I stumbled onto the idea of using fresh fruit in brewing. I am looking for some guidelines, and cannot get a consistent answer. For example, I just brewed a Blonde Ale with Honey and Blueberries. The advice I got for the blueberries ran the spectrum: freeze them once vs. freeze them multiple times, thaw them vs. throw them in frozen, soak them in vodka vs. pasteurize them vs. “the alcohol in the beer will kill any bacteria”. So I froze them once, threw them in frozen (actually transferred from the primary ferm into the secondary ferm with the frozen blueberries in the bottom) and am going to cross my fingers. Seriously, what’s the best way to do this?!
For things like berries, I just wash em and then throw them into ye old household freezer and then chuck them into the beer towards the end of fermentation - so not much different than what you did!
I’ve done a handful of matches with fruit, and I’ve mostly done the freeze once & rack on top of them approach.
I do freeze and thaw, with the added step of pureeing the fruit. I figure it will aid in quicker and more efficient extraction of the flavor and fermentables. I almost always add directly to the primary fermenter.
I don’t think there is a single “right” way to do it - it depends on your beer, personal preference, tolerance for mess, available freezer space, and fermenter configuration.
I’ve made peach pilsners and wheat beers. I use 3 lbs of fresh peaches, which I cut into 1/2" cubes and freeze. I defrost them and add them for 5-7 days at the end of fermentation like a dry hop. This creates a “peach in the background” level of fruitiness. I’ve both star-sanned and not before cutting the peaches up, but I’ve never had a problem either way.
With frozen store-bought berries, I just thaw, mash and throw them in. For fresh, locally picked produce, I’ve rinsed, frozen, thawed, mashed, added to must, and overnighted with campden tablets before adding sugars and pitching yeast. Note that these are meads of much higher gravity and ABV than beer wort, so you may need to exercise additional caution.
My process: Freeze to kill bacteria then thaw and pulse several times in a blender or processor to create a puree. Add to secondary fermenter, alcohol that’s present will kill anything left behind. I’ve used anywhere from 3lbs to 5 lbs in a five gallon batch.
For a fruitier profile I don’t use any boiling hops and minimize the later stages of hops.
Brewed an Strawberry Lager today. Strawberries turn white in the presence of alcohol. Used noble hops ranging from 1.7% AA to 2.8% AA so as not to step on the fruit flavor too much. I usually use pilsner malt which helps with presenting the fruit flavor and aroma. After a good pull off the beer the finish is a head full of strawberries with a crisp finish, summer awaits.
One thing about honey, it can make your beer more astrigent if you use too much.
May your beer be good to the last drop, best of luck.