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Fruit

13 bytes removed, 05:20, 12 December 2010
/* Methods */
* '''Fresh Fruit''' - While fresh fruit sounds good in theory, fresh fruit is VERY dirty and can carry unwanted microbes into your brew. Fruit should be washed thoroughly and then sanitized by boiling, microwaving, or freezing.
* '''Add to Mash''' - Some rare recipes will call for adding fruit to the top of the MLT when sparaging. The drawback is that the acids from the fruit could pull unwanted flavors out of your grains.
* '''Boil''' - Only a few fruits are good for boiling. Most fruit should never be boiled and should not be added to primary fermentation. Boiling fruit can destroy it's enzymes and can cause it to release pectin. Citris and citris rinds can sometimes be boiled while berries should never be boiled. Berries particularly can cause beer to get a pickle flavor, which can taste like rotten fruit or bitter olives. Boiling and adding to secondary fermentation can cloud up a brew. An alternative is adding the fruit to the boil is to add after the wort has been removed from heat, scalding the fruit 1t 185f (most microbes die at 180f 190f for 5minat least 45sec (88c).
* '''Microwave''' - While this method will destroy a good number of microbes, the brewer runs the risk of releasing pectin from the fruit and destroying enzymes that give the fruit flavor and aroma.
* '''Freeze''' The most popular way to add fruit for a homebrew is to freeze the fruit and add it to secondary fermentation. Freezing does two things, it puts the microbes to sleep, making it hard for them to wake up and compete with the yeast for food. Second, it can burst the cell walls of the fruit releasing more flavor from the skins. While there is a minute rate of infection for this method, it keeps the fruits' natural enzymes and bacterium alive long enough to contribute significant flavor.
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