How to wash fruit properly

[Brandon O]

What is the best way to wash fruit being added to the fermenation process?

Iodopher? I am thinking just hand rub them down in some iodopher solution.

 

[Stevorino]

hmmm...I don't know-- some fruits may absorb some of the sanitizer..that could be nasty.

Having never done a fruit beer before, I'd freeze the fresh fruit, thaw it, and then dump it to secondary. By doing this, you pretty much kill any wild bacteria, and you also weaken the cell membranes in the fruit and break it all down so it breaks down easier in the secondary.

 

[toastermm]

I think freezing would work. I always pre-soak for at least 10 minutes the cut-up fruit in the cheapest vodka I can find. I then siphon as much off as I can and dump it in.

 

[Loweface]

Freezing doesn't kill microorganisms... It slows them down to the point where they "sleep" and don't multiply. They can multiply as to freeze and as you defrost. That is why you shouldn't refreeze anything...

 

[g_rath]

I have done a few fruit beers before. When I made mine I pasteurized it at 180 to kill anything in it but not hot enough to release pectin. I will mash it up in a pot (add a little water if needed), bring it up to 180, pull it off the heat and let it sit covered to cool, and then just dump it in the fermenter. I have not had any problems doing it this way. If you have the time I would suggest freezing it in your freezer first to break up the cells.

 

[SteveM]

What g rath said. Check my recipe for a fruit ale for more discussion.

 

[ChuckMoney]

I usually let my fruit sit in a tupperware with liquor of some sort for about a week, then i dump the whole thing into the secondary and rack on top.

 

[nickhead]

Chuck - does the liquor have any adverse (or positive?) effects on the brew? I read somewhere that the alcohol content of hard liquor can mess w/ fermentation.

ps. - yinzer?

 

[Kauai_Kahuna]

I always add my fruit after super active primary fermentation is done (3-5 days). This way the alcohol level is high enough to overpower any nasties in the fruit, (which I also soak in sanitizer prior to preparing with sanitized equipment).

 

[Bombo80]

What g_rath and SteveM said. When I brewed my CherrBerr Lager, (see fruit beer recipe section) I mashed and rinsed the grains as usual, then did the boil, adding the hops as scheduled. The fruit was just hand washed with tap water, and all the bruised fruit was discarded. Once the boils was done, I lowered the wort temp with my IC, to 180*, and pitched the pulverized fruit into the hot wort, stirred it in, and let is sit for 20 minutes. This is supposed to sterilize the fruit. From there, I finished cooling the wort, and transfered it all into the primary, where it sat for 16 days. When I transfered to the secondary, I tried to leave as much of the sediment in the primary. There might be an issue with the hops, depending on if you use pellets or leaf. If you use leaf hops, it might be a good idea to put them in a grain bag, so you can remove them before the fruit goes in. It would be kind of hard to do afterwards.

Good luck