MB Girls & Boysenberries

[Root Skier]

My next batch is going to be the MB Girls & Boysenberries Beer.

The only deviation from the published recipe I am planning to make is to add the Boysenberry purée after 5 days.

Any other suggestions on this one? I would like a pronounced (stronger than Long Trail Blackberry Wheat) but not excessive (Sam Adams Cherry Wheat) fruity profile. Something good for breakfast in a cold parking lot on a late January Saturday morning.

Better yeast?
Hops?
Lemon zest?
More fruit?

What ideas does the collective have?

[jpsherman]

Sounds Like you are on a good track. Adding the berries once Primary Fermentation is mostly done.

Make this as per your plan and let us know how it comes out.

[Root Skier]

It's time to add the berries and I'm not quite sure what how to do that.

I could add the berries right into the LBK. If I do that, would I stir it around to mix it in?

I could also add the berries into my bottling container, then rack the beer from the LBK. I'd let it sit in there (with a loosened cap) for another week or so.

Thoughts?

[philm00x]

If adding to the LBK I wouldn't stir it, so as not to disturb the trub. If racking to secondary, then you could stir, just do it slowly so you don't aerate it, which can oxidize the beer.

[Bluejaye]

Do NOT stir. If you do, you will experience something like a 1950's monster movie, just trust me on this.

You can just gently pour the fruit puree in. I actually like the SS funnel Mr. Beer sells, fits perfectly on the LBK and the tip of the funnel ends up dipping about 1/4" into the wort.

I've never tried racking it to a secondary with the fruit on the bottom. That might not be a bad method (or could be a disaster, don't know). If you try it let me know how it works out.

[Root Skier]

Thanks for the quick replies. I think I'm going to dump the berries into my bottling container and then rack the beer on top of it.

Another question: Can I save and re-use the sanitizer MB includes? I poured the last gallon I made (a week ago) into a 1 gal glass carboy and capped it.

[Bluejaye]

Another question: Can I save and re-use the sanitizer MB includes? I poured the last gallon I made (a week ago) into a 1 gal glass carboy and capped it.

I can't answer that with any certainty. I've read (on the old forums) that the stuff MB includes is only good for about 24 hours. While people have stated using it for much longer. I wouldn't risk it personally.

StarSan can be kept for months (or until it's pH increases to over 3.0).

[Root Skier]

Another question: Can I save and re-use the sanitizer MB includes? I poured the last gallon I made (a week ago) into a 1 gal glass carboy and capped it.

I can't answer that with any certainty. I've read (on the old forums) that the stuff MB includes is only good for about 24 hours. While people have stated using it for much longer. I wouldn't risk it personally.

StarSan can be kept for months (or until it's pH increases to over 3.0).

I'm not going to risk it either. I have some StarSan. I'll mix up some of that to sanitize everything before racking.

[RickBeer]

LD Carlson told me one week in an air tight container. There was discussion on the other forum that if you refrigerate it it might last longer. Anyone who is quoting 24 hours isn't quoting facts.

[Root Skier]

LD Carlson told me one week in an air tight container. There was discussion on the other forum that if you refrigerate it it might last longer. Anyone who is quoting 24 hours isn't quoting facts.

It's been 5 days. I'm not going to take the chance. No sense in risking GOOD BEER for a few cents worth of sanitizer.

[jpsherman]

Since I make a batch every week I save the OneStep that I dump out of the bottles and use it to clean out the LBK after bottling. Just to be thorough when I brew my next batch a day or two later I still make new OneStep to sanitize right before brewing.

[RickBeer]

When I was doing one LBK, I would use One Step for bottling, clean the LBK, then sanitize and brew again, worse case next day. Now that I do two at once, I find that between everything I end up just making a new batch the next day.

I recently got a quart of Star San and plan on using that for my spray bottle so it's always ready to go, and for utensils since it's easier. I will likely do One Step for bottles because I end up getting the stone counter all wet and I'm not willing to let an acid-based product like Star San sit on SWMBO's stone counters, because she owns a rusty grapefruit spoon and knows how to use it.

[Root Skier]

Thanks for the great tips. I'll be adding the fruit tomorrow at this point. Right after I get home from the lhbs with a 5 gal kit

[joechianti]

I'm doing my first ever fruit beer right now, and just happen to be using the boysenberries also. I decided to rack the beer from the primary LBK into a clean LBK and then add the can of fruit after pureeing it in a sanitized blender. I gave it a gentle stirring and plan to cold crash in about 5 to 7 days and then bottle. Then I harvested the yeast from the primary LBK, a process which I'm learning to love. Keep posting the progress of your batch and I'll post mine, too. I think we're pretty much doing it okay so far.

[Root Skier]

Cool. How long did you have it in the primary?