Best technique when adding fruit...

[Schnitzengiggle]

I will be adding about 2.5 lbs of Raspberries to my secondary and racking on top of it Sunday May 3rd (as long as all goes well).

I have researched this some and I see some say mash'em up and pasturize them with just enough water to cover them, others say to freeze'em, thaw'em (to break cell walls), smash'em and toss'em in, and I have even read to combine the two. Freeze'em, thaw'em, smash'em, and then pasturize them with just enough water to cover them.

Do I need to pasturize my fruit addition?

What is going to not make the beer hazy (I know heating the fruit too much will release pectins contributing to haze), but at the same time reduce the possibility of infection, and I don't know if I want to use Campden tabs.

I was leaning towards just freezing and thawing them before chuking them in, but I dunno if this is safe?!?!

 

[scinerd3000]

if you heat the fruit you will supposedly have pectins which will make the beer hazy (i never heated so i dont know for sure but i found this in my research).

I freeze and thaw once or twice and then i mash the crap out of them and syphon the beer on top. If you put them in last, splashing occurs which i never liked much and assumed it could cause oxidation issues. I always go by the rule of thumb that if I'm over 5%ABV i should be fine infection-wise. Ive done a few different fruit additions and i havent had a problem thus far.

 

[Schnitzengiggle]

I think my target ABV is 5.4%, I will be racking to a 5 gallon better bottle.

What can I expect fermentation wise, do I need to add a blowoff hose or will an airlock do?

 

[VTBrewer]

Depends if you're at FG or racking a little bit early. I usually let it complete then rack to the fruit. I always get a good little secondary fermentation but no real need for a blow off tube. That being said...I have on on my cherry wit right now....better safe than beerless.

 

[Schnitzengiggle]

Alright, so let me see if I have this right:

1. Try to wait to rack until it has fermented out in the primary.
2. Freeze and thaw fruit 1-2 times.
3. Crush fruit and rack on to it in the secondary.
3a. I guess just keep an eye on the gravity for a few days after fermentation dies down in the secondary.
4. Then rack to tertiary for clearing...

Does this seem like a decent procedure to follow?

 

[Ahleevee8]

Will that work for making a Pear Ale? Which is better - pasteurizing or the freeze and thaw method?

 

[Schnitzengiggle]

if you heat the fruit you will supposedly have pectins which will make the beer hazy (i never heated so i dont know for sure but i found this in my research).

I freeze and thaw once or twice and then i mash the crap out of them and syphon the beer on top. If you put them in last, splashing occurs which i never liked much and assumed it could cause oxidation issues. I always go by the rule of thumb that if I'm over 5%ABV i should be fine infection-wise. Ive done a few different fruit additions and i havent had a problem thus far.

Thats what I've been researching, and after starting this thread, I think my above post is how I will do it. I would assume freezing would not necessarily kill any buggies in the fruit, but if the alcohol content is high enough, that and the yeast would probably out-compete anything that made it in.

I would get some super ripe pears, freeze and thaw them 2 times add directly to the fermenter and rack ontop of it.

I wouldn'tt ake my own advice though because this is my first fruit beer, SWMBO has to like that kind of stuff wouldn't she?

 

[scinerd3000]

Thats what I've been researching, and after starting this thread, I think my above post is how I will do it. I would assume freezing would not necessarily kill any buggies in the fruit, but if the alcohol content is high enough, that and the yeast would probably out-compete anything that made it in.

I would get some super ripe pears, freeze and thaw them 2 times add directly to the fermenter and rack ontop of it.

I wouldn'tt ake my own advice though because this is my first fruit beer, SWMBO has to like that kind of stuff wouldn't she?

freezing basically causes the bacteria etc to stop growing but they dont necessarily die. The purpose of freezing and thawing is to get the cell walls to break down leading to more color and sugar being released. Be aware that while you probably wont need a blow off tube but the fruit will swell especially if you dont mash them. Raspberries arn't too bad but they will swell a little bit

 

[Schnitzengiggle]

Thanks for the heads up!