boil 15.0 min Hop 8 8.4 IBUs 1.00 oz Saaz [3.80 %] - Boil 10.0 min Hop 9 5.1 IBUs 1.0 pkg Belgian Saison I Ale (White Labs #WLP565) [35.49 ml] Yeast 10 - 3.00 qt Puna Noni Juice (Primary 0.0 mins) Flavor 11 - 2.0 pkg Belgian Sour Mix 1 (White Labs #WLP655) [50.28 ml] [Add to Secondary] Yeast 12 -
Mash Steps Name Description Step Temperature Step Time Mash In Add 13.42 qt of water at 173.8 F 152.0 F 90 min
Mash Type: Single Infusion, Medium Body, No Mash Out	Total Grain Weight: 12 lbs 3.2 oz
Sparge Temperature: 168.0 F	Pre-boil Volume: 5.95 gal
Days in Primary: 14.00	Primary Temperature: 65.0 F
Days in Secondary: 365.00	Secondary Temperature: 60.0 F
Days in Tertiary: 7.00	Tertiary Temperature: 65.0 F
Carbonation Type: Keg	Volumes of CO2: 2.3
Pressure/Weight: 12.54 PSI	Carbonation Used: Keg with 12.54 PSI
Keg/Bottling Temperature: 45.0 F	Storage Temperature: 60.0 F
Notes: Added noni juice directly to the primary just before pitching WLP565. Saison I yeast was choosen for its known ability as an underachiever leaving food behind for the sour blend to do its work. 60 seconds of oxygen via diffusion stone also applied prior to pitching. No yeast starter used, single vial only. Started ferment at 65°F and insulated well to allow free-rise.  I will not ramp up the temperature like most saison fermentation profiles. Instead, I will let 565 do what it can before racking to secondary and pitching two vials of WLP655 Belgian Sour Mix I. Then, it will sit for a year.
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Image Source:
Rodríguez, Wilfredo. Noni Fruit (Morinda Citrifolia).jpg. 2008. Photograph. Morinda Citrifolia. Wikipedia.org, 15 Oct. 2008. Web. 21 Dec. 2011. .