First time brewing a Strawberry wheat

Well, I already have my wheat beer in the primary, it's a week in and almost ready for the fruit to be added.

Now, here's the question. When and how to add the fruit? First, I decided to go with frozen strawberries due to it not being strawberry season and I don't want to use an extract. Plus bursting of cell walls inside the fruit an what not. But how should I sanitize the fruit, I don't want to steep them because I don't want to lose that flavor. Can I bake them? If so, how should I do this?


Next, I was contemplating adding half of the strawberries into the primary fermenter and let the yeast work on it. Once that fermentation subsides I want to rack to a secondary an add the rest of the fruit. Once that's done I would let it sit and "clear" up(it will be hazy regardless due to being a wheat) then once it's time to bottle ill use a filter between my beer And siphon to keep as much junk out Of the final product.

Thoughts?

The best way I have found to maintain the fruit flavor is to add them after the fermentation has slowed down. Typically 3-5 days after pitching. Before adding them I glad pasturise them. It's the same process that milk goes through. In the morning, add the berries and about 1/4 cup of water to a sauce pan. Bring the temperature up to 160 on medium heat. put the lid on and tuen the heat off. Give it a few minutes to cool down then put it in the fridge. That evening dump it all into the fermenter.

Mind posting your recipe?

Here is the Raspberry Cream ale that is fermenting now:
http://woodlandbrew.blogspot.com/2012/10/raspberry-cream-ale.html

the Raspberry UFO clone is going up on the blog in two days. I've brewed some others, and some with strawberries as well, but don't have the recipes written up.

I brewed a basic wheat beer and primaried for two weeks. Then I mashed up seven pounds of frozen strawberries and let em soak in there for a week. Came out AMAZING! Tastes like eating fresh strawberries. I kegged my batch.

sok454 said:

Mind posting your recipe?

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Let me clarify, I kept saying wheat. (I may still be drunk from the giants WS win. hah) It's a German hefeweizen.

Partial mash/specialty grains
1.5 lbs German pils
1 lbs wheat malt

Ingredients
5lbs Dry wheat malt

Boiling hops
60 min - German saphir
30 min - German saphir

Yeast
Hefeweizen A6

WoodlandBrew said:

The best way I have found to maintain the fruit flavor is to add them after the fermentation has slowed down. Typically 3-5 days after pitching. Before adding them I glad pasturise them. It's the same process that milk goes through. In the morning, add the berries and about 1/4 cup of water to a sauce pan. Bring the temperature up to 160 on medium heat. put the lid on and tuen the heat off. Give it a few minutes to cool down then put it in the fridge. That evening dump it all into the fermenter.

Click to expand...

1/4 cup water to how many lbs?

Last time i think it was 2 lbs in a 2 quart pan. The water is just to keep the berries from scorching on the bottom of the pan, so it is more dependant on the size out your pan. You want enough water to cover the bottom an eight to a quarter inch.