Adding Fruit To A Beer Recipe

[mashman]

Has anyone had any success in adding fruit to a beer to impart a slight fruit flavour ?
The micro that I work for has been asked to produce a rhubarb beer and knowing I'm into homebrewing one of our brewers has asked me if I had tried doing one.
We would want to do it using proper fruit rather than flavourings or extracts but our brewing consultant has sugested that we may have problems with haze due to pectins, tannins, proteins etc.
If you have managed it, at what stage did you introduce the fruit and proportions etc.

Cheers, Steve

 

[artiums_enteri]

Many brewers add fruit to the fermenter after primary fermentation is complete. By adding fruit you are in essence starting a secondary fermentation. The only thing to really watch out for is be sure to pasteurize the fruit before introducing to your beer. The wild yeast that lives on the fruit will do very strange and unpleasant things to beer.

As far as haze goes, it's not too noticeable especially if you cold crash after the fruit has done its job. I cold crash and add gelatin, and my beer comes out crystal clear.