Suggestions for when to add cranberries

[fuzzybee]

Saturday I brewed a Tripel that I expect to hit around 8.1%. I'd like to add some cranberries (either 2 or 3 lbs for the 5 gallons) to it - it is going to be my "Christmas beer". Currently the cranberries are whole and frozen. I have a couple of sets of options for adding them:

• chop them and add them frozen to the beer
• or chop them, sous-vide them at 160 for a while to kill any baddies on them and then add them

Also, I'm looking at either:

• adding them during fermentation (currently, my iSpindel says I'm at about 24% attenuation
• or wait until then beer is done and then add them

Ultimately, I plan to keg-condition the beer. Would it make sense to add the cranberries then, and let the yeasties do their thing with that sugar? I'd be concerned that I would not really have an idea of how much sugar this would be adding.

What are y'all's thoughts?

 

[VikeMan]

I've done many batches with late fruit (but not cranberries) and have always just "smushed" the thawed fruit and added in secondary. Never pasteurized, though that would decrease the small risk of contamination.

Personally, I wouldn't add the fruit with your apparent attenuation at only 24% as the fructose could cause the yeast to shift gears and concentrate on the simple sugars, then have to shift back to maltose/maltotriose. (Metabolically, the yeast have to treat them differently.) I'd wait until fermentation is finished or very nearly finished.

 

[fuzzybee]

Thanks! Yeah it's down to almost FG now, so I'll put the cranberries in next weekend.

 

[Kickass]

Id add them anytime now that fermentation is wrapping up. I’ve never used cranberries but other fruit I smush, heat to a simmer, cool and toss in the fermenter.