adding fruit during cold crash

[kricks111]

I brewed a strawberry blonde for the ole lady and added strawberries to secondary and it was on the verge of explosive fermentation. it tastes like strawberry wine, which is not what I was going for. Has anyone tried cold crashing, then adding fruit at 36 degrees or adding the fruit at the same time as cold crashing?

 

[xpops]

is the plan to keep it at 36 the entire time until the keg is kicked, in hopes of "stopping" fermentation?
otherwise, you'll still experience the same thing. you're still introducing sugars with yeast present.

is filtering an option?

 

[kricks111]

Filtering is an option. I was hoping to prevent fermentation so that I'll get the sweet strawberry flavor instead of the wine flavor. I hate the way extracts taste and didn't want to go that route.

 

[brandonlovesbeer]

Maybe don't add so much fruit next time. I'd say your stuck with this one.

 

[bleme]

I have tried it and it works

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=172993

 

[xpops]

i agree that extract is not very pleasant.

how many LBs of strawberries did you use? i've used strawberries in a strawberry rhubarb blonde, but it was still very much beer like, and i didn't get that much of a fermentation kick up.

I used 3lbs strawberries, 1lb rhubarb in 5gal and it worked out really well.

 

[bleme]

I juiced 8 (heaping) baskets of strawberries. I'm guessing it was close to 10 pounds.

 

[kricks111]

I've got 3 lbs of strawberries. I plan on pureeing them first.

 

[bleme]

My batch had the benefit of being gone fast. I added the juice on Friday night and the keg kicked 21 hours later.

My next batch will be the same base and process, with the juice from 5 pounds of blueberries added instead. That one will be staying at home so it will be interesting to see how it changes over the month or so that it will be on tap. As far as I know, the technique has only been tested on events where the keg is gone in a day.