Homebrewing: making a strawberry ale

The only time I added fruit I did it with blueberries. I froze/thawed them a couple times to break down the cells walls, or something like that. Not real sure. Someone told me to do it, so I did it. I then put them in a big pot and mashed them up and brought the pot to 160 degrees for about 20 minutes. I let them cool slightly and then put them in a bucket. I racked the primary in to the buckets and let it sit for a couple weeks.

I didn't really care for the finished beer, but all my friends still request it. I don't have the original recipe, so I can't recreate it.

ETA: I do remember it was 10 lbs of blueberries.

when using blueberries, I washed them and froze them until ready to use, then I soaked them in 180 degree water for 10-15 minutes or so

I'd recommend using real ingredients over extract when possible

I've had the best results using a mixture of real fruit puree and extract. I use 5lbs vintners harvest puree for 5 gallons and then add extract to taste when I keg. I normally end up using less than 1/2 the recommended amount extract.

I find the puree gives the beer a more 'real' fruit flavor and the extracts will give it a nicer aromatic that people are expecting.

When I've used just extract the beer tastes fake and when I've used just fruit I don't get the aroma I'm looking for.