Strawberries!!!

[k1v1116]

I have come into the possession of about 10lbs of strawberries that would have otherwise been garbage, so I need recipe ideas. beer, wine, mead...

 

[sittingturbo]

http://homecooking.about.com/od/cookingwithalcohol/r/blalcohol11.htm

Strawberry wine

 

[Zymurgrafi]

Why would they have been garbage? Are they overripe, about to rot?

Are you looking to use them in beer?

Try a basic american wheat beer and add them as you would any fruit. If you like fruit beers that would be a way to go I think. Especially with warmer weather.

 

[k1v1116]

yea overripe a little soft and a few are slimy. I made a strawberry kiwi mead last year and the strawberry flavor dominated everything else im not sure i would want it in a wheat beer, but if someone else has made a beer with strawberries and can vouch for its flavor ill give it a shot.

 

[shafferpilot]

Strawberry Wine

 

[Yooper]

I'd use the first recipe, here: http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/reques5.asp

Oh, I'm so jealous! I love strawberry wine!

 

[k1v1116]

I like the idea of strawberry wine. what are your suggestions for sugar (table sugar, corn sugar) and what about yeast? the strawberry kiwi mead i mead used lalvin 71B-1122 and it came out very good, but im think about a good liquid yeast wyeast or white labs maybe. do you think ill need to add tannin, pectic enzyme, yeast nutrients...?

 

[Yooper]

I've never used liquid yeast with wines, so I'm not sure about that. If it were me, I'd probably use cotes des blanc, or Lalvin k1-v1116 (Montepelier) because it's a delicate wine and you want a fruity bouquet with it.

I would say yes to pectic enzyme, maybe to acid blend, and possibly to tannin. No to nutrients, unless the fermentation gets stuck.

I'd pick one of the recipes that looks good, and follow it. I doubt I would use any tannin until I tasted it near the end to see if it needed it. Maybe a little acid blend if it's needed for balance, but not much and only if the wine coming out of primary needed a bit of acid.

 

[avidhomebrewer]

Could always make a strawberry lambic. 10# would be the proper amount to add and it would taste very good I bet.

 

[k1v1116]

the lambic is an interesting idea but I dont have the ingredients for it right now and ive never made a lambic before. Im thinking a strawberry mead with a little residual sweetness and maybe carbonation.
I have 8-9lbs clover honey about 10lbs strawberries and a starter of vierka mead yeast going. do you think I should pasteurize the strawberries with heat like 170f for 15 minutes or use campden? I realize 8 or 9 lbs of honey is not going to give enough gravity to bring it into the wine range so do you think it would be alright to augment the gravity with a pound or two of corn sugar or might it add an unpleasant flavor or dryness?

 

[k1v1116]

well I settled on a strawberry mead mostly since I'm impatient and I had the ingredients for it already. I made a starter of vierka dried mead yeast which ive heard is hard to get going and after four days I had a good amount of healthy yeast to pitch. I made the mead today and within 3 hours of pitching the yeast starter had a fermentation more vigorous than any mead ive ever made, as you can see in the picture below im a little worried about not having a blowoff tube.

I cant wait to try the finished product in 1 to 2 years

 

[Yuri_Rage]

That's so Deanna Carter of you.

 

[Sweet T]

That's so Deanna Carter of you.

Heehee I lubs that song