Should I bother with Stawberries?

At work we're growing ~10 non-traditional varieties that are very good but not necessarily commercially viable- the point is I can get all the free, great tasting strawberries I want. I like fruit beers, but have not tried strawberry beer. I just can't imagine it being that great. It seems like you would mainly just get the tartness w/o the sweetness/berry flavor.

Radical brewing: "Strawberries rarely live up to their promise."

Should I not bother and just eat the tasty berries until I puke? Or are they worth trying?
Anybody w/experience on what flavors I can expect from a stawberry brew?

You could try them in a wheat. The flavor's not all that strong, so it would have to be something pretty mild as a base beer. There are a few commercial strawberry wheat brews that should be out pretty soon for summer (if they aren't out now), try a few and see if it's something you like.

What about doing a melomel (a fruit mead)?

I have mine going right now, Im thinking of racking again tomorrow. Ill let you know how it is. So far it smells very good.

I've heard that a little stawberry goes a long way.

I would think that you could do a decent strawberry hefe or strawberry cream ale.

This is from the Brewmaster's Bible. I think its supposed to be an ESB, but they hops aren't typical for the style. Personally, I'd pasturize the stawberries instead of using the campden tablet. Also, I think they are using a lot of strawberries because it is only staying on the fruit for a short time.

Strawberry Patch Ale
3.3 lb light unhopped LME
2 lb light DME
8 lb chopped strawberries
8 oz. malto-dextrine
1 oz. Tettnanger pellet hops (45 minute boil)
1/2 oz. Hallertau pellet hops (finishing)
1 Tblsp. Irish moss
1 campden tablet
1/4 tsp. pectic enzyme
Ale Yeast or Wyeast 1968 (London ESB)

1. steep strawberries in water with crushed campden tablet and pectic enzyme for 24 hours.
2. Do a partial boil with 1.5 to 2.5 gallons of water with the LME and DME.
3. Add tettnanger hops for 45 minute boil.
4. Add Irish moss for 15 minute boil
5. Add malto-dextrine for 5 minute boil
6. Add hallertau hops at end of boil for a 15 minute steep in hot wort.
7. Rack wort to primary on top of strawberries.
8. Top off to 5.5 gallons
9. Pitch at 80F
10. Rack to a new primary after 3 or 4 days and finish fermenting.

OG = 1.047

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Or you could take a break from beer and do a strawberry mead.

ok well you got my interest so I went and stole a sample. well im not impressed with it so far. But I usually think my beers don't taste to good until bottled. It has a great smell. But not too much of a detectable strawberry taste. Just a little tart. Im not sure what im going to think of this one. I used 5# BTW.

I tried the Albita Strawberry Lager.

It's not that good. Tastes like they brewed it with strawberry tea in place of water. But since you can get them for free, I say use a TON of strawberries, like maybe 3 or 4 lbs per gallon. Because you can...

Damn Squirrels said:

But since you can get them for free, I say use a TON of strawberries, like maybe 3 or 4 lbs per gallon. Because you can...

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Yeah don't be shy with the berries. I used to help out at a micro that brewed a Strawberry Wheat...on the first attempt, they put 300 lb of berries in a 30-bbl batch (1.6 lb per 5 gal). Two weeks, no strawberry taste. 300 more pounds of berries, 2 more weeks...slightest hint of berry flavor. They ended up adding strawberry extract.

I'd split the batch (or brew 2) and strawberry the heck out of half. If you overshoot, you can always blend the finished beers to tone it down a little.

Bike N Brew said:

Yeah don't be shy with the berries. I used to help out at a micro that brewed a Strawberry Wheat...on the first attempt, they put 300 lb of berries in a 30-bbl batch (1.6 lb per 5 gal). Two weeks, no strawberry taste. 300 more pounds of berries, 2 more weeks...slightest hint of berry flavor. They ended up adding strawberry extract.

I'd split the batch (or brew 2) and strawberry the heck out of half. If you overshoot, you can always blend the finished beers to tone it down a little.

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This kind of confirms my suspicion, which is probably the reason for the "stay away". Use a lot and keep the recipe very simple to allow them to stand out.

zoebisch01 said:

This kind of confirms my suspicion, which is probably the reason for the "stay away". Use a lot and keep the recipe very simple to allow them to stand out.

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I used 8 pounds in a 5 gal batch, it was ok. Not something i will brew again.

If you have the ability to force carb it might work to use camden and sulfites then add the berries and carb.

the_bird said:

You could try them in a wheat. The flavor's not all that strong, so it would have to be something pretty mild as a base beer. There are a few commercial strawberry wheat brews that should be out pretty soon for summer (if they aren't out now), try a few and see if it's something you like.

What about doing a melomel (a fruit mead)?

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Oh a whim I bought a sixer if Michelob's Bavarian Wheat. I cut up a strawberry and dropped it in out of boredom. It wasn't bad I suppose...won't do it again though. However, if it were part of the brew I would be curious to try.

Michelob makes a bavarian wheat, eh? hrm...

feedthebear said:

I've heard that a little stawberry goes a long way.

I would think that you could do a decent strawberry hefe or strawberry cream ale.

This is from the Brewmaster's Bible. I think its supposed to be an ESB, but they hops aren't typical for the style. Personally, I'd pasturize the stawberries instead of using the campden tablet. Also, I think they are using a lot of strawberries because it is only staying on the fruit for a short time.


Or you could take a break from beer and do a strawberry mead.

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This is the recipe I made, I'd agree with the pastuerization instead of campden as well.

DeathBrewer said:

Michelob makes a bavarian wheat, eh? hrm...

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Yippers. It isn't too bad for a BMC either. I'd deffo buy it again for lack of choice.

Bavarian Wheat

I've made a wheat beer using every fruit I can get my hands on - strawberries included that's quite good. I wasn't crazy about the apple version but some people liked it. You didn't say if it was to be all grain or extract so I'm guessing extract.


Deejay's Special Wheat For Fruits
Extracts
1.5 lbs - Dry Pale Malt Extract
1.5 lbs – Wheat Dry Malt Extract

Specialty Grains
2 oz Victory malt Grains
2 oz Crystal (10L) malt Grains place together in 1 grain bag
2 oz Cara Pils malt Grains

Hops
1 oz Hallertaur hops (bittering) - place in 2nd grain bag or rinse and re-use other grain bag

Fruit and Honey
2 lbs. Frozen Strawberries - Thawed
1 cup of honey

Other
1 teaspoon Irish Moss (optional – this is for removing cloudiness)

1 Cooper Ale Yeast mixed in 1 cup of Pale Malt extract for 1 hour

Brewing Instructions:

1) Place 1-1/2 gallons water in pot, bring up to 155F. Add grains and steep for 30 minutes.
2) Raise heat to 200 degrees, add DME’s and dissolve well. Remove heat.
3) Add Hops for 15 Minutes then remove.
4) Add strawberries, honey and steep for 1 hour. Remove fruit.
5) Add 1 tsp Irish moss for 10 minutes.
6) Cool wort to 90 degrees and strain to fermentor.
Note: The fruit is still edible rinse and store for eating later.
7) Fill fermentor to 2.5 gallon line and roll around to mix and aerate wort.
8) Pitch yeast starter at 80 F

Wow. So many replies. Thanks. I do AG, occasionally PM's.

Ryanh1801 said:

ok well you got my interest so I went and stole a sample. well im not impressed with it so far. But I usually think my beers don't taste to good until bottled. It has a great smell. But not too much of a detectable strawberry taste. Just a little tart. Im not sure what im going to think of this one. I used 5# BTW.

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This(above quote) is what I'm afraid of, ....just a little tart. It seems to me if you add a moderate amount you just get the tartness, add tons and all you'd get is strawberry. Seems like what everyone is saying as well. Maybe I will try a melomel. At the very least I will definitely make myself try at least one strawberry beer before brewing. I really appreciate everyone sharing their experiences. You guys rock! :rockin:

Ryanh1801 said:

I have mine going right now, Im thinking of racking again tomorrow. Ill let you know how it is. So far it smells very good.

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THe strawberries are still red - definately not time enough to rack. They should come out looking like someone puked in your bucket.

I used a 6# bag of strawberries in a ~3.5g batch, and the strawberry is VERY pronounced. Now, I'm sure was you get larger batch sizes like the guy doing it in 30 bbl batches, they don't pack as much punch per gallon as a smaller brew, however mine tastes (IMHO) of beautiful sweet strawberries. I used a Saison, and it tastes sort of like a smooth strawberry lemonade, but with a light belgian brew instead of lemonade.

If you can get it, and you like it, certainly brew at least 1 batch, see if you really like it. Or, if you're in the PA/MD/DE/NJ area, ask your local distro to find you a 6-er of Lancaster Brewing Co Strawberry Wheat.

Typically, I'm not a fruity beer kind of guy, but Lancaster's Straw. Wheat is great, and my Strawberry Saison isn't too darn bad either if that's the taste you're going for. Just watch in a Hefe, as the banana/clove flavors may drown out your strawberries if you don't use enough.

That picture is from when I first racked it.

Damn Squirrels said:

I tried the Albita Strawberry Lager.

It's not that good. Tastes like they brewed it with strawberry tea in place of water. But since you can get them for free, I say use a TON of strawberries, like maybe 3 or 4 lbs per gallon. Because you can...

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Smells like vommit doesn't it.... I got half way through a glass and it smelled so bad i couldn't finish it..

landhoney- just figured I would let you know, I went for another taste of this beer tonight. Mainly because I was considering dumping it after that first taste. The tart has almost gone away.. I guess this is the reason they say to take the beer off the fruit for a few weeks. Their is a slight and i mean slight strawberry taste to it now. Im actually starting to think that it might turn into a good batch when it ages a little bit. I would definitely use close to double the amount of strawberry's if I ever try to brew it again. Just figured I would let you know if you are still considering it at all.

Thanks RyanH1801. No I'm no longer considering it.......I'M DOING IT. Now that I've decided to do it I might as well get excited about it. I've got so many strawberries I feel like I have to. I certainly don't want to get sick of strawberries by eating them all. I'm also thinking of doing a recipe other than a wheat, I feel like since I have enough stawberries I could do something with more maltiness that will stand up to the onslaught of berries I plan on using. Or possibly a lambic( I tasted my raspberry lambic today and tastes amazing only 1&1/2 months in) but I don't know what will happen to the red strawberry color over a few months, the raspberry is beautiful deep purple/red so maybe. Or a stawberry belgian; double, tripel, saison? What do you think?
The point is I'm amassing the stawberries in the freezer. 10-12+ pounds so far, more coming next week. I'll decide on the recipe soon.

I just saw this- I don't think strawberry beer would be my thing but I don't like fruit beers.

But, strawberry wine is awesome and I would love to get my hands on a bunch of strawberries just for wine. If you make beer, you have every thing you need for wine, except bottles, corks and a corker and the ingredients. Just a thought!

Yooper Chick said:

I just saw this- I don't think strawberry beer would be my thing but I don't like fruit beers.

But, strawberry wine is awesome and I would love to get my hands on a bunch of strawberries just for wine. If you make beer, you have every thing you need for wine, except bottles, corks and a corker and the ingredients. Just a thought!

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Spoken like a true equipment hoarder!!!!!

landhoney said:

Thanks RyanH1801. No I'm no longer considering it.......I'M DOING IT. Now that I've decided to do it I might as well get excited about it. I've got so many strawberries I feel like I have to. I certainly don't want to get sick of strawberries by eating them all. I'm also thinking of doing a recipe other than a wheat, I feel like since I have enough stawberries I could do something with more maltiness that will stand up to the onslaught of berries I plan on using. Or possibly a lambic( I tasted my raspberry lambic today and tastes amazing only 1&1/2 months in) but I don't know what will happen to the red strawberry color over a few months, the raspberry is beautiful deep purple/red so maybe. Or a stawberry belgian; double, tripel, saison? What do you think?
The point is I'm amassing the stawberries in the freezer. 10-12+ pounds so far, more coming next week. I'll decide on the recipe soon.

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Look in the Belgian recipe section, and pick randomly - add fruit.

For what it's worth, if you look into my Sorachi Saison recipe in the database - I made nearly the exact same recipe, scaled down to 3.5 gallons and used a 5# bag of strawberries. If you were to up it to 5-5.5 gallons, I would use 8-10# berries. Also, if you can't get sorachi ace hops (or don't like them) I would cut them down and use Hallertauer or Tett in it's place.

The sorachi's bring a nice citrus flavor, but at the cost of some 13% AA, so it does tend to 'over hop' the saison if used in high quanities. I would definately tone the hop content down a little bit so that it doesn't mask/collide with the fruit. One of the issues I had with the same recipe using raspberries is that the bitter hop character just doesn't go well with the slightly tarty fruit taste.

Yooper Chick said:

I just saw this- I don't think strawberry beer would be my thing but I don't like fruit beers.

But, strawberry wine is awesome and I would love to get my hands on a bunch of strawberries just for wine. If you make beer, you have every thing you need for wine, except bottles, corks and a corker and the ingredients. Just a thought!

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I work at a research vineyard/winery so not only do I have the equipment, but we're already making strawberry wine. I'm actually not very fond of strawberry wine, even commercial examples. Usually they're too sweet, or the flavors not there. What do your stawberry wines taste like, sweet or dry, etc.? I feel like I'm the opposite of most here - purist when it comes to wine( kits, super sweet fruit wines etc. are not great to me), but I like to experiment with beer.

I don't like sweet wines at all, so all my wines are always done dry. I have sweetened some up to 1.000 (dandelion is one that I've done that to), if needed.

Strawberry is best just off-dry, I think- and I would do it that way. I like table wines, so that's what I make. I've had some sweet strawberry wines that I've found cloying- so I don't ever purchase any commercial fruit wines!

Yooper Chick said:

I don't like sweet wines at all, so all my wines are always done dry. I have sweetened some up to 1.000 (dandelion is one that I've done that to), if needed.

Strawberry is best just off-dry, I think- and I would do it that way. I like table wines, so that's what I make. I've had some sweet strawberry wines that I've found cloying- so I don't ever purchase any commercial fruit wines!

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What would you say the residual sugar levels are in your strawberry wines. I deal in residual sugar and brix in winemaking and specific gravity for my own beermaking so mixing the two is hard for me. I'm curious on what you consider off-dry, and what the residual sugar would be in the 1.000 dandelion wine?We're way off topic, but its my thread so who cares right? Thanks.

Sorry, I don't know the answer. I sweetened it back to 1.000 and I consider that off-dry because it was at .996 or so. I don't know the brix or residual sugar of that. As a guess, though- on my triple hydrometer scale, brix at 0 is equal to 1.000, so I'd guess less than 1% residual sugar. I don't use the brix or balling scale at all, so that would be a guess. Looking at this table: http://www.fermsoft.com/gravbrix.php, it would be less than .26 brix.

Yooper Chick said:

Sorry, I don't know the answer. I sweetened it back to 1.000 and I consider that off-dry because it was at .996 or so. I don't know the brix or residual sugar of that. As a guess, though- on my triple hydrometer scale, brix at 0 is equal to 1.000, so I'd guess less than 1% residual sugar. I don't use the brix or balling scale at all, so that would be a guess. Looking at this table: http://www.fermsoft.com/gravbrix.php, it would be less than .26 brix.

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How much sugar do you add? 1 gram sugar per 100mL = 1% residual sugar. Can you compare the sweetness to something commercial; sauternes, cream sherry, malmsey madeira, anything else? I feel like I'm pestering you, sorry if I am, just tell me to shut my trap and I'll stop. Thanks.

You're not pestering me at all- I love talking about it. Still, I'm not much help. My way of sweetening it (and I'm talking about the dandelion here- I leave most wines bone dry) was to add a simple syrup (regular sugar dissolved in a little water) until it tasted "right" to me. Because of the fruitiness of the dandelion wine, bone dry wasn't right. So I added that syrup a little at a time until it was just a wee bit drier than I wanted (figuring it would taste a bit sweeter after aging in the bottle) then measured the s.g. of that sample. The s.g. was 1.000. One batch, though, was 1.004. I guess it depends on the dandelions or something, I don't know. Anyway, it wasn't the least bit scientific and I can't tell you how much sugar. Of course, there are s.g. calculators (winecalc is one) that will tell you how much sugar to add to a wine to get it to a certain s.g. So, that's my long winded answer to tell you I used the amount of sugar to bring it from .996 to 1.004 in that batch. Of course, I had already sulfited and sorbated it prior to that time.

The next batch I sweetened to 1.000, using the same method. It just tasted better not bone dry. To give you an idea, my husband says this tastes like pinot grigio. I don't like sweet wines at all, so they still taste pretty dry to anyone who is accustomed to sweet fruit wines.

I hope this helps!

Thanks for chatting Yooper Chick, nice to see a home winemaker who doesn't make sickeningly sweet wines. My LBHS owner has me taste peoples stuff and 99% is wayyyyyy to sweet(for me). I don't understand it. Another HBS owner wants me to be a judge for their winemaker's competition but I'm becoming afraid its all going to be "flavored syrup" wine. Also, I know you're both(and a lot are), but do you notice a difference in method/taste/approach between home winemakers and homebrewers? Do you know what I mean?

I brewed an "Oregon Strawberry Ale" last summer and it turned out great. There are a few keys to a great strawberry beer...
1) only attempt if you have damn tasty fresh strawberries, I live in the Willemette Valley in Oregon...know for the best strawberries in the world.
2) use a light beer as the base..everyone likes to use wheat...i like the pilsner malts, very light and clean, hop with just a touch of something noble
3) put the berries in secondary, primary will scrub away the flavor.
4) drink the beer young, the berry taste fades quickly.

5) I used about 6lbs of pureed berries per 5 gal. cut off the stems and hule, puree, put in a pot bring to 150 for 10 min, then quickly cool (i used an ice bath) pitch them in 2ndary for about a week

The final beer was a great pink/orange hue with a great sent of strawberryies, a light flavor and a tart finish,

nick