Sanitation w/ Frozen Strawberries in Secondary?

[sidepart]

Working on a strawberry tart recipe soon with some fresh picked strawberries from WI. Just picked 5lbs of them today. Most of the recipes I've seen say that the strawberries should be frozen and then put into the secondary fermenter. No one really talks about sanitation though.

I feel like freezing the berries is going to have a similar sanitizing effect as boiling them, but I guess I'm not sure. Anyone know if I should do anything in particular to sanitize these berries?

 

[FlyingHumanoid]

You can see my post here...

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f13/adding-fruit-secondary-how-sanitize-fruit-5084/index12.html#post4194303

Or jump directly to the source...

http://www.hippressurecooking.com/2011/08/blackberry-italian-soda-from-your.html

 

[jigidyjim]

There are a lot of techniques. You can pasteurize the fruit, you can soak it in alcohol, you can use a sulfite / campden tablet, you can do nothing and take your chances...

 

[jigidyjim]

More info: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f13/adding-fruit-secondary-how-sanitize-fruit-5084/

 

[sidepart]

Thanks all. I opted to run all the strawberries through some grain alcohol that I had laying around. Then I stuck them in the freezer. Sounds like freezing them should technically kill things as well. I know that works for things like yeast, parasites and certain bacteria. Better safe than sorry though.

 

[SledgeH]

Strawberries can be a real mess in your secondary. I’ll never use them again. Some float, some sink, and some hang out in suspension. The pulp and seeds did a good once over on my bottling wand and rack/cane. I’d strongly suggest blending them if you are planning on dumping everything into your secondary.

 

[sidepart]

Strawberries can be a real mess in your secondary. I’ll never use them again. Some float, some sink, and some hang out in suspension. The pulp and seeds did a good once over on my bottling wand and rack/cane. I’d strongly suggest blending them if you are planning on dumping everything into your secondary.

Per some advice like this, I'm going to rack to a third to settle out the seeds and the mush.

 

[SledgeH]

Good to hear. I used a nylon hop bag on my rack and cane as a filter. You may find something like that helpful when moving to tertiary

 

[sidepart]

Wanted to report back. Using everclear to sanitize these, and then freezing them seems to have worked.

Good to hear. I used a nylon hop bag on my rack and cane as a filter. You may find something like that helpful when moving to tertiary

Also a follow up to this, my strawberries just ended up floating on top during secondary. Didn't have any strawberry sludge, worked out great.

 

[hefehawk]

I put strawberries in a sanitized paint strainer bag and then pulled them out when I racked to a keg. Worked great.

 

[KISS Brew]

I put strawberries in a sanitized paint strainer bag and then pulled them out when I racked to a keg. Worked great.

Me too. I didn't bother sanitizing my frozen strawberries, and no infection in sight. Delicious beer.