Recipe Suggestions for Cranberry Ale?

I want to make a cranberry flavored beer for late spring/summer. Any suggestions regarding style, etc. I was thinking about doing an American wheat style with cranberries added - Cranberry Wheat Ale - for my next brew (probably next weekend). However, I am certainly not settled on this particular style?

Anyone done a cranberry flavored ale? Recommendations on style, yeast type, grain bill, hops, etc.? Love to hear some ideas . . .

I considered a cranberry wheat or pale ale around thanksgiving time, but was concerned that the tartness of the berries would be hard to guage and I was woried I wouldn't be able to get a nice base beer under it.

when using fruit, I generally do an american style wheat or a light pale ale. (well.. I've only donw the wheat once and that batch spoiled, so I guess I generally do a light pale ale.)

-walker

I guess that I figured that the wheat would better showcase the cranberry flavor because I generally consider pale ales to have a more malty taste. Your fruit flavored beers turn out ok when you do a pale ale style?? Do you scale back on the hops so as not to detract from the fruit flavor?

sonvolt said:

Your fruit flavored beers turn out ok when you do a pale ale style??

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I think so, and that's all that matters to me.

sonvolt said:

Do you scale back on the hops so as not to detract from the fruit flavor?

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I go light on the flavor hops, but don't adjust the bittering or aroma additions.

-walker

Didn't Dude and some others do some sort of cranberry group brew from a BYO recipe last fall? I think it was called 'cranberry zinger'...

I made a great one for Christmas time. Everybody loved it. I have the recipe at home and will post when I get there. I'm at work now...You know...workin'.

Cool . . . thanks . . .

BeeGee said:

Didn't Dude and some others do some sort of cranberry group brew from a BYO recipe last fall? I think it was called 'cranberry zinger'...

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yup.


https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=2479&highlight=group+brew

6 LBS Wheat Malt Extract

1/2 LB Wheat Malt
1/2 LB Six Row Malt
1/4 LB Cara-Pils Malt

1/2 Oz Perle
1.0 Oz Hallertauer Hershbrucker

Coopers dry ale yeast...Or Wyeast #3056 or 3068...Or White Labs WLP300, WLP320, or WLP380...(I actually used SafeAle 56 and it worked great)


I added 4 LBS of Fresh chopped cranberries to the secondary and left for 2 weeks. Then racked into another carboy and left a week. Came out very clear, very smoothe. Had a nice red color and just enough zing from the cranberries.