Help with adding fruit

[dmybama]

I'm working with a recipe in the near future that I'd be interested in adding fruit to, but really am unsure of where to start. Any suggestions?

8.5 lb (3.9 kg) Pale 2-Row Malt
8.0 oz (227 g) Munich malt
4.0 oz (113 g) Wheat malt
8.0 oz (227 g) CaraVienne® malt
4.0 oz (113 g) 20° L crystal malt
4.0 oz (113 g) Victory malt
8.0 oz (227 g) Orange blossom honey (added
during the boil)
Hops
0.5 oz (14 g) Columbus whole hops, 13.9% a.a.
(60 min)
0.5 oz (14 g) Columbus whole hops, 13.9% a.a.
(15 min)
0.5 oz (14 g) Columbus whole hops, 13.9% a.a.
(5 min)
1.0 oz (28 g) Columbus whole hops, 13.9% a.a.
(0 minutes)
1.5 oz (43 g) Centennial whole hops, 10.9% a.a.
(dry)

 

[wahmbush]

Had great success adding 5-7 lbs of pureed fruit into 5 gallons of beer @ secondary for 1 week.

 

[revco]

I generally stick to around 1lb per gallon, a bit more if I really want to bring out the fruit flavors. You can also (sometimes) use a flavor extract to get away with using less fruit or further intensify the fruit flavoring. I've used both purees and regular fruit, I prefer the latter for simplicity. If fresh, I usually freeze it to help break down the cell walls.

Just plan on racking the beer on top of the fruit in secondary, once fermentation is finished. Fermentation will renew slightly in that time, but usually doesn't last for more than a couple few days. I generally go for 5-7 days, not including any cold crashing that I'm planning. The important point is to be sure you can package in that 5-7 day time frame since longer time frames enhances the risk of molding.

 

[pwnshop]

In my limited experience the amount of fruit to use will vary quite a bit depending on the type of fruit. For instance I made a 5 gallon batch of a raspberry wheat and racked onto 3lbs of frozen raspberries. It came out tasting like raspberry juice. If I had followed the 1lb / gal rule it would have been even more overpowered.

In regards to how much fruit to use, I think you just need to google recipes with that fruit and take the average. Brew your batch and hope for the best and then adjust next time. Either that or follow a tried and proven recipe.