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Adding fruit to carboy
Posted: Sat Feb 25, 2012 5:03 pm
by Jimmy
What's the general consensus on this? Do they need to be pasteurized, mashed up to a puree, soaked in vodka, etc? Do you wait until primary fermentation is complete, then rack to a secondary on top of fruit? Is there a "general guideline" for the time it should sit on the fruit?
Re: Adding fruit to carboy
Posted: Sat Feb 25, 2012 5:19 pm
by mr x
Unless it's a sour beer, i make sure the fruit has been taken to 170f for 10 minutes. I always use a secondary, and probably wait 3-4 weeks to rack off.
Re: Adding fruit to carboy
Posted: Sat Feb 25, 2012 6:07 pm
by KMcK
Regardless of how you sterilize, fruit is best left until the secondary. The alcohol present offers extra defence against infection from the fruit and the reduced effervescence is less likely to carry away the fruit's flavour and aroma.
Re: Adding fruit to carboy
Posted: Sat Feb 25, 2012 6:20 pm
by mr x
Nash says the iqf(individually quick frozen) fruit is pretty safe as the rapid freezing fucks with the bad organizms.
Re: Adding fruit to carboy
Posted: Sat Feb 25, 2012 6:22 pm
by Jimmy
Is that just regular frozen fruit from the grocery store?
Re: Adding fruit to carboy
Posted: Sat Feb 25, 2012 6:44 pm
by mr x
That I don't know...
Re: Adding fruit to carboy
Posted: Sat Feb 25, 2012 6:55 pm
by Jayme
I usually add fruit to secondary. Freeze it, then thaw in a pot, bring up to 67C for 10 min, and let it cool. However, I did make a watermelon wheat last summer and decided to just at it in at the end of the boil. More of an experiment than anything, but it worked great! Awesome watermelon flavour. So I don't know if other fruits would behave the same way, but I certainly had great success in that instance!