Adding Fruit

[EagleScout]

I'm making my first fruit beer and I was wondering if it's better to add the fruit whole, mash it up or run it through the blender. I'd guess that all of them would work, just give different results, just not sure which is best.

 

[user 30639]

If it's a more solid fruit or veggie like mangos or peppers, I'll give it a rough chop and just put in the carboy. If it's something softer like berries, I'll use a puree.

 

[EagleScout]

After I posted this I read a thread talking about sanitizing the fruit, which I hadn't even considered. They talked about taking frozen fruit and cooking it for 15 minutes to both pasteurize it and break it down. Not sure if this is really needed, store bought frozen fruit should be pretty clean, but I figure better safe than sorry.

 

[JimRausch]

DON'T cook it- that sets the pectin which means you'll have to add pectinase to get rid of the pectin haze. Plus cooking fruit = cooked fruit flavor, not fresh fruit flavor.
Over the years I've added blueberries, raspberries, cranberries, cherries, peaches and apricots, usually to my light wheat ale. Here's what I do: Bought or picked, I freeze them, thaw and crush with a rolling pin (of course the stone fruits are destoned) then refreeze. The freeze/thaw/freeze cycle helps break down the cell walls. Then I add them to my 'secondary' and let sit for an additional week or two. Easy, and always works. I usually use about 1 lb. per gallon. No sanitation step necessary. After all, you're adding it to an acidic, alcoholic, low oxygen environment. Not much will grow in that.

 

[EagleScout]

Another question I have about adding fruit is will I need to add as much sugar when I bottle condition? I usually bottle condition for 2 weeks and I don't want it to over carb if I there's too much sugar from both the fruit and priming sugar. I'm sure some of the added sugar will ferment but with this being the first time I've added fruit I don't know how much will.

 

[CJ-3]

The natural sugars in the fruit will ferment out. Prime with sugar/dme as you would normally do.

 

[imp81318]

DON'T cook it- that sets the pectin which means you'll have to add pectinase to get rid of the pectin haze. Plus cooking fruit = cooked fruit flavor, not fresh fruit flavor.
Over the years I've added blueberries, raspberries, cranberries, cherries, peaches and apricots, usually to my light wheat ale. Here's what I do: Bought or picked, I freeze them, thaw and crush with a rolling pin (of course the stone fruits are destoned) then refreeze. The freeze/thaw/freeze cycle helps break down the cell walls. Then I add them to my 'secondary' and let sit for an additional week or two. Easy, and always works. I usually use about 1 lb. per gallon. No sanitation step necessary. After all, you're adding it to an acidic, alcoholic, low oxygen environment. Not much will grow in that.

If that's the case, why is it important to sanitize the secondary fermenter?

 

[LarMoeCur]

Frozen fruits can still carry bad things for beer. I alway pasteurize any fruit additions to beer. I've never had pectin haze in my fruit beers. Raising the temp of fruit to 160f for a few seconds is not cooking nor will it affect the flavor. It will kill any wild yeast or other critters that survived the freeze.

 

[EagleScout]

This turned out pretty good, took the More Beer American Wheat kit and split it up to make plain wheat, blueberry wheat and strawberry wheat. The strawberry is a little over carbed but not too bad and all 3 are pretty good. Next year I want to make 5 gallon batches of blueberry and strawberry when they are in season.

 

[enkamania]

I like doing puree's less of a mess.