Strawberries $4 per Kilo @ Aldi

[Bizier]

I picked up 4 kg (a tray) and ate a half kg punnet with friends, I have 3.5kg in the freezer for a strawberry wheat beer.
They are half decent strawberries too.

Dan

[Shanus]

how did you brew go?

[Bizier]

Funny you should bring that up.

They are still in the freezer. BUT my last brew was to get these out of the freezer for SWMBO's convenience. I have ended up doing a kind of UKish blonde ale with Maris Otter, LDME, Target hops and US05, and I am currently waiting for the krausen to die down before I rack to the strawberries.

I am not expecting it to be anything mind blowing, but they are in good nick still, and it should be at least girlie, red and drinkable.

I have kept the hops to one bittering addition to about 12 or so IBU. If it tastes watery at rack, I may add a little sugar to up the alc a little.

[Bizier]

I just racked this tonight to strawberries after a week or so (dubious book keeping here) cold conditioning with gelatine for finings. I tried to be certain to pasteurise the strawberries after so long in the freezer.. ended up kinda slow-cooking them a bit while I ate dinner. I pitched a re-hydrated 12 pack of Swiss Lager from Ross that I had sitting around looking for a use, so now I have it at 10 degrees as a lager... I also figured that this wouldn't 'scrub' out the fruit flavour with C02 being released at a higher temp.

I had a pint or so to give it some headspace (that was my excuse anyway) and it is really bloody tasty and clean not unlike a US Wheat. Not my preferred style, but I plan on high carbonation and I think it will be a hit with the girl.

[Bizier]

I am drinking this as I write.

It is good, the malt and hops are very soft and the carb is high, which accentuates the strawberry.
It is strange tasting strawberry without the sugar, it kinda puts it into a different realm of taste, more like a crisp salad veg, but with a fruity aroma.

The racking was an absolute pain in the a hole, I tried many times to syphon and ended up using the tap with a short piece of vinyl racking cane. There were some straberries that floated and some that sank, and many in-between. I bulk prime, so I left it there for a good while to settle, and bottling went smooth until the last one.

This beer is slightly pink, but totally opaque with pectin haze.

All in all I am stoked because it tastes very clean. I am unsure about the girl's thoughts though.