Blackberry Wheat Beer

[Hayzer]

I've got a few wheat beer extracts from BD that I want to add fruit too. Blackberries are about to come on here and I was wondering about using some in my fermenter. Do I need to wash and sanitize the berries before use? What needs to be done to the berries as far as crushing, blending, etc., and how many cups would I use per as 2 gal. batch?
Thanks for the help!

Hayzer

[Kealia]

Hi Hayzer,

Yes, they should be cleaned and sanitized or pastuerized to kill off any wild yeast, bugs, etc. that is on them - unless you're going for a wild fermentation which I am guessing you are not. I've only done fruit-wheat beers back when I started with Mr Beer (pre-Brew Demon) but when they sent out the kits for that they would include a 12-ounce can (IIRC) of fruit to be used with it that was ready to go.

If it were me, I would boil them up like you were making a syrup or at least bring it up to 180 degrees and hold for 30 minutes (again, verify this - don't just take my word for it) to prepare them.
Then, I would brew and ferment the beer as normal and when it looked like fermentation was slowing down I would then add the fruit (which has been heated, etc. AND cooled). Be prepared for some vigorous fermentaion, meaning make sure you have plenty of headspace and/or a blow-off tube.

As for how much.......I'm going to let somebody that has done a fruit beer more recently chime in on that detail.

[Dawg LB Steve]

Should pasteurize them, or soak in a neutral spirit like vodka.

[HerbMeowing]

Having brewed more than a few raspberry wheats over the years in LBKs ... here's what I suggest.

- Brew the batch as you would if no fruit was to be added
- Ferment two weeks

- Boil / sterilize a 5G paint strainer bag (available at Lowes / Home Deport - 2 pak < $5)
- Line a 2ndary fermentor with the paint strainer bag

- Rinse 1# / G of firm ripe fruit
- Crush or puree fruit ... then pour / ladle slurry into paint strainer bag lining the 2ndary
- Add counter-weights (I use 12oz - marbles ... SS washers ... old bent SS spoons ... etc.) to keep bag submerged
- Rest 1 week
- Expect a few days of mild renewed fermentation (leave the lid a little loose & put a catch pan under the LBK)

- Lift bag ... rotate / twist on its axis to extract juice ... and remove
- Package per usual

- No need to pasteurize the fruit but if you insist ... using a double-boiler ... bring slurry to 158°F ... stir often ... hold for 30' ... then cool to room temperature before pitching [EDIT: some claim pasteurization robs fruit of some flavor and I tend to agree]
- Some homebrew boys soak fruit in vodka / Star San but I never found it necessary
- Some advocate adding pectin to the 2ndary but I don't
- Some add gelatin to the 2ndry and I do
- My fruit beers reach peak flavor between 7 & 10 weeks in the bottle. YMMV.

[Kealia]

Well, there you go!

[dbrowning]

pasteurize the fruit
OR wish you had

[Hayzer]

- No need to pasteurize the fruit

- Some homebrew boys soak fruit in vodka / Star San but I never found it necessary

- Some add gelatin to the 2ndry and I do

Can I cook the berries a while IN Vodka?

What about adding sugar to balance the tartness of wild blackberries? The syrupy cans of fruit are loaded with sugar, and that’s why I’m asking. I don’t mind at all on raising ABV, if that’s what this will do.

What gelatin and how much in a 2 gallon batch?

This is fermenting in a 3 gal BD conical. Can I steep berries in this rather than a secondary. (I do not have a secondary yet)


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[Hayzer]

- No need to pasteurize the fruit

- Some homebrew boys soak fruit in vodka / Star San but I never found it necessary

- Some add gelatin to the 2ndry and I do

Can I cook the berries a while IN Vodka?

What about adding sugar to balance the tartness of wild blackberries? The syrupy cans of fruit are loaded with sugar, and that’s why I’m asking. I don’t mind at all on raising ABV, if that’s what this will do.

What gelatin and how much in a 2 gallon batch?

This is fermenting in a 3 gal BD conical. Can I steep berries in this rather than a secondary. (I do not have a secondary yet)


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[mashani]

Can I cook the berries a while IN Vodka?

If your soaking crushed up berries in vodka, there is no reason to cook them at all. The vodka would murder any bugs.

What about adding sugar to balance the tartness of wild blackberries? The syrupy cans of fruit are loaded with sugar, and that’s why I’m asking. I don’t mind at all on raising ABV, if that’s what this will do.

ALL that would do is raise the ABV. If you want to actually increase the sweetness you would need to add an unfermentable sugar like lactose. Maltodextrin would increase it a *tiny* bit, but not much. Another option would be to use a very light crystal malt.

This is fermenting in a 3 gal BD conical. Can I steep berries in this rather than a secondary. (I do not have a secondary yet)

Yes. If soaking in vodka, I would just wait until the krausen falls, and then dump the mix in. It will then ferment again, but you will get more aroma and flavor from it then if you put them in up front. If using canned berries in syrup, no need to soak in vodka, just open the can and dump it in (sanitize the lid of the can and the can opener before you do it. Can openers tend to be the nastiest thing in a kitchen when it comes to bugs.)

[HerbMeowing]

Mashani covered your questions well.
The one left for me is about gelatin.

Gelatin is used as a gelling agent in food.
It's derived from animal parts such as skin ... ligaments ... bones ... and hooves so vegans beware ;/
Home-brewers use it as a clarify agent.

I use 1/2 tsp of Knox brand gelatin for a 2.5G batch size at bottling.
Same amount would work for you ... too.
Some say why bother; it's a wheat beer and 'sposed to be hazy.

Sprinkle it atop ~1/2 [CORRECTION: should read 1/4] cup water
Rest a few minutes to re-hydrate
Microwave for 20 seconds on HIGH to dissolve
Add to bottling bucket and stir quietly (no bubbles)

[Hayzer]

Thanks for the tips everyone. I appreciate the help. Going to go through with this Blackberry Wheat, then follow it up with an Elderberry Wheat. Each recipe will bottle condition a couple months before heading into the refrigerator.

I plan on doing 2-3 more batches of various beers in my 2.5 gal BD this fall before jumping up to a 6 gal conical. Then a dozen or so in the 6 gal before jumping into AG recipes. I want to make sure my sterilization practices are down pat before really dumping some money into this hobby. It's fun and I enjoy the end results, but my taste buds are not as refined as most I suppose because I do not know when I've failed. They all have tasted pretty good to me so far.

[Kealia]

It's fun and I enjoy the end results, but my taste buds are not as refined as most I suppose because I do not know when I've failed. They all have tasted pretty good to me so far.

I bolded the only important part of your post

If you've liked everything you've brewed you haven't failed. And tastes vary. I know I have zero tolerance for diacetyl whereas others can't taste it. Some people here don't even like a lot of Citra in their beer! CAN YOU IMAGINE??

All kidding aside, the joy of brewing and being happy with the results are all that matter. For me, it's the reason I haven't entered any competitions. I don't need somebody else to tell me what my beer should taste like - unless there is something off that I cannot pinpoint and need an expert opinion.

No offense to those that enter competitions. There's something to be said for trying to brew "closest to the pin" when you are given a specific target (style guideline). For me though, if my friends and I like what comes out of my taps it's a good day.