Hi, everyone. I'm new to homebrewing and this site so I'm not sure if someone has asked this before. I'm making a blueberry wheat ale with real fruit. Should I sanitize the berrys before adding them to my secondary. If so, what is the best way? Thanks for the help.

Ive heard about freezing (to break up cell membranes) and then pasteurizing at 150-160 or so for 15 to 20 minutes, but a lot of folks will probably say just wash, crush and rack beer onto them in the secondary and let the alcohol and anaeobic conditions take care of any stray bacteria. You may want to experiment with fruit extracts first to see if you actually like the effect. I have a few bottles that I use to mix a few cc's into a pint glass to give the fruit effect. This gives me the option of serving my American wheat as is or a raspberry wheat from the same keg.

I'm in the freeze 'em, thaw 'em, and toss 'em in camp. It's worked every time, and I really hate the thought of destroying the subtle flavors and aromatics by heating them.

I never pasteurize fruit for my beer, mainly for convenience sake. I freeze (at least 2 days I find), thaw, and toss them in. I've got more details <a href="http://www.bodensatz.com/staticpages/index.php?page=20020823202232199">here</a>. A buddy in our club has a neat way of handling fruit that I have been meaning to try. He mashes it up in a bucket with pectic enzyme, and leaves it there for a day or two. This accomplishes the same goal as freezing, only apparanty much better. After the fruit has turned into a total goopy moosh, he adds it to the fermenter.

p.s. Sometimes when you do not pasteurize your fruit, you will get a mild infection, but I've always found the bacteria that live on fruit to be extremely 'beer friendly'. The odd time this happens it has never spoiled my beer, and has only helped contribute a very pleasant sour pucker to it. In fact, I wish it would happen more often

Tim, I always froze my fruit and then just dumped it into the secondary without any problem. However, I have already had the sugars in the fruit start a seconday fermentation that clogged the air lock and then blew it off the carboy. The wife was not happy when she found strawberries all over the ceiling.

I have a raspberry stout fermenting in secondary right now. After the first night, I checked it and found the top of my airlock about ten feet away and what I estimated to be about 1/2 to 1 pound of fruit on the ceiling, floor, and side of the carboy. That's the last time I make a fruit beer without a blow-off tube. The freeze, thaw, toss in seems to have worked okay so far (obviously a vigorous fermentation ensued, and I haven't been able to sense an infection yet - hopefully I won't later : )

Since I am local, I hope I get to try your fruit stout. AT least the part that stayed in the fermenter.

Ed- I'll let you know when it's done and bring some by.

Let me know. How did you decided on the quantity of fruit to use?

I read somewhere that 1#/gal was a good ratio. I didn't figure it would be overpowering with a relatively robust stout - just something to complement the roasted barley and the chocolate malt overtones. Dugualla Bay farms has great fresh fruit right now, so it was cheap too.

I once put 10 lbs of Cherries in 5 gallons of stout and it was one of the best beers I've ever made! I normally go heavy on the fruit.

Tim,
I rinsed then blanched (couple o secs at a boil) my blueberries before adding them to the secondary fermentation. I found that it freed up some of the sugar and help bring the color out of the skins. I think that due to the molecular excitation it would remove some of the nastier chemical shite that might get on them through processing, but I've no way to know for sure.

Just wanted to say thanks for the advise on my blueberry wheat. It's been bottle conditioning for a couple of weeks now. I opened one last night and IMHO it was excellent: full-bodied with a hint of fruit. Wonderful blueberry aftertaste. Thanks again.

I have not made a fruit beer yet, but I am planning on making one soon. I have heard of people putting in fruit at the end of the boil just as they turn off the heat. Then they let it seep like you would aroma hops, then add the whole thing to a plastic bucket primary. I am for this method because if it does not drive away the aromatic components of the aroma hops then it should not do so for the fruit. I know that you want a way to add fruit to the scondary, so maybe you could boil a quart or two of water then when it is nice and hot turn it off and seep the fruit. This should not set the pectin too much in the fruit and should sanitize it.

I have not made a fruit beer yet, but I am planning on making one soon. I have heard of people putting in fruit at the end of the boil just as they turn off the heat. Then they let it seep like you would aroma hops, then add the whole thing to a plastic bucket primary. I am for this method because if it does not drive away the aromatic components of the aroma hops then it should not do so for the fruit. I know that you want a way to add fruit to the scondary, so maybe you could boil a quart or two of water then when it is nice and hot turn it off and seep the fruit. This should not set the pectin too much in the fruit and should sanitize it.

Tex, go ahead and tri it...that's how I found that I didn't care fot that method. There's really not much left of the fruit, especially a subtle one like blueberries, by the time fermentation is over. You really don't need to worry about sanitizing the fruit that goes into secondary..at least, I've never had a problem by taking it out of the freezer, letting it thaw and putting it right into secondary.