The proper use of raisins for beer

I am planning on trying my hand at an Oatmeal Raisin stout next weekend, but I am unsure of the best method for adding raisins to the brew. I am looking to give it a hint of raisiny-goodness to the beer. This will be an extract, with specialty grains (ei: the oats, choco-malt, etc).

Do I add the raisins to the oat/malt grain bag? Do I add them at them to the fermentor and filter them out at bottling? Do I pitch it directly into the wort? And if I do that should I blend the raisins into the LME first?

Advice appreciated!

Put the raisins in a cake and use 125g of Special-B or CaraAroma malt in your beer.

I've actually used raisins and prunes in a holiday brew. I chopped them and put them in the kettle at flame out, staying behind with the spent hops when transferred to the carboy. Sorry to say the brew turned out pretty nasty, tasted like a bad fruit cake. I think if you are conservative and go with an ounce or so you should be safe.

I noticed the mention of oatmeal but nothing about a mash. The oats really need to be converted.

I brewed a dark Belgian Strong Ale with 1.5 *pounds* of raisins about 9 years ago. Came out great, actually. Even for that beer, though, I would have cut that in a third at least. Raisins pack a lot of flavor. Dunno with a stout but maybe try 2 oz or something to see how it goes. Don't think it'd overwhelm at that level.

I mixed mine with warm water, let 'em sit for a bit to soften up, then threw them in a blender and made a puree. I brought the puree up to 170 and kept if there for the last 15 minutes or so of the boil (in its own pan, not in the wort), then dumped them into the wort at knockout.

I would treat the raisins like any other fruit, which usually means introducing to the beer near the end of fermentation (usually in a secondary container). This is what I would do: After about a week of fermentation, chop up the raisins coarsely. Pour some boiling water over then and let them sit for 10-15 minutes to pasteurize them. Then add them to a secondary container and rack the beer on top of them. They will provide more sugars, so fermentation should kick up a bit. Not sure how much to try, but in my opinion 2 oz seems too little, especially for a stout. Of course, MattHollingsworth's puree method above will probably extract more flavor so you could get away with less.

Also, I would add some Crystal 120/150 or Special B to the grain bill. These dark crystal malts should give you some rasiny flavors.

Lastly, try to get raisins that do not contain sulfur dioxide, which is a preservative and could limit the yeast and possibly a sulfury flavor/aroma). Though the amount you are going to add to this brew is small enough that I imagine it would be of little consequence if you can't find unsulfured raisins.

In bowl mixed with nuts and pretzels.

I added a half pound of golden raisins to a 1.085 holiday saison that I've got in secondary right now. I added a bit of water to them, carmelized them in a pan for a bit, and added them to the wort in the last 5 minutes of the boil. The beer tastes amazing, but there's definitely a haze to it that I attribute to pectin from the carmelization and boil.

I'm not sure if it's proper but for the Belgian quad I'm preparing to do I am to take 1lb of raisins and chop them up and boil them hard in a quart of the first runnings. Then add that to the full boil.

Bsquared said:

I'm not sure if it's proper but for the Belgian quad I'm preparing to do I am to take 1lb of raisins and chop them up and boil them hard in a quart of the first runnings. Then add that to the full boil.

Click to expand...

Hahaha! Not proper? Everything we're talking about is *not proper*! Don't know if I'd want to boil off all the aroma like that, but who care's what's proper? Hope yours comes out tasty!

Hey thanks everyone for the advice. So the general concenous is either "don't use'em" or "chop'em up and then use them". I like the idea of adding them near the end of the boil.

Quick newb question - What was meant by Converting the oats? How is that different from the specialty grain pre-boil steep?

Bradinator said:

Hey thanks everyone for the advice. So the general concenous is either "don't use'em" or "chop'em up and then use them". I like the idea of adding them near the end of the boil.

Quick newb question - What was meant by Converting the oats? How is that different from the specialty grain pre-boil steep?

Click to expand...

I'd be concerned with setting the pectin if you boil them for too long. I suppose a couple of minutes may not hurt, but I'd be careful.

As for the oats - steeping them won't do you a lot of good - they need to be mashed to convert the starches into fermentable sugars. If you steep them, all you'll do is add a bunch of starch (i.e. haze) to your beer.

Thanks again. I read up on mashing and I think I may adventure into the partial mash world of beer brewing this weekend. Here is hoping I do not create a disaster that takes like fruit cake... Though I have never eaten fruit cake before so I would only be guessing that its actually awful tasting from all the cartoons I have watched.

Found my notes when I used the raisins and prunes, 4 ounces of each. For what it's worth I think the prunes were just a bad idea and should have just used a couple ounces of raisins.

I'm adding raisins to a Brown Ale this weekend, with crossed fingers. I've been soaking a handful or two in rye for a week and they'll get added to the secondary.

Anyone have any experience with or thoughts on this method?

JLem said:

Lastly, try to get raisins that do not contain sulfur dioxide, which is a preservative and could limit the yeast and possibly a sulfury flavor/aroma). Though the amount you are going to add to this brew is small enough that I imagine it would be of little consequence if you can't find unsulfured raisins.

Click to expand...

That's the great thing about raisins. If you look at the ingredient lists of most brands, there's only one item: raisins.

I plan to add dried currants to my next beer. My plan is to add them to the secondary fermenter (with brett, lacto and pedio) chopped up. I am not sure if I will just toss them in with no sanitization since a) it is already going to be a wild beer and b) primary ferment is already done - the alcohol should serve as a layer of protection. If anything, I may just soak them in star san for a day or so.

BigEd said:

Put the raisins in a cake and use 125g of Special-B or CaraAroma malt in your beer.

Click to expand...

Does the Special-B replace the Pale malt or the Caramel/crystal malt called for in the receipe

I am in the process of making a rye-raisin bread ale. 50% Vienna, 50% rye malt, and 2 lbs of caramelized (15 minute boil) golden raisins right into primary for a 6 gal batch. Bittering hops. WLP036/Imperial Yeast G02 Alt Strain.

About 10 days in it's extremely cloudy and has a pronounced tart flavor. The aroma is deliciously bready, yeasty, and raisiny, but it's almost mouth puckering. I'm not sure if it's the suspended yeast, the raisins, or perhaps a lacto infection. The lack of sour aroma and extreme cloudiness to me indicate the raisins (and the pectin). I know it's a low-flocking yeast, so we'll see after the lagering.

I have an oatmeal raisin cookie brown ale that I do. I cut them up. place them in a muslin bag, and soak them in bourbon for about a week then add that to secondary. Turns out pretty nice.

Tryten said:

I have an oatmeal raisin cookie brown ale that I do. I cut them up. place them in a muslin bag, and soak them in bourbon for about a week then add that to secondary. Turns out pretty nice.

Click to expand...

how many raisins for a 5 gallon batch? I'm thinking about raisins in a quad.

I brew a carrot cake dubbel that has won a bunch of medals. It’s one of my favorite brew days.

I take a large box of brown raisins and rehydrate them in carrot juice for 30 minutes around 160 then I use an immersion blender to purée them. I bring to a boil for a few minutes and add my spices etc.

I drop that concoction into my fermenters before racking out of the boil kettle.