Adding strawberry to a blonde ale

[kenmcchord]

Hey,
I'm brewing a Centennial blonde ale that I found in the recipes here and wanted to add strawberries in the secondary for flavor. It's a 5.5 gallon batch, just started fermenting today and I was going to rack to secondary towards the end of fermentation, maybe a few points above what I'm expecting to be FG. I want to chop up 4 lbs of strawberries and have them in the secondary, and I'm thinking I need to do something to prevent any infection. Would anyone recommend soaking the strawberries in vodka for a few days, then just transfer over the entire mess to the secondary? I will obviously wash the strawberries before hand, try my best to get them free from any nastiness prior to the vodka soak.

First time I've ever tried something like this, let me know what you think. Thanks in advance.

 

[day_trippr]

I've yet to do a strawberry-infused beer, but have considered it, and from all I read on the subject, the most important thing was to evade any wild yeast strains brought in by the strawberries, as a phenol that has the dreaded Band-Aid character is not an uncommon outcome.

So, yeah, marinating the berries in alcohol would be one approach. Another would be to bring the berries up to 145°F and hold them there for 30 minutes, perhaps adding pectic enzyme to help break down cell walls to increase yield...

Cheers!

 

[OleBrewing]

I made pale blonde ale for my sisters wedding and was going to make it a strawberry blonde. after researching and with just eating strawberries it takes a lot of berries to get a strawberry flavor to come through. of course depending what a person is looking for. I made the blonde beer minus adding the strawberries. in compromise i did a strawberry reduction syrup (simmered a bunch of strawberries and reduced slowly) strained the vegetable matter and had a syrup. the patrons could add a little to however much strawberry to the cup when they got the beer. It went over very well. 10 gallons gone in an hour. I suppose you could do the same reduction then add it to your beer in secondary of course i could not tell you how much to add.

 

[day_trippr]

Imo, it takes a lot of fruit to bring a respectable character
fwiw, I do a raspberry hibiscus wheat beer that uses 9 pounds of berries in a 10 gallon batch...

Cheers!

 

[kenmcchord]

Been reading through all the strawberry posts that got associated below and it seems like I could make this a heck of a lot easier by simply getting frozen strawberries and racking on top of them. I’ll assume they’re washed/cleaned up prior to the processing/freezing and they’ll thaw in an alcohol solution so even if something makes it in bug-wise I’ll probably be okay. Sound feasible like it might work out or am I missing something?

thanks again for the help here!

 

[day_trippr]

I would not bank on frozen fruit not carrying bugs.

I use frozen berries, but I am severely transactional wrt risk management, and given most of the work and cost precede a fruit addition, I am driven to minimize losing a batch in the end. So I'll go the extra step or two...

Cheers!

 

[superiorsat]

I did a Strawberry Milkshake IPA that took way more strawberries than I anticipated. This fruit is one of the hardest to pass through fermentation and come out the other end with decent flavor. I think I started out with 4 pounds pureed and heated to kill bugs added to primary. That basically did almost nothing. Then I cooked down another 3 pounds of puree that I ran through a filter to get the syrup and added it directly to the keg. I will say that the syrup did make it into the beer line which required a cleaning after the keg was gone. But I guess it was worth the trouble as the beer was delicious. Next time I'll probably just start with 7 pounds puree in the fermenter and see how it goes. Your beer won't have the hops to contend with as much so maybe 5 pounds for a light strawberry flavor.

 

[kenmcchord]

I did a Strawberry Milkshake IPA that took way more strawberries than I anticipated. This fruit is one of the hardest to pass through fermentation and come out the other end with decent flavor. I think I started out with 4 pounds pureed and heated to kill bugs added to primary. That basically did almost nothing. Then I cooked down another 3 pounds of puree that I ran through a filter to get the syrup and added it directly to the keg. I will say that the syrup did make it into the beer line which required a cleaning after the keg was gone. But I guess it was worth the trouble as the beer was delicious. Next time I'll probably just start with 7 pounds puree in the fermenter and see how it goes. Your beer won't have the hops to contend with as much so maybe 5 pounds for a light strawberry flavor.

How did you puree the strawberries? Food processor? Just grind it up to liquid(ish) form then heat?

 

[Jag75]

One of the best strawberry blondes I've had was at pismo brewing co. They just use some puree in their Blonde ale . They put a strawberry on top .....my wife loves that beer .

Now the best strawberry Blonde I've had is probably Belmont Brewing Company's Strawberry Blonde . Don't know what their process was but its really good.

 

[superiorsat]

How did you puree the strawberries? Food processor? Just grind it up to liquid(ish) form then heat?

This is by far the easiest way to puree any fruit. Years ago I tried a blender what a joke. I do it right in the pot I'm going to heat it in to kill any potential bugs. I add a cup to 2 of filtered water to help with having it liquid enough to pour easily.

 

[cgoldberg3]

Imo, it takes a lot of fruit to bring a respectable character
fwiw, I do a raspberry hibiscus wheat beer that uses 9 pounds of berries in a 10 gallon batch...

Cheers!

Wow, the amount of fruit it takes to add a lasting flavor is insane. I guess I'll forget about adding the 1lb of frozen berries I have to any batches lol.

 

[Jag75]

Wow, the amount of fruit it takes to add a lasting flavor is insane. I guess I'll forget about adding the 1lb of frozen berries I have to any batches lol.

Yeah it takes quite a bit . I use 1 - 1.5 # of fruit per gallon of beer

 

[superiorsat]

I agree with that. Mango might be the exception that you can get away with less than a pound per gallon. Its flavor seems to make it through fermentation pretty well.

Yeah it takes quite a bit . I use 1 - 1.5 # of fruit per gallon of beer

 

[cmac62]

If I was doing a strawberry beer at this time I would think about getting the best strawberry preserves I could find and put a large jar into secondary. With canned/Jarred you know there is nothing in there. I think the 1.5# per gallon sounds like a good amount. I have always heard that strawberries are one of the hardest flavors to get into a beer. If using berries, I would use frozen and puree them with a little 120 proof everclear and rack onto this. Good luck

 

[Jag75]

Have any of you noticed a difference between puree and frozen fruit ? For instance , ive done a lot of Blueberry sours . I normally use bagged frozen berries . I sort of break em a tad bit then defrost and add to the fv at the tail end of fermentation.

I leave the berries in for 2 weeks and I get a really nice flavor and color this way. The one time I used a can of Harvest puree the color wasn't there nor the flavor. I'm just curious if any of you has had the same outcome .

 

[superiorsat]

All depends on the fruit. I always puree it fresh or frozen to get every nook and cranny worth of flavor out of it. Extended time on the beer also helps. I always add as primary fermentation starts to dwindle down. If you buy pre pureed it's any body's guess if its watered down or was ripe at processing time. I used 11 gallon bag from Aseptic fruit puree that seemed to add less color it was basically pink in color even though it was blackberry.

 

[Leezer]

I make a strawberry rhubarb wheat using fresh fruit, cut up in pieces. I rinse well and freeze it, then thaw and add a measured amount of vodka, and blend with a sanitized handheld blender in a sanitized bowl. I let that sit a few days in the refrigerator and add to primary after vigorous fermentation has subsided. Have made three or four times without any problems. A pound of fruit per gallon seems to work out well.

 

[day_trippr]

I've only brewed my rasp-hibiscus wheat twice, both using frozen whole berries that I ran through the Cuisinart before pasteurizing. Didn't even know one could buy puree in bulk.

Anyway, while accepting the uber small sample size may not be truly indicative, I noted a difference between "name brand" berries and "store brand" berries wrt color, with the former much deeper than the latter. Made me wonder if the same producer had a sorter that triggered on color

Cheers!

 

[kenmcchord]

So I think I've decided to try a bit of a hybrid approach based on the recommendations above. I bought frozen strawberries today, plan to heat them to 145° for 30 mins or so, adding in some pectic enzyme for good measure. Once I'm done heating I puree them with the wife's immersion blender then filter it through a strainer that we've got. I'll be sure to starsan everything that touches it after cooling and dump the fluid in the secondary. I got three 3-lbs bags and I have roughly 5.5 gals of the blonde; I think I'll use all 9 lbs and see how it goes. I will report back with photos.

Again, thanks for weighing in. Cheers!

 

[couchsending]

Freeze Dried

It’s the best option for Strawberry. No band aid/vinyl off flavor and really good extraction.

nuts.com

 

[cmac62]

Freeze Dried

It’s the best option for Strawberry. No band aid/vinyl off flavor and really good extraction.

nuts.com

Interesting, I've never heard or thought about this option. How much? Obviously not a lb per gal. LOL.

 

[kenmcchord]

Today is day 5 post brew and I checked the gravity of the beer last night. Came in at 1.012, down from 1.039. I'm expecting to get to 1.008 when it's all said and done, but I have to say the airlock seems pretty quiet (I know that doesn't always mean it's still not fermenting). So I decided to get the strawberries cooked down and ground up.

I've got these three bags that will eventually get into that pot, once it's knocked down a bit I'll guesstimate the right about of the pectic enzyme to add into the mix, then let it simmer for 30 mins or so. I'll post up more pictures as I progress...

 

[kenmcchord]

Heated the strawberries to 150° plus or minus for roughly 30 mins, then I used my wife's immersion blender and blended it all up into something resembling a really thick tomato soup. Put the whole pot in the refrigerator for a few hours while I cooked dinner and did dishes (yep, I'm the complete package ). At about 105° I decided to transfer it to my fermenter, forcing it through a strainer with my brew spoon. Then put the entire fermenter into the brewery fridge to get down to 70°ish. In an hour or so I'll dump the beer from primary to this secondary and hope for the best.

After transferring the berry mixture I'm convinced I have way too much. But you get no points for being afraid to try something new so I'm going for it. I'll check in again once I'm down the road a bit further.

Not tomato soup!

Here's the primary, damn fermentation stalled right when I put the cold crash guardian on.

 

[superiorsat]

Your fermentation is going to take right off again when the beer gets into your strawberries assuming your keeping it at fermentation temp. It should finish no problem. Hopefully you report back after everything is done.

 

[kenmcchord]

Hope you're right. There was quite a little yeast cake sitting at the bottom of the primary, but I could see some yeast floating around in the secondary once it was finished transferring. I'll leave it set on the temporary fermentation bench I have for another 10 days or so then transfer to keg. The room is air conditioned at about 76° so I hope the temp doesn't spike up too high.

I just walked out to take this picture after a few hours and it's already bubbling the airlock

 

[superiorsat]

Ambient temp of 76 seems really high. What yeast are you using?

 

[kenmcchord]

Lallemand Nottingham dry. I had this in my primary set at 68° through my glycol chiller, but this secondary isn't temp controlled. That picture was taken last night but after checking again this morning it's pretty much the same, between 74° and 76°.

I will say that it was nearly fully fermented after 5 full days of fermentation, other than the normal clean up the yeast does after getting to FG. I suspect the strawberry mess is adding some fuel for the yeast but I'm not expecting anything vigorous to occur, and the slow trickle of bubbles out the airlock seems to support that.

 

[superiorsat]

I usually wait until I feel the head space is purged with CO2 (and yours would be by now) then swirl the fermenter to get the fruit moving so the yeast can easily get down in to the bottom. It can take off with a vigorous fermentation( although mine is always in primary where more yeast is present ), had it go out my blow off tube many a time. Hopefully you have a way to cold crash this fermenter. It compacts(some) and helps solidify(a little bit) the fruit when racking beer. You will probably get a little fruit no matter what you do if you want to get a full keg. Looks like you have about 6 1/4 gallons and 1+gallon is fruit. It settles and comes out in the first couple of pints.

 

[couchsending]

Interesting, I've never heard or thought about this option. How much? Obviously not a lb per gal. LOL.

I think I used 8oz of Freeze Dried strawberries in 6 gallons... 5 finished gallons

I used this as a reference for amounts.

http://scottjanish.com/freeze-dried-mango-citra-neipa/

 

[superiorsat]

I think I used 8oz of Freeze Dried strawberries in 6 gallons... 5 finished gallons

I used this as a reference for amounts.

http://scottjanish.com/freeze-dried-mango-citra-neipa/

At what stage did you add the freeze dried strawberries and 1-10 rating for level of strawberry flavor did you get for only 8 ounces?

 

[Soulshine2]

Imo, it takes a lot of fruit to bring a respectable character
fwiw, I do a raspberry hibiscus wheat beer that uses 9 pounds of berries in a 10 gallon batch...

Cheers!

sounds about right. when i made my blackberry pomegranate hibscus kettle sour (with locally grown and sourced wheat and homegrown Crystal hops) , i used 4 lbs of blackberries in secondary ...add the juice of 1 lime to that too, the tiny amount of citrus helps bring out the berry flavors . you dont taste the lime at all.

 

[couchsending]

At what stage did you add the freeze dried strawberries and 1-10 rating for level of strawberry flavor did you get for only 8 ounces?

At the very end of fermentation.

I’m not 100% sure but I believe 8oz of freeze dried would be equivalent of about 12# of fresh, or somewhere in that neighborhood. I would say a 8 or 9 out of 10 in regards to impact. It’s pretty saturated and very red/pink in color.

With freeze dried you also don’t lower the ABV by diluting with so much water. If anything it actually can increase the ABV.

 

[kenmcchord]

Quick update. It's been 11 days or so since I added the strawberries to the secondary and after receiving some good advice to cold crash this before I try kegging I cobbled together a solution with my cold crash guardian. I have no idea how this is going to come out, I've had days in here where the temp strip read 78° and others where it read 72°. When I first transferred this over you could see yeast moving through the beer, and the airlock had some subtle activity. The past 4-5 days it's been mostly calm but as I said the temp has been pretty high.

I'll give it a good two or three days in here before I try to transfer it over. I still don't have a clue how I am going to transfer it off of that strawberry mess at the bottom, I only hope that a few days in the mid 30's will help this clear up. It would be sweet if that tube at the bottom was visible and out of the mess, I would love to drain it to keg through that valve.

I'll update again when I get this in the keg, of course with tasting notes too. Wish me luck!

 

[day_trippr]

fwiw, I always rubber-band a square of paint strainer nylon mesh with a large SS washer inside to the end of my racking cane, stick the end in my Star San bucket while I attached the sanitized tubing with beer QD.

In use I start with the cane tip above the beer line, and push enough CO2 through the tubing to purge it before attaching the QD to the keg. I have the carboy wedged into a healthy tilt, then I put the cane end in the beer about halfway, get the flow going (pressure just 1 psi the whole time), then wait for the beer level to drop to nearly the end of the cane, then follow the dropping beer level until the transfer is done. That way the mesh doesn't get immediately loaded up, and taking advantage of the tilt effect provides more margin at the end as well.

When I racked both batches of my raspberry wheat I had no problems in spite of the massive pile of clear raspberry skins at the bottom...

Cheers!

 

[kenmcchord]

Does that mean you have a CO2 line into your fermenter? Do you have a picture of that in use? Thanks, this sounds like a perfect solution to my situation.

 

[AzOr]

Apologies for late response as I see the OP has already brewed his batch.

However, for others that are considering using fruit in beer;
-raspberries and strawberries are very tart. I find that using 6 oz of honey malt really helps to balance the tartness. I’ve only tried this in blondes and pales. Other styles may have enough malt character.
-strawberries lose their vibrant red fairly quickly and can turn brownish. A small amt of hibiscus tea or leaves can really keep the reddish color.

 

[day_trippr]

Does that mean you have a CO2 line into your fermenter? Do you have a picture of that in use? Thanks, this sounds like a perfect solution to my situation.

Here's the basic setup, though I put the keg atop a digital scale set on the floor now.

Here's what the cap looks like. The inset is to make it clear what that part is
The 1/4" flare thread carries to the post adapter - which is specific to that post, though other adapters are available for other type of gas posts (chicompany.net carries all these parts).

And chasing the beer down...

Cheers!

 

[kenmcchord]

Thanks again for the input @day_trippr Just curious, I ordered some parts from MoreBeer and shipping has these parts coming in on April 7th? Would it be bad to leave this in the fridge for that long or do you think I need to move it out and off the strawberries sooner?

I find this to be the more frustrating part of homebrewing, the cobbling together of solutions through various trial and error methods. Alas, the fun of homebrew... Thanks again!

 

[day_trippr]

I'm inclined to think it wouldn't hurt the beer as long as the fermenter isn't allowed to "breath" air, which presumably your cold-crashing rig should prevent...

Cheers!

 

[kenmcchord]

Quick update, I got all the parts in yesterday and managed to transfer it all into my keg. It's under pressure now and I'll give it a try in a week. This sure did sit on the strawberries for quite a while, no telling how it will be going down but I'll report our tasting notes. This was a pretty cool solution, a floating pick up tube that stayed well above the strawberry mess. I was able to fill a 5 gal keg and still keep out any of the gunk at the bottom. Thanks to @Dgallo for the great idea! Here's a few pictures I took...