Fruit! Freeze dried??

[Ted Briggs]

Anyone ever experiment with freeze dried fruit? How did it work when compared with fresh or purees?

[BMan1113VR]

We have used them and still occasionally use them. It really depends on the fruit type and supplier. We have had good success with freeze dried tart cherries. The fruit character is usually pretty intense. We have also used freeze dried blueberries which contribute a large amount of color, but a more subtle flavor than the cherries. Your mileage may vary. Raspberries yielded results similar to purees.

A big drawback (other than the price) is that they take up a large amount of space per # (something to consider if you are adding to a barrel). We tried running them through a food processor to condense them size wise. This worked, but made it really difficult separating the beer from the powdered fruit.