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Started By
Message
re: Homebrewing: Blackberry Wheat
Posted on 4/30/12 at 1:20 pm to BugAC
Posted on 4/30/12 at 1:20 pm to BugAC
quote:
I have a bottling bucket too, but i'm afraid there is too much room for contamination with fermenting in that thing.
That's what I meant when I said I used a bucket. I use it all the time for wine and have never had a problem. I break down the spigot to sanitize.
1
Posted on 4/30/12 at 1:41 pm to BottomlandBrew
Either I am no where near as worried about sanitization or y'all are entirely too worried, but I have used frozen as well as fresh fruit with no problems at all. I guess if you were picking the fruit from the bushes and doing nothing to them I would be concerned, but frozen fruit I consider just fine to use frozen, let them thaw in the fermentor. And I make a watermelon kolsch that I just dump the watermelon in after pureeing it. Never had a problem at all.
Personally I hate the extracts, they taste fake to me probably because they are. If you wanted to make an extract make a flavored vodka, that has worked well for me in the past. Rule of thumb for fresh/frozen fruit is a lb per gallon, once again that is my rule that I go by.
Tetu is right that the sugar in the fruit will ferment out but you can always add more fruit at the end. My most recent batch of watermelon kolsch is going to need more watermelon right before serving, but that is easy for me to do.
Personally I hate the extracts, they taste fake to me probably because they are. If you wanted to make an extract make a flavored vodka, that has worked well for me in the past. Rule of thumb for fresh/frozen fruit is a lb per gallon, once again that is my rule that I go by.
Tetu is right that the sugar in the fruit will ferment out but you can always add more fruit at the end. My most recent batch of watermelon kolsch is going to need more watermelon right before serving, but that is easy for me to do.
Posted on 4/30/12 at 2:17 pm to Fratastic423
quote:
Either I am no where near as worried about sanitization or y'all are entirely too worried,
I'm probably too worried, but I view sanitizing and robot insurance the same way: I keep doing it, and so far no bugs in my beer other than the ones I put there, and no robots invading my home.
Posted on 4/30/12 at 2:22 pm to TigerstuckinMS
From what I have read, there is much less chance of infection in the secondary because the alcohol content is built up enough to kill off small amounts of bacteria.
That being said, I'd probably sanitize the berries first, either by soaking them in very hot (not boiling) water or by soaking them in StarSan for a few minutes then freeze them in a sanitized, airtight container. When you transfer to the secondary, dump them in.
Just my opinion but I stay away from extract flavorings. To me, it is just a step away from artifical flavoring....JMO.
That being said, I'd probably sanitize the berries first, either by soaking them in very hot (not boiling) water or by soaking them in StarSan for a few minutes then freeze them in a sanitized, airtight container. When you transfer to the secondary, dump them in.
Just my opinion but I stay away from extract flavorings. To me, it is just a step away from artifical flavoring....JMO.
Posted on 4/30/12 at 2:22 pm to Fratastic423
quote:
Either I am no where near as worried about sanitization or y'all are entirely too worried,
I'm usually the least worried brewer I know, but I was using fruit I picked off the bush. Not gonna take my chances.
Posted on 4/30/12 at 2:56 pm to BottomlandBrew
quote:
but I was using fruit I picked off the bush. Not gonna take my chances.
In that case I would just wash well and freeze. Unless you were making a puree and heating it up, I don't know if star san would actually do anything.
Posted on 4/30/12 at 3:57 pm to Fratastic423
How many pounds of blackberries should i use, if no extract?
Posted on 4/30/12 at 4:01 pm to BugAC
quote:
How many pounds of blackberries should i use, if no extract?
5
Posted on 4/30/12 at 4:17 pm to SouthOfSouth
quote:
5
That's what I would use.
Posted on 4/30/12 at 4:30 pm to Fratastic423
So 5 lbs washed, "sanitized", then frozen added to secondary. I guess ordering 4 oz. of blackberry extract might not be needed.
Posted on 5/15/12 at 12:39 pm to BugAC
Today, i'm adding in 5 lbs of frozen blackberries. I will probably have to let them thaw a little to get them in the carboy. I have a 6 1/2 gallon carboy, and was planning on adding the blackberries then transfering my brew to the carboy on top of the blackberries.
Or should i add half now, and then add half after i transfer my beer?
ETA: Oh, and the wheat tastes pretty good right now.
OG = 1.054
FG = 1.014
Or should i add half now, and then add half after i transfer my beer?
ETA: Oh, and the wheat tastes pretty good right now.
OG = 1.054
FG = 1.014
This post was edited on 5/15/12 at 12:42 pm
Posted on 5/15/12 at 12:51 pm to BugAC
I've always thrown them in a big grain bag or loose in the bucket. Never fruited into a carboy.
Posted on 5/15/12 at 12:56 pm to BugAC
quote:
to get them in the carboy
I've made the mistake of doing it before, but fruit in a glass carboy is not easy to clean out - if your opening is as small as my opening on my carboy. I know you said you're scared of contamination from your bottling bucket, but that's what I'd use.
Posted on 5/15/12 at 12:57 pm to BugAC
So if I wanted to do a strawberry beer, I could get some fresh strawberries, cut them up in smaller pieces, freeze them and then rack beer on top of them in my secondary? No need to sanitize the berries?
Posted on 5/15/12 at 1:02 pm to RedHawk
quote:
So if I wanted to do a strawberry beer, I could get some fresh strawberries, cut them up in smaller pieces, freeze them and then rack beer on top of them in my secondary? No need to sanitize the berries?
Well, i used the blackberries whole. Didn't cut them up. I rinsed them about 3 - 4 times. I started to star san some of them, but it just didn't seem right. I just soaked them in some hot water on the last rinse, then drained them. I also starsan'd the ziploc bags they were stored in.
Posted on 6/21/12 at 11:32 am to BugAC
UPDATE
Tasted my blackberry wheat last night. It is definitely ready! This is my best brew so far. It's got a decent head, and smells of blackberries when you pour.
Color: Before adding the blackberries in the fermenter, the brew had a hoegaarden-eque color to it. More of a yellow hazy color. Well now, the color is more of a deep velvet/purple color, with that wheat haze.
Taste: The taste is fantastic. 1 week ago, the blackberry taste was very faint. Yesterday it was more pronounced, and can only assume, that it will get more pronounced the longer it sits. You definitely taste the blackberries. The wheat beer, by itself, would have been great, but the blackberries give it a fruity nudge.
I don't see this brew lasting very long, as many of my friends aren't as beer snobbish as i am, so they will lap up the fruit beer. My girlfriend loves it, and so does my roommate. I give it 2 weeks before i am out of the 40 or so bottles i have.
Brew Date: 5/6/12
Ready Date: 6/21/12
ABV: 5.5%
IBU: 26
Tasted my blackberry wheat last night. It is definitely ready! This is my best brew so far. It's got a decent head, and smells of blackberries when you pour.
Color: Before adding the blackberries in the fermenter, the brew had a hoegaarden-eque color to it. More of a yellow hazy color. Well now, the color is more of a deep velvet/purple color, with that wheat haze.
Taste: The taste is fantastic. 1 week ago, the blackberry taste was very faint. Yesterday it was more pronounced, and can only assume, that it will get more pronounced the longer it sits. You definitely taste the blackberries. The wheat beer, by itself, would have been great, but the blackberries give it a fruity nudge.
I don't see this brew lasting very long, as many of my friends aren't as beer snobbish as i am, so they will lap up the fruit beer. My girlfriend loves it, and so does my roommate. I give it 2 weeks before i am out of the 40 or so bottles i have.
Brew Date: 5/6/12
Ready Date: 6/21/12
ABV: 5.5%
IBU: 26
This post was edited on 6/21/12 at 11:36 am
Posted on 6/21/12 at 11:49 am to BugAC
great job, it sounds fantastic
which wheat kit did you end up using?
which wheat kit did you end up using?
This post was edited on 6/21/12 at 11:50 am
Posted on 6/21/12 at 11:50 am to LoneStarTiger
quote:
great job, it sounds fantastic
I have to say, i had reservations about getting enough flavor from the blackberries instead of using extract. But i will not second guess again. I think the fact i did my first full boil helped too.
Posted on 6/21/12 at 11:52 am to LoneStarTiger
quote:
which wheat kit did you end up using?
AHS Raspberry Wheat - Extract
And used 5 lbs of blackberries that i froze after soaking and rinsing several times.
Posted on 6/21/12 at 11:59 am to BugAC
did you just throw out the raspberry flavoring?
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