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Fruit additions

I'm planning on doing a strawberry ale (extract based, with fresh fruit). My gf's family has a farm and strawberries are in season (later i'll get some rasberries and black berries, but it's not time yet).

I have never done fruit and have read a little about how to do it (i've read a little) so i'm looking for some experience. All i've decided is so far is light extract to a sg of around 1.050-1.060. I don't want to overpower the berries.

So how much should i add (i know it depends on how much I want to taste them, but what have others added)? I was thinking 5 pounds of strawberries.

what about pasteurizing? I know not to boil (due to pectin), so steep them at 150 degrees? Blanch them in boiling water (ie dip them in quickly), or maybe mash them with some metabisulphate a day before?

And for the last questions: hops. I can get basically any hops but what would match alright? I was thinking a light hopping with cascade, with no aroma hops.

and for the last question: primary, secondary or both for the fruit addition?

Reply to
stephen
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Strawberries are very light flavored...5 lb. will be just barely noticable

Nope...freeze 'em, then thaw them a day before using to break down the cell wall structure. Put them in your secondary fermenter and rack the beer opn top. Under no circumstances would I heat the fruit first...besides destroying a lot fo flavor and arom, it just isn't necessary. By the time you get to secondary, the alcohol and low pH of the beer make it extremely resistant to infection.

Keep the hopping low, especially no aroma hops like you say...it doesn't matter much what variety you usesince it's for bittering at a low level only

Secondary

------------>Denny

Reply to
Denny Conn

thanks denny!

so i guess i'll do 10 pounds in the secondary if not more, frozen and defrosted.

For hopping I assume under 20 IBU's?

Reply to
stephen

That should do it!

That's where I'd keep it.

--------->Denny

Reply to
Denny Conn

When doing it this way, is it necessary to mash the fruit at all, in order to expose more of the fruit to the fermenting beer?

Derek

Reply to
Derek Sherman

Certainly couldn't hurt...the freezing kinda does that anyway, but I suspect more would be better.

---------->Denny

Reply to
Denny Conn

I imagine freezing, thawing and refreezing multiple times would have this effect. Sort of like when you thaw a roast out, then decide not to cook it, and stick it back in the freezer. When you do go to use it you've got meat-mush.

Reply to
Bill O'Meally

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