Did we add fruit properly??

[timschram]

We split a 5.5 gallon batch yesterday and in one half we added fresh strawberries. We used 4 pounds of strawberries for 2.5-2.75 gallons. We crushed the strawberries a little bit then brought them up to 170 degrees and let it sit for 5 minutes. We put all 4 pounds into a carboy, put that in an ice bath and let it cool, then syphoned the wort on top of the strawberries.

We put an airlock on it, put it in our fermentation chamber, checked a few hours later and the airlock was blown off. We then switched to a blow off tube and it blew that off. We lost about a pound of strawberries.

Did we do this right? And when we go to bottle, will there be enough yeast to carbonate?

All help is greatly appreciated!

 

[jekeane]

heh that is a lot of strawberries for 2.5 gallons. I just did a blonde with 3lbs for 5 gallons. As far as your method is concerned I personally would have cleaned and quartered the strawberries. Then froze the strawberries for at least a few days then just put them in the fermenter frozen. and racked on top of that. Using frozen fruit I rarely get much of a secondary fermentation which I prefer flavor wise. My guess is by heating the strawberries you made a good bit of sugar juice that made your yeast go nuts.

I have seen it suggested that you should let your fruit thaw first but I never have. All of the beers I have "fruited" have scored highly at competition.

I also have read heating fruit to much can compromise its flavor.

 

[EcuPirate07]

I always rack my beer on top of my fruit in the secondary and always put a blow off tube on the secondary. I mainly do this because 1) adding fruit to primary can sometimes really get the yeast going as you have experienced and cause problems. And 2) usually racking fruit to secondary will give the yeast more sugars to eat and wakes them back up. My suggestion for next time with fresh strawberries is put them in a mesh bag or something to contain the fruit, the little seeds will float all over the place and the flesh will gom up the racking tube.