Strawberry wheat beer recipe feedback

[chris2012]

I've not made a strawberry beer before, but I've just come up with this simple recipe.

I'm hoping the Kölsch yeast isn't too sulphury. But I'm going to make sure I lager
for a bit after fermentation.

I'm also wondering how much difference pureeing would make after defrosting the frozen strawberries?

German Kölsch wlp029
30g Fuggles
4kg pilsner
4kg wheat

6kg frozen strawberries (possibly pureed too) to be added in secondary

8.5% ABV @ 70.5% mash eff.

[Thorbz]

I've never done a fruit beer, never mind a strawberry one, but " Radical Brewing " describes them as being " almost hopeless ". It recommends a light beer and lots of very ripe fruit. Fruli uses 30% strawberry juice and 70% wheat beer, as a rough guide, and is 4.1% ABV.

Best of luck with whatever you decide to do.

[mysterio]

I saw that in radical brewing but it's still worth a try. Strawberrys are excellent at the moment.

They will be mushy after defrosting - I wouldn't bother pureeing them.

I would recommend mashing as warm as you can - 69C or 70C as the fruit will thin the body significantly, and add some carapils.

Also that's a pretty high ABV, I would be expecting a lower ABV in a summery fruit beer.

[chris2012]

Is the carapils for head retention or something?

Why's that book say strawberry beers are 'almost hopeless'? I've had some rather nice ones

[Thorbz]

Randy Mosher may have been overstating it. I think maybe you just need more fruit to get a decent flavour return, compared to cherries or raspberries. Another option is a blend of fruit and a syrup.