Strawberry is one the most difficult flavors to conjure in a natural brewing process. When you add Strawberries to the mash itself pre or at the time of fermentation, typically all you do is blow the ABV through the roof and end up with something akin to Russian Imperial Stout with a reddish tinge possessing absolutely no Strawberry flavor at all. That was the experience the Glengarry Brewmaster had had in attempts to re-create such gems as Lienenkugel Berry Weiss in the past. Citrus flavorings that are added with the addition of the peels of the fruit fare far better. Strawberry, because it is a rather weak flavor to begin with, is very difficult to convey in a fermented beverage. Glengarry has had some success with Raspberry and Cherry Ales in the past but, not enough to add said brews to the "official" rotation. That all changed because of a chance conversation your humble brewmaster had with an old friend from way back in his high school days. This friend works at Kerry Flavorings of Beloit, Wisconsin as a "Flavorist". Your humble brewmaster, to that point, had never heard of nor had any idea what a "Flavorist" did. I now know what they do and it is marvellous to say the least. They create super concentrated natural flavorings to be added to various food stuffs, including, you guessed it, Beer. Not only did my friend, known as "AF" for her privacy, create me a Strawberry flavoring, she created 4 Strawberry flavorings and an additional 2 "Passion Fruit" flavorings should I decide to make something of that as well. After waiting about a month for the beer to ferment, condition, and CO2 charge, what came out was an absolutely wonderful success. Special thanks to Kerry Flavorings and "AF" in particular. This one is now added to the rotation.
Grain Bill:
- 8 lbs. 2 Row
- 12 oz Caramunich 10L
Hops: 1 oz Cascade @ start of boil
Adjuncts:
- Steep 1 12oz bag of frozen Strawberries @ termination of fermentation and beginning of cold crash, Steep in muslin bag for 3 days.
- 3 TBSP of Kerry AF110320E Strawberry Flavoring
Yeast: Wyeast 1056 American Ale
Infusion Process:
- 10 mins @ 120 degrees
- 10 mins @ 150 degrees
- 30 mins @ 155 degrees
- raise to 170 degrees, mash out.
- boil 60 mins, cool, transfer to fermenter.
Fermentation:
- 14 days @ ^ 65 degrees F
- 3 day fruit steep @ 45 degrees F
OG: ~ 1.044
FG: ~ 1.025
ABV: ~ 6.1%