Strawberry wheat

[fuji6100]

Today's brew was the first time I incorperated fruit into the beer.

I started with a basic wheat recipie, and added 5 pounds of puree'd strawberries at the end of my boil (after shutdown). After letting them sit for about 10 minutes in the hot wort (to pasteurize) I did my typical ice bath, added water to 5 gallons, and pitched my ale yeast.

I'm expecting a vigorous ferment on this one, and I'll add some pectic enzyme when racking to my secondary. I made sure to get a larger blowoff tube, since I've seen photo's of exploding airlocks and carboy lids.

Anybody else have experience with fruit beers? Any suggestions or pointers?

[paul84043]

You'll get alot of opinions on this subject, some saying not to use fruit puree, and not to boil the fruit at all, because you'll end up with a "bruised" fruit flavor, others saying that the pectins don't taste good, and to use the extracts at bottling.
I don't know, I made an Apricot wheat with the extract at bottling that was really good, it vanished very quickly. I am now doing a raspberry wheat that used the "Oregon" brand sterile puree (44 oz.) added to the primary after 5 days. This resulted in an extremely vigorous second fermentation.
When I transferred, it tasted really good and that's without adding any of the fruit extract they say to use at bottling time. I don't even think I will need to add that extract at all...

All I can say is try different methods, see which ones work for you. Some seem unnecessarily difficult, others too simple...I think I like this method that I used this last time with the sterile puree in the primary.

[Redbird Fan]

This summer I'm expecting a pretty good crop of strawberries I grow at home - I am hoping to use them in a Blonde Ale - two obstacles I'm having -

1. I have never brewed w/ fruit
2. I have not been able to find a blonde ale kit/recipe (partial grain) to use.


Input anyone?

hey, if not a blond ale - other beer ideas for these strawberries? I've made two wheat kits, and frankly, they weren't that great (and I understand a wheat beer can be one of the more difficult to get just right).

[paul84043]

I have never heard that about wheat kits, I have done three so far and they have turned out really good...??

I don't know about strawberry beer, for some reason it just doesn't sound very good to me...
Blackberry, cherry, honey, raspberry, those sound okay...Apricot is a mood thing for me..

I have never seen a Strawberry beer recipe....

[fuji6100]

I have never seen a Strawberry beer recipe

They are a bit hard to fine, hence my "shooting from the hip" with this one. I've found a few on Cat's Meow Recipie online, but most were closer to mead than beer.

There is a beer sold around here "Pete's wicked Strawberry Blonde" that is pretty good, but I'm looking for a little bit different flavor. One of my favorite microbreweries in town used to brew a strawberry blonde that was awesome.

To answer your question, redbirdfan, Most of the suggestions for strawberry beer I've seen is using a wheat as a base. You could also use a continental ale, or blonde with good results. I think as long as it is a light beer without a huge dominant flavor, then your strawberries will come through just fine.

I'll be sure and post my results. (And my brew notes if anybody wants)

[vendejp]

fugi, what happened to your notes and the report on this batch?

thanks

[fuji6100]

Wow, I didn't know anybody was still interested. I'll post my brew notes below as well as my tasting notes.

12 oz Crystal Malt (20L)
4 oz Belgian Aromatic Malt
3# Light DME
Munto & Fison Wheat extract kit (4#)
1 1/2 oz Northern Brewer Hops (Bittering)
5# Fresh Frozen Puree'd (thawed) strawberries

Added Grains to 2 gallons cold water to steep. Brought almost to boil. Removed from heat and strained wort from grains. Sparge with 1/2 gallon hot water. Added DME and Kit, brought to boil. Begin 60 min boil timer and add bittering hops. After 60 min boil, shutoff heat and added puree'd strawberries. Let sit 10 mins to pasteurize. Cool with ice bath then add wort to fermenter and top up to 5 gallons.

Pitch Yeast Starter at 79 F (2 coopers 7 gram yeast packs started in 2 cups diluted/cooled wort)
OG - 1.065
Primary Ferment : 4 days 74-76 degrees F / Pectic Enzyme Added to Secondary fermenter.
Secondary Ferment : 9 days at 74-76 F
Bottled with 3/4 cup corn sugar
FG - 1.010

This was was TART right after carbination. Up through the first month it tasted more like a wine cooler than beer. It mellowed out over the next 3 months but still was more tart than I enjoyed. The last bottle or two of it were starting to taste of tannins, probably from the strawberry seeds.

In retrospect, I probably should have added the fruit to the secondary, rather than the primary. I lost over a gallon to blowoff and I think the primary fermentation scrubbed away a lot of good "strawberry" flavor, and just left fruit juice tartness. I probably could have also cut the strawberries down to 3# because they completely dominated the beer. A lot of my female friends really liked it, but I was dissapointed because I was shooting for a "strawberry beer" and I got a "strawberry wine cooler."

I just finished a peach wheat that used peach extract, and it came out WONDERFUL. I'm going to do another batch right behind it because this won't last, especially with thanksgiving coming up in a few months.

[vendejp]

cool.... thanks for the feedback... ill try adding to the 2ndary i think. i was thinking of boysenberrys though.

id did a search on "fruit" here, and everyone starts out by saying "my wife wanted me to make...." or "my girlfriend wants blah". its funny cuz its like noone wants to say they made fruit beer for themselves.

I tried Lancaster Strawberry Wheat and really liked it. It wasnt sweet, but there was a subtle strawberry aftertaste.

grunt grunt... me still man though

[fuji6100]

id did a search on "fruit" here, and everyone starts out by saying "my wife wanted me to make...." or "my girlfriend wants blah". its funny cuz its like noone wants to say they made fruit beer for themselves.

Ha! good point!

Actually, the peach wheat ale is ALL MINE! MINE, do you hear me!

I'm not a huge fan of strawberries. A nice cherry stout is more up my alley. Lucky for me, my girlfriend hates peaches (so more for me)

[ray m]

Fuji, I am going to try, late this fall when it's significantly cooler, "hanging my balls out" and making a honey-cherry steam. I have absolutely no idea how this concept is going to turn out, but I am thinking of using an all-grain mild ale recipe (base malt @ 6.5 lbs., then adding 2.5 lbs. of honey to the boil (@ 20 min. left in boil), then adding 6 lbs. dark sweet cherries to the secondary. I am welcoming input----am I being too ballsy here(?), because I plan on using White Labs San Francisco Lager yeast. My basement will be @ 60* to 62* by the end of November. Hope your Strawberry Wheat turns out, by the way.