Fruit first (primary ferm) or afterwards (secondary ferm) ?

[chucksel]

So I have a 5 gallon carboy coming up for renewal that will be empty this weekend. Can't have that now can we?

I just got back from Costco with 6 gallons of AJ and 4 pounds of fresh strawberries. I was wondering about what y'all suggest I do here. I thought I would let the strawberries get real ripe and then chop them up into tiny pieces, pitch them to the bottom of my 6.5 gallon glass carboy, pour in 5 gallons of AJ and then pitch 11g of Nottingham Ale yeast and let 'er rip.

At the end of the first ferment, I'd add Xylitol to taste and then prime at around 2.0 volumes and bottle.

Anyone suggest that I do the strawberries in a secondary instead?

 

[chucksel]

...and has anyone had experience with strawberries? I read raspberries and such here but didn't catch anything about strawberries as good, bad or ugly for a cider brew or any caveats with them. Seeds a problem?

 

[slym2none]

You may want to lightly boil the whole berries or sanitize them in some way, as they can harbor wild yeasts on their skins. I read on this site that someone even put their strawberries in the oven for a length of time at a certain temp to kill off any unwanted organisms.

 

[chucksel]

....OH! and should the strawberries be boiled to kill off any mold/bacteria that might be on them that I cant see, or will the yeast/alcohol kill that or should I just freeze them after chopping them up to kill any nasties?

 

[chucksel]

You may want to lightly boil the whole berries or sanitize them in some way, as they can harbor wild yeasts on their skins. I read on this site that someone even put their strawberries in the oven for a length of time at a certain temp to kill off any unwanted organisms.

Ah, was typing this very question when you were replying. Thank you!

 

[MindenMan]

Generally speaking, wait until primary fermentation of A-J is done and then add berries. I would crush the berries in a zip top bag and place in simmering water bath @140 F for at least thirty minutes. Strawberries are a subtle flavor even @ 1 pound per gallon, so the aroma will be there, but it won't jump out "strawberry" for the most part in my experience. I would freeze the strawberries for the moment and then mash and pasteurize on the day or day before you add them to your fermenter. I realize watermelon and strawberry are not the same, but I do make a suggestion; a very tiny bit of watermelon extract added to a strawberry beverage will increase the perceived flavor of the strawberries. Just like a tiny bit of apricot extract added to apple cider will accentuate the apple flavor post fermentation.

 

[slym2none]

I guess a vodka-soak would work, and just add the tincture to your fermenting vessel.

I am really regurgitating things I have read here, as I am pretty new to brewing myself. Hopefully some more-experienced brewers will come & add to/correct what I have told you.

 

[chucksel]

Generally speaking, wait until primary fermentation of A-J is done and then add berries. I would crush the berries in a zip top bag and place in simmering water bath @140 F for at least thirty minutes. Strawberries are a subtle flavor even @ 1 pound per gallon, so the aroma will be there, but it won't jump out "strawberry" for the most part in my experience. I would freeze the strawberries for the moment and then mash and pasteurize on the day or day before you add them to your fermenter. I realize watermelon and strawberry are not the same, but I do make a suggestion; a very tiny bit of watermelon extract added to a strawberry beverage will increase the perceived flavor of the strawberries. Just like a tiny bit of apricot extract added to apple cider will accentuate the apple flavor post fermentation.

Thanks, MindenMan. What do you perceive as a "tiny amount" of flavor extract per gallon? What can help the strawberry flavor stand out? Have to get strawberry extract?

 

[chucksel]

Generally speaking, wait until primary fermentation of A-J is done and then add berries. I would crush the berries in a zip top bag and place in simmering water bath @140 F for at least thirty minutes. Strawberries are a subtle flavor even @ 1 pound per gallon, so the aroma will be there, but it won't jump out "strawberry" for the most part in my experience. I would freeze the strawberries for the moment and then mash and pasteurize on the day or day before you add them to your fermenter. I realize watermelon and strawberry are not the same, but I do make a suggestion; a very tiny bit of watermelon extract added to a strawberry beverage will increase the perceived flavor of the strawberries. Just like a tiny bit of apricot extract added to apple cider will accentuate the apple flavor post fermentation.

Thanks, MindenMan. What do you perceive as a "tiny amount" of flavor extract per gallon? What can help the strawberry flavor stand out? Have to get strawberry extract? Does extract contain sugars in enough volume to impact CO2 if added right before bottling? Is there a danger of it containing preservatives that will kill yeast and hinder carbing? Lots of questions, I know but I am a newb.

 

[chucksel]

Generally speaking, wait until primary fermentation of A-J is done and then add berries. I would crush the berries in a zip top bag and place in simmering water bath @140 F for at least thirty minutes. Strawberries are a subtle flavor even @ 1 pound per gallon, so the aroma will be there, but it won't jump out "strawberry" for the most part in my experience. I would freeze the strawberries for the moment and then mash and pasteurize on the day or day before you add them to your fermenter. I realize watermelon and strawberry are not the same, but I do make a suggestion; a very tiny bit of watermelon extract added to a strawberry beverage will increase the perceived flavor of the strawberries. Just like a tiny bit of apricot extract added to apple cider will accentuate the apple flavor post fermentation.

Thanks, MindenMan. What do you perceive as a "tiny amount" of flavor extract per gallon? What can help the strawberry flavor stand out? Have to get strawberry extract? Does extract contain sugars in enough volume to impact CO2 if added right before bottling? Is there a danger of it containing preservatives that will kill yeast and hinder carbing? Lots of questions, I know but I am a newb.

 

[MindenMan]

Torani syrups! I totally forgot about them! All of Torani's syrups are top shelf products and taste very good. Their syrups do contain preservatives, but I put 2 cups (16 oz) into a 5 gallon batch of chocolate porter and had no problem carbonating. Remember, they only add enough preservative to treat 1 quart, not 5 gallons... They (Torani) also make a watermelon syrup too.
Hmm, 3 o'clock, gotta watch Wopner, go to K-Mart and buy some underwear...

 

[gratus fermentatio]

I wouldn't boil the fruit, just mix up a metabisulfite solution & let your fruit soak in it for 12 hrs, then remove the fruit & add it to your fermentation vessel. Easy peasy! I do this with fruit all the time, works great. Some fruits tend to split their skins a bit, but no worries, the sulfite will get any pathogens.
Regards, GF.

 

[BanditBrewCo]

I have made around 90 gallons of strawberry blondes and ciders. My process is to use 1 lb fresh/frozen whole strawberries per gallon. This will give a noticeable strawberry aroma and slightly pinkish color. I buy the strawberries and leave them in the fridge for 6-8 days until they are just getting slightly soft to the touch and then put them in the freezer for a week. The freezing process will kill off most of the natural yeasts and bad things in general.

After primary fermentation completes I put the frozen berries in the bottom of my secondary vessel and rack directly on top of them. I secondary for another 1 week (beer) and 3-4 weeks (ciders) on the strawberries before i keg (beer) and rack to tertiary (cider) for clarification.

Strawberry seeds (blackberry, raspberry, elderberry) can all be problematic but I have found a solution that works very well.

Sanitize a large hop bag in Star San and place your frozen berries in the bag. Rack directly onto this bag in secondary and most of the flesh and seeds will remain in the bag while the yease has no problem at all getting in there and extracting al of the charistics you are looking for.

The frozen berries will drop the temperature of your cider/beer for 2-3 days but it will bounce right back once the yeast begin working on the berries.

Good luck!