BogusOwnz
Well-Known Member
I'm planning to rack a wheat beer onto some raspberries. How much. Is 5 pounds for 5 gallons to much?
I made a strawberry blonde with 4 pounds of strawberries for 5 gallons and my fiance loves it, so I don't think 5 pounds of raspberries is too much.
I disagree. In my opinion, 5lbs of raspberries in a 5g batch is too much unless you're looking for a strong raspberry flavor that dominates everything else. 5 lbs of strawberries is cool because the flavor is so much more muted in strawberries vs raspberries, meaning to takes a lot more strawberries to mathc the flavor of raspberries. I have done 2 raspberry wheats with, if I recall correctly 2.25lbs and 3.25lbs of raspberries. If you can afford it and find it local, the Orgeon puree is the way to go. I used to think the frozen berries were pasturized until I looked at them, the ones I found are not. Just heat them up in a pan at 170-180 for 10-15 minutes to kill off any wild yeasts and bacteria, cool and pitch. This will also help break them apart which will impart more flavors for you. Also, the freezing will rupture a lot of the cell membranes, which will allow them to impart more flavors. Let us know what you go with and what you think of the results.
Mind if I update alongside of you? I just racked 3lbs of frozen raspberries (pasturized 20 mins) with 6gals of beer on top.
I measured SG before and after mixing the fruit, just about a single point of difference. I haven't noticed any airlock activity either. Did you happen to measure SG as well? Just wondering because you said you had so much activity... wondering if maybe you had a stuck fermentation and the fruit woke the yeast up. You also have a higher fruit to beer ratio, that might explain as well.
How much volume did your fruit add?
How long are you letting it sit before bottling? I noticed you were thinking of a tertiary... I was thinking it might be ok, and just use a sterilized grain bag on the end of the racking cane.
Looking forward to trading notes with ya!
I just racked 5 gal. of wheat onto 4lbs of mixed barries. My OG was 1.051, the SG when I racked was 1.021 (probably not finished yet). I figured it would not hurt to throw the fruit into the final stage of fermentation. After 2 days of crazy fermentation my SG is at 1.010 and still bubbeling.
If you are not getting any activity from the berries then I might repitch some yeast and make sure there are no preservatives in the fruit.
yikes... super tart is def. not what im looking for either. I tasted my gravity sample when I added the fruit, and it was def. tart, but I always allow myself some fault in premature beer, because it always mellows. I am going for just a hint of raspberry flavor, I want it to be beer still!
The 3lbs I added also contributed about a half gallon. I probably added a little too much water during pasturization, but thats fine - more beer in the long run!
I would be happy to trade bottles, bogus! I am planning to bottle in a little more than two weeks, and then condition for a good 3. I will certainly PM you when its ready!
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