Strawberry Ale

[DMBOX]

What would be an appropriate extract kit to brew with for such a beer? Or should I be looking at piecing together my own "kit?" I'd like the beer to be something light, maybe even Blue Moon-esque. Wyeast recommendation would also be helpful.

Secondly, what's the course of action with the strawberries? My plan is to pick them on a local farm, let them ripen up a bit, and add them to the secondary? I'm a bit confused with the sanitation aspect of getting them in the beer and at what point . . . Obviously you must wash them, but I'm looking for some help here on how to make this a success.

[grapeadmin]

I would use a wheat beer base - A hefe Weisen basically. Low on hops but the wheat will help build up the body. For a yeast I would use a clean fermenting ale yeast like Wyeast #1056. I would rinse off the strawberries but not worry about sanitizing them. Maybe chop them up a bit and add to the secondary. Keep them in the secondary until they start turning white.

thanks
john

[DMBOX]

Very helpful! Thank you. About how many pounds of fresh strawberries do you think would be sufficient for a 5 gallon batch?

[beerman]

When they use oregon fruit puree the suggested amount is 1 or 2 cans per 5 gal. batch of beer.
So that's 3 or 6lbs depending on desired strength.
Not sure if this directly relates to fresh strawberries

[grapeadmin]

Yes I think 3-6 would be in the ball park. When I have used fresh fruit (raspberries and cherries) I used about 8 lbs and was very happy with the results. Strawberries don't have much acid or flavor (in my experience) so I would shoot for the higher end.

thanks
john

[DMBOX]

You guys rock! Thanks

[grapeadmin]

Anytime

john