Adding fruit to secondary, how to sanitize the fruit?
If someone were to add fruit to secondary fermentation to add fruit flavor and aroma to a brew, how would you sanitize the fruit? do you need to sanitize the fruit? what if you used frozen pasturized fruit?
Beer in question is a generic "Wheat Beer", fruit I'm planning to use is "Rasberry"
I'm thinking 5 pounds of pastuerized frozen berries to 5 gallon batch added to the secondary fermentor.
Or, would I be better off "crushing" the 5 pounds of rasberries and adding just the juice to the secondary fermentor?
If someone were to add fruit to secondary fermentation to add fruit flavor and aroma to a brew, how would you sanitize the fruit? do you need to sanitize the fruit? what if you used frozen pasturized fruit?
Beer in question is a generic "Wheat Beer", fruit I'm planning to use is "Rasberry"
I'm thinking 5 pounds of pastuerized frozen berries to 5 gallon batch added to the secondary fermentor.
Or, would I be better off "crushing" the 5 pounds of rasberries and adding just the juice to the secondary fermentor?
-Tom
Sometimes people do a quick blanching of the fruit, others don't worry about doing anything. Just add the fruit to secondary. The alcohol content of the beer inhibits nasties from infecting it.
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I have found that with blackberries, freezing them, then thawing them in a pan & heating to 160F for 15 minutes totally destroys the berries' structure for maximum juice release. This also pasturizes them.
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I have found that with blackberries, freezing them, then thawing them in a pan & heating to 160F for 15 minutes totally destroys the berries' structure for maximum juice release. This also pasturizes them.
good idea. never heard of it done that way before.....
As soon as some fresh fruit comes into season, leanig towards peaches, I am going to make a fruit weizen. I plan on making a course puree to add to the secondary and using campden tablets to sanitize the must prior to racking. After secondary fermentation, filter with a 20 micron filter. I am currently debating using a traditional weizen yeast or a neutral ale yeast. I know there are mixed opinions using sulfites in beer but I liked to see if there is any difference not cooking the fruit to sanitize.
So it sounds as if using frozen fruit, thawing it, heating to 160 deg. F. in small amount of water, holding at that temp. for 15 minutes, then putting it in a grain bag or large hop bag, and squeezzing all the juice out and putting that juice in the secondary to ferment out with the beer would add the fruit flavor and aroma I so much seek?
Seems to me that using just the juice would prevent racking problems if using whole fruit (pulp, seeds, ect..., in pick-up tube).
Or is it better to just dump the "sanitized" fruit into the secondary and rack the beer from the primary fermentor on top of it?
BTW: this beer is for the "ladies", I call it........"Liquid Panty Remover"
Simple, Clean, and fruity tasting, with no hoppy aftertaste!
Seems to me that using just the juice would prevent racking problems if using whole fruit (pulp, seeds, ect..., in pick-up tube).
Or is it better to just dump the "sanitized" fruit into the secondary and rack the beer from the primary fermentor on top of it?
With my Blueberry wheat I used dried blueberries, rehydrated them in 160f water for about an hour then pitched then straight into the secondary. I racked it to a 3rd fermenter just to let some of the "chunks" settle out and didnt have a single problem in the entire process. In fact i checked the beer tonight and as soon as I get done with some stuff around here that I cant avoid I'm gonna be bottling it.
Remember when you add the juice or fruit you will get another ferment with noticable airlock activity. I didnt get a second krausen but with the airlock activity it wouldnt have shocked me if I did.
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Adding fruit to secondary, how to sanitize the fruit?
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