Risks in cold crashing when fruit is involved?

I would not do that...cold crashing will delay further fermentation, but not stop it totally.
I use potassium sorbate to stop further fermentation, but that only works well if you are force/not carbonating.

Any fruit in an IPA seems almost counterproductive, but if added, I would let it totally ferment out. Acidic tartness is probably better than cloying sweetness in a IIPA, IMHO.

ps...there are plenty of hops with pineapple notes.

 

Hey I'm adding fruit to my berliner soon. I was thinking about racking it into secondary and letting it condition on it's own (no fruit) for a few days (4-5) before I add my fruit for a week or two. Do I need to put fruit in secondary carboy and rack beer ontop of it? Or can I do it my way and drop the fruit in after it's been conditioning in secondary for a few days?

I have a hunch that it probably isn't wise because dropping the fruit in through top of carboy with beer in it would induce splashing and therefore O2....any ideas? Should I let it condition for a few days in secondary by itself then RE-rack it into another carboy (essentially a 3rd) that already has the fruit waiting for it on the bottom?

 

Why not let it condition on it's own in the primary? How long has it been there already? Or even better, put the fruit in the primary and rack only once to your bottling bucket.

How did you sour your Berliner? ...that might make a difference.

Berlinerweisse is one style that shouldn't suffer from fruit or even juice additions, IMHO.

 

My experience fruiting a berliner (which don't suffer one bit IMO from the right amount of the right fruit):

I've racked my berliners into secondary once over kumquats and another time over peaches. Both batches turned out tasty as hell (very crushable on a hot day). This method has worked well for me and I plan to keep it up with every batch (I brew 10 gallon berliner batches, fruit 5g, leaving the other 5g plain).

I wouldn't fruit the beer until it's at a point you are happy with it when plain. I waited until my berliners were tasting good (light to medium tartness, crisp, light bodied, etc.) and then racked over the fruit. I left the beer on the fruit for 2-3 weeks in both examples. The time on fruit is obviously to taste though. You could go shorter or longer depending on your preferences.

I sliced up the peaches, removed the pits, and froze them overnight. Thawed them out the next day and then stuff them through the neck of the carboy. I sliced the kumquats in half and pitted them, but did not see any benefit to freezing them. Stuffed the kumquats into the carboy, skin and all, and I think my friends/neighbors and I killed the keg in under a month.

Hope this helps at least a bit. What fruit are you planning on using? I'm already thinking of my next 10 gallon batch...goes soooo quick.

 

OP's proposed process is off the grid.
Just sayin.'

Best wishes.

 

My process when brewing with pineapple is:

I use 0.5 lbs per gallon to my IIPAs, ferment the beer in a bucket out to final gravity. Cold crash the beer to mid 30's F, put the freshly cut pineapple in a muslin bag, open the fermenter lid, and then realize this is a freaking IIPA and hops should be going in now, not fruit. I then stumble around for a minute, put those 2.5 lbs of pineapple back in the fridge for eating, and bust some aromatic hops out of the freezer and toss them in.

Cheers & goodluck!