When to add strawberries

[hockeymanmt]

So we brewed a cream ale two nights ago and made a fresh strawberry puree that I still need to pasteurize. I'm questioning when to add it. I've heard a few days into the primary and also when racking the secondary. Thanks on advance.

 

[bigbeergeek]

Don't pasteurize it! Let the beer ferment out, soak the berries in a no rinse sanitizer, blend them in a sanitized blender and pour into the fermentor.

 

[hockeymanmt]

So pour the puree in the secondary? What sanitizer is best to wash them with

 

[Ciliorozo]

I have been making a strawberry beer for a few years and I have never heard of anyone "sanitizing" the berries or any other fruit for that matter. I wait for fermentation to finish and then throw in my berries that had been quartered and frozen. Always comes out great, never have had any issues. This is the same method I use for all of the fruits I use including blueberries and cherries. Just my two cents. I know every brewer has their own methods, and this is the method that works for me.

 

[hockeymanmt]

Ok so would you suggest adding the puree before the secondary then or bottling?

 

[Ciliorozo]

I would say the secondary, this way any secondary fermentation from the addition of the strawberries doesn't cause any bottle bombs or over carbonation.

 

[bigbeergeek]

I have been making a strawberry beer for a few years and I have never heard of anyone "sanitizing" the berries or any other fruit for that matter. I wait for fermentation to finish and then throw in my berries that had been quartered and frozen. Always comes out great, never have had any issues. This is the same method I use for all of the fruits I use including blueberries and cherries. Just my two cents. I know every brewer has their own methods, and this is the method that works for me.

I only sanitize fresh fruit if I'm putting it into a very low alcohol/hopped beer (like the OP's cream ale). I've added plenty of unsanitized ingredients to secondary fermentors, don't get me wrong.

 

[Ciliorozo]

I only sanitize fresh fruit if I'm putting it into a very low alcohol/hopped beer (like the OP's cream ale). I've added plenty of unsanitized ingredients to secondary fermentors, don't get me wrong.

That's cool, I know every brewer has their own methods I have just never seen this practice before. If I was really worried about the berries causing an infection I would soak them in some vodka or grain alcohol instead of sanitizer. Though depending on the amount of berries this could add a significant amount of alcohol (but I'd rather have that amount of alcohol than that amount of sanitizer added to the beer). But again that would be my method.

 

[Badger462]

so would it be better to add fresh berries or an extract?

 

[bigbeergeek]

so would it be better to add fresh berries or an extract?

Fresh, 8ish lbs for 5 gallons.

Also, your user location says "colorado springa, co."