Strawberry, Not Very Ale

Classification: fruit beer, strawberry ale, extract

Source: John Sanders (jsanders@pyrtech.mis.pyramid.com) r.c.b., 7/7/92

I didn't like it, my friends LOVE it. Very little malt, lots of strawberry, very dry, almost a wine. A few people mix it with Dry Blackthorn Cider, yummy! This becomes a true cooler. Next year, twice as much crystal, half as much strawberries.

Ingredients:

7.2 pounds, Alexander's pale malt extract syrup
1/2 pound, cracked crystal malt (10L)
6 pounds+, pureed previously-frozen strawberries
3/4 ounce, Saaz hops (5.9% alpha), 60 minute boil
1 ounce, Fuggles (5.3% alpha), 30 minute boil
Wyeast #1214 Belgian ale yeast
Pectin enzyme (to precipitate pectin)

Procedure:

I used two 8 quart stockpots to cook this. I boiled one full pot of water, and set the seive in the top with the crystal malt after I cut the heat. Waited 20 minutes, then took the seive out and threw out the grains. I split the "tea" between the two pots, filled with water and started the boil. I added the extract and Saaz, boiled for 30 minutes, added the Fuggles, and boiled for 30 minutes more. I cooled the 4 gallons to 75 degrees and pitched the yeast. Then I boiled (!) the strawberries with 1 gallon of water for 15 minutes, then cooled and racked the beer (lost some trub here) onto the strawberry mix. 4 hours later, I racked the mix again, losing all of the trub (so far). Primary fermentation was outrageous! With 5+ inches headroom in my primary, I blew the Saran Wrap up 3 inches, then off 3 times! 3 days in the primary, then I racked to the secondary, and added the pectin enzyme. After 8 days in the secondary, I bottled with 1 1/2 cups of dried extract. I stored it for 3 weeks, then tried it.