Fruit Beer Succulent Strawberry Blonde

Bluelinebrewer said:

It has happened... I brewed today! Just letting ya know..

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NO WAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I brewed it last weekend. I'll rack onto the berries on Sat or Sun.

How long do you guys bottle condition for it to start tasting real good? Its drinkable now but it def has room to improve on. Its the middle thats lacking. The end is the fruit (I wish I had did the lactose step due to tartness).

Mine started to really mellow out at about 4 weeks.

I just racked this recipe on my 7 1/2 lbs frozen strawberries, base tasted ok but fermented to about 1005 and tasted sort of dry....on brew day I drank too much and didnt add my 1lb DME till way after I was supposed too. Anyway, I would like to add some lactose to make it a tad sweater, Could I add the lactose when I rack it off the strawberries?

Also, its now at about 49 F since I basically racked onto 8 pounds of ice cubes, I have it in my warmer upstairs now(65-70) but usually keep my beers in my 55 F Basement. What external temp should I keep it at for best results? Warm upstairs or cool downstairs? I am useing Wyeast american ale 2.
Thanks!

JRapp said:

I just racked this recipe on my 7 1/2 lbs frozen strawberries, base tasted ok but fermented to about 1005 and tasted sort of dry....on brew day I drank too much and didnt add my 1lb DME till way after I was supposed too. Anyway, I would like to add some lactose to make it a tad sweater, Could I add the lactose when I rack it off the strawberries?

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I'm not really sure on this one, so ill let someone else a little more experienced handle that one. The strawberries will impart a little more sweetness, so I'd definitely taste it after its done on the berries before you do anything.

JRapp said:

Also, its now at about 49 F since I basically racked onto 8 pounds of ice cubes, I have it in my warmer upstairs now(65-70) but usually keep my beers in my 55 F Basement. What external temp should I keep it at for best results? Warm upstairs or cool downstairs? I am useing Wyeast american ale 2.
Thanks!

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I think you're ok keeping it upstairs. I kept mine in the basement, which was around 68ish. Wyeast AA2 is a great yeast on this brew! Good luck!

So, I started this on Tuesday and I'm having a hard time deciding whether to leave it as just a blonde or put it on strawberries. I was thinking doing this on strawberries and doing a batch of the centennial blonde. Or is that not enough variety for summer?

caustin said:

So, I started this on Tuesday and I'm having a hard time deciding whether to leave it as just a blonde or put it on strawberries. I was thinking doing this on strawberries and doing a batch of the centennial blonde. Or is that not enough variety for summer?

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The only thing better than a blonde, is a strawberry blonde! Put it on the strawberries! And do the centennial! And find 2 or 10 more recipes to make. You can NEVER have enough of a variety!!

Brewing up my second batch of this delicious recipe, and it will proudly be the first beer I'll ever keg! gonna be brewing this alot with BBQ season is just around the corner!

Glad you like it!! I've never got to keg any yet, still stuck in the stone age of bottling!! I'm currently working on an all-grain version as well... Cant wait to see how it turns out!

Yea i cant wait to see how it turns out too! Bwahahahaha

Damn, and here I thought I was gonna see some hot girl... :smack:

Do you guys think using washed wyeast 3068 would work on this brew? I'm looking at making this as my 3rd brew and am making a hefeweizen with the 3068 tomorrow. Do y'all think this would be ok?

I'm really not sure. I don't think it would be bad though. Give it a shot, and let us know how it turns out!

Cooked this one up tonight. Made some changes since I am lazy and like round numbers.
0.5 lb carapils steep @165 -20 min
6 lb light Pilsen DME
2 lb wheat DME
1 oz cascade 6.2% - 60 min
1 oz Czech saaz 3% - 10 min
Whirlfloc 15 min

Steeped carapils in 2 gal
Added 4.5 gal after steep
Brought to a boil
Added half DME
Boiled 60 min
Added rest of DME at flameout
Cooled and pitched WLP001

OG: 1.063

Ended up with 6 gal. Will bottle what won't fit in secondary in 1 week.

This one looks to be a great brew!

Looks good!! I had contemplated using WLP001 when I first brewed this, but opted for the Wyeast instead. Let me know how it turns out!

Doing a batch at moment. I always need this brew on hand.

I moved this into my keg tonight. I was kind of disappointed that there wasn't really any pink coloring in the beer. It was a nice gold color though. It was on the strawberries for 6 days. I'm just hoping I still get some scent and flavor from the strawberries. I guess I'll just have to wait a couple weeks to find out.

caustin said:

I moved this into my keg tonight. I was kind of disappointed that there wasn't really any pink coloring in the beer. It was a nice gold color though. It was on the strawberries for 6 days. I'm just hoping I still get some scent and flavor from the strawberries. I guess I'll just have to wait a couple weeks to find out.

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Could you smell/taste the strawberries when you racked into the keg?

Bluelinebrewer said:

Could you smell/taste the strawberries when you racked into the keg?

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I didn't take a taste test, but I could smell a strong strawberry scent from the fermenting bucket, and a more mild scent from the keg. It wasn't an in your face scent. And I'm not sure if this matters but the strawberries weren't entirely white, but they definitely lost a decent amount of color and the airlock wasn't bubbling at all today. So I'm thinking it will be fine, but as a newer brewer I had a vision in my head of what to expect instead of just waiting for the experience to happen.

caustin said:

I didn't take a taste test, but I could smell a strong strawberry scent from the fermenting bucket, and a more mild scent from the keg. It wasn't an in your face scent. And I'm not sure if this matters but the strawberries weren't entirely white, but they definitely lost a decent amount of color and the airlock wasn't bubbling at all today. So I'm thinking it will be fine, but as a newer brewer I had a vision in my head of what to expect instead of just waiting for the experience to happen.

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No taste test?? Ah c'mon!! Yer killin me!! Lol. I'm sure it'll be fine. If you used 8 lbs, you'll taste it! I've brewed this twice, and neither time did I have any issues with tasting or smelling the strawberries. The color doesn't really matter either. Mine were always more of a pink than white, just a noticeable loss in color.

Nope, no taste test. I knew the strawberries soak up some of the beer, so I wanted to save every last bit until it was prime since everybody on the thread keeps saying how good it is!

I realize this is an old thread but I'm hoping someone will still be able to help me out. Giving this one a try and just racked to my secondary. I did NOT rack the slurry though and just realized that that may have been a mistake. Am I supposed to be seeing activity in the secondary?

If I am supposed to and there is no activity, should I pitch some yeast into the secondary?

vhanley said:

I realize this is an old thread but I'm hoping someone will still be able to help me out. Giving this one a try and just racked to my secondary. I did NOT rack the slurry though and just realized that that may have been a mistake. Am I supposed to be seeing activity in the secondary?

If I am supposed to and there is no activity, should I pitch some yeast into the secondary?

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Nope, you're fine. Don't rack the slurry. There's still plenty of yeasties available. You may or may not see any airlock activity. The goal is to impart the strawberry flavor. Generally, the yeast will ramp back up with the strawberry addition, but if it doesn't, its no big deal. How long has it been in secondary?

I just racked the beer off of the strawberries... this color is unreal! I cant wait to try it!

Chavi said:

I just racked the beer off of the strawberries... this color is unreal! I cant wait to try it!

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Wow!!! Now that is pink!!! Its weird, some people have it turn out really pink, others not so much. I wonder what causes some to be more pink than others. Which yeast did you use!

Bluelinebrewer said:

Wow!!! Now that is pink!!! Its weird, some people have it turn out really pink, others not so much. I wonder what causes some to be more pink than others. Which yeast did you use!

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I used S-05. Thanks so much for posting this recipe! I will definitely add some pics once its kegged up! If it tastes half as good as it smells this will be amazing.

Interesting. I'm pretty sure WildGinger uses S-05 as well, and he was commenting on how pink his turned out. I used Wyeast 1272, and I don't remember mine ever being that pink. I wonder if the yeast strain would have anything to do with it. You're welcome! I'm glad to see so many people like it!

Chavi said:

I just racked the beer off of the strawberries... this color is unreal! I cant wait to try it!

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Now that is one pink beer!
Mine doesn't have any pink in it, and I went of the original recipe and used the Wyeast 1272. Only a couple more weeks before I can try it. Can't wait.

When ready to drink, mine was not that pink at all. It had a reddish hue to it when finished, but I ferment in an opaque container, so I couldn't see the color until I drank it.

Yeah, I remember mine having just a very slight pink tint to it. tre9er, did you use Safale or Wyeast?

I brewed this and it was outstanding. Amazing full berry flavor and i just used 6lbs.

Problem is that the berry flavor faded quite a bit over the following month or so. I left about half of it out in the pantry where i carb and when i got to those they had a muted berry, kind of funky sour taste. Not off but not that appealing either.

Has anyone else experienced this? I will be depositing this directly in the beer fridge after bottle carbing next time.

That is exactly what mine looks like. That pink. I did my AG version and used S-05. This is the first time it has been this pink though and ive brewed it many many times.

Chromebrew said:

I brewed this and it was outstanding. Amazing full berry flavor and i just used 6lbs.

Problem is that the berry flavor faded quite a bit over the following month or so. I left about half of it out in the pantry where i carb and when i got to those they had a muted berry, kind of funky sour taste. Not off but not that appealing either.

Has anyone else experienced this? I will be depositing this directly in the beer fridge after bottle carbing next time.

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There's your problem right there.. Never, under any circumstances, should you have any beer in your fridge/pantry for more than a month!! I really didn't notice any kind of funky tastes, I did notice that the berry flavor seemed to mellow out more after it sat for a few weeks.

WildGingerBrewing said:

That is exactly what mine looks like. That pink nindid my AG version and used S-05. This is the first time it has been this pink though and ive brewed it many many times.

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Definitely sounds like a conspiracy of the strawberry manufacturers! lol. Kinda weird, I've never seen one that pink! (I know, that's what he said...) I thought maybe the yeast strain had something to do with it, but if you've used S-05 in the past and not seen anything like that, then that wouldn't explain it. Different brand of strawberries?

Come to think of it, my wife bought the berries this time and yes, they were a different brand than i normally get. Hmmmmmm. Very possibly the culprit.

Bluelinebrewer said:

Nope, you're fine. Don't rack the slurry. There's still plenty of yeasties available. You may or may not see any airlock activity. The goal is to impart the strawberry flavor. Generally, the yeast will ramp back up with the strawberry addition, but if it doesn't, its no big deal. How long has it been in secondary?

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Awesome. Glad to hear that! It's been there for two days. I've heard different things on that. Some say a week and some 4 days. I wanted a more subdued flavor do only added 5 pounds of berries instead of 8.

vhanley said:

Awesome. Glad to hear that! It's been there for two days. I've heard different things on that. Some say a week and some 4 days. I wanted a more subdued flavor do only added 5 pounds of berries instead of 8.

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My first one blew the air lock off and produced one helluva strawberry volcano!! Lol. Second time around I didn't see as much activity. I say you're safe at a week. I know 8 lbs sounds like a lot, but as it ages for a couple weeks, the strawberry flavor seems to mellow out. 5 pounds just means you'll have to drink faster!!

Bluelinebrewer said:

There's your problem right there.. Never, under any circumstances, should you have any beer in your fridge/pantry for more than a month!! I really didn't notice any kind of funky tastes, I did notice that the berry flavor seemed to mellow out more after it sat for a few weeks.

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I sit on a lot of beer...all the time. I brew too often to move it all out of inventory. Do you really drink all your brew in a matter of weeks? Ive had other fruit/veg beers that kept their flavors much longer. Just wondering if it was a tendency of strawberry... oh well Its a great recipe and ill do it again eventually.

Chromebrew said:

I sit on a lot of beer...all the time. I brew too often to move it all out of inventory. Do you really drink all your brew in a matter of weeks? Ive had other fruit/veg beers that kept their flavors much longer. Just wondering if it was a tendency of strawberry... oh well Its a great recipe and ill do it again eventually.

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Well... If you're needing to offload some brew, I know a guy that'd take it off your hands!! no, actually I was out of the brewing scene for about two years, and this was the only fruit beer that I did. Actually, I tried a watermelon wheat, turned out pretty bad. Couple weeks ago I went down to dig out some bottles to bottle my first brew since I've got back into brewing, and I found a 6 pack of this brew, hidden away. I can tell you this, after 2+ years, its definitely not fit for human consumption! Lol. I would guess that you could use a strawberry flavoring, which might hold up better than the actual strawberries, but I've never tried.

if you were closer Blueline i would certainly oblige.