PatF1 Posted May 5, 2012 Share Posted May 5, 2012 Hey guys! My first brew is bottled and I want to start planning for my second!!! I was thinking something my girlfriend might like... Has anyone made a Strawberry Blonde??? I would appreciate some tips from those who have! Also do you add fruit to the brew or just use the flavored honey?? Also what kind of honey works best??? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewtownClown Posted May 5, 2012 Share Posted May 5, 2012 Good luck trying to source Strawberry Clover Honey. It seems extinct. This is close Buzz Honey Any honey can be used, according to your taste. I suggest you stay away from Bluegum, the eucalyptus is disgusting in beer! Fruit? Well, not according to the recipe Strawberry Blonde However, most fruits (citrus is difficult, use the peel) can be added. Berries are good. I have found strawberries to be very subtle and would prob get lost amongst the honey (cool to watch, though; the yeast strips all the colour from them and you end up with albino strawberries in your fermenter). Fruit flavouring in the form of extracts work really well. The extract can even be added at bottling... Frozen packaged fruit is easy too, just dump them in. Fresh fruit needs to be sanitised to kill of wild yeast and bacteria... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatF1 Posted May 6, 2012 Author Share Posted May 6, 2012 Ok. So do you think that my best bet is finding a light honey? Sorry the link didnt work for me... Also if I choose to add berries into the fermentor do I just put them in chesse cloth or just dump them in and add the yeast on top?? Is there a certain type of extract I should use if I choose that route? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewtownClown Posted May 6, 2012 Share Posted May 6, 2012 Ok. I fixed that link. You are best to find a honey with flavour, light honey (eg alfalfa) will show very little flavour in the final brew. Clover, Yellow Box, Orange Blossom and Leatherwood are good Australian honeys that will give some aroma and very slight flavour. If you want the flavour and aroma to really dominate I would be thinking more of a honey weizen. Some home brewers will prime their beer with honey so the flavour stays more "forward". I haven't tried that. A good recipe for the girls is the Blushing Blonde. With only a few brews under your belt, it is best to keep it simple and just follow that recipe as is. The next one you could replace the fruit with honey or add honey to it ... Cheese cloth or disposable "chux" cloth makes life easier just be sure they are loose enough for the yeast to get right through the fruit, I like weight the bag/cloth so it sinks to the botom (I use glass marbles) When it comes to extracts, any that are food grade (may sound silly but some are produced for candles, soaps, etc) and are real extracts, just like vanilla, real is superior to "imitation" or "flavour". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.