NB raspberry wheat ale

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nootay

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Well, i got my order from northernbrewer today. I plan on starting my first beer this weekend. One of the kits i got is the raspberry wheat ale. I figured it would be a good summer beer. It came with 4 oz. of raspberry flavoring. The directions say to add at bottling time. Im going to be kegging, so i guess ill just pour it in to the bottom of the keg and then siphon the beer in?

Also, has anyone made this kit? I think adding all 4 oz of the raspberry flavoring would make it too sweet/fruity to me. I just want it to have a hint of raspberry in it. Hopefully someone else has made it and will have some insight!

Thanks

Adam
 
I have made this and added the whole 4 oz to my keg and everyone comments how good it is and that the raspberry is very mild and not overpowering.
 
I also made this kit. Bottled it instead of kegging. I added all 4oz of flavoring, and I have to say I would of liked a bit more. It seems after aging the raspberry flavor goes away pretty quickly.

If kegging I would think the 4oz would be more than enough, not overpowering in my opinion at all.
 
Sounds like a great kit. I want to try it, now.

So, if the raspberry syrup isn't potent enough in bottled beer how can one compensate? Is the raspberry syrup a particular brand and easy enough to come by either with a brew supply store or grocery?
 
Well don't get me wrong up front it taste excellent, but after letting the bottles age for six plus months I almost taste no raspberry now.

I believe the Raspberry is artificial and not from actual fruit. I could be wrong because it has been a long time since I brewed this kit. Maybe using real raspberries and not extract or syrup would be better?
 
I think you are on to something there.

A local brewery makes a raspberry wheat with real raspberries. It was seasonal until sometime last year they made it a year long offering. It is amazingly good. So, real raspberry is definately the trick. I have seen homebrewers use raspberries in their secondary fermentor... unfortunately I do not know what this brewery's process is...
 
Problem is the cost of the raspberries. Takes an inexpensive kit and probably ups the cost considerably.
Whats the value of good beer though :)
 
IMHO use real raspberrys instead. I cant stand the extract stuff. Use about 4 pounds, and it should make a great beer.
 
I would add it to the secondary in a bag. Be prepared for a higher ABV and you might want to consider racking to a tertiary to ensure the flavors meld together well, and that the fermentation completes. These are only my suggestions, I'm sure others might have a different opinion. Fruit wheat beers are tasty, I'm working on a recipe for one with strawberries for the wife.
 
I would add it to the secondary in a bag. Be prepared for a higher ABV and you might want to consider racking to a tertiary to ensure the flavors meld together well, and that the fermentation completes. These are only my suggestions, I'm sure others might have a different opinion. Fruit wheat beers are tasty, I'm working on a recipe for one with strawberries for the wife.

Ok, so secondary fermentation add the raspberries, but siphon to a third fermentation without the bagged fruit after x-days. What rule of thumb do you use on bottling after the third racking?

A higher ABV is always welcomed in my brews! :rockin:
 
So how do you add the raspberries? Toss them in a muslin bag? Or do you crush or steep them then add to secondary? Will a higher ABV in a wheat beer be too overpowering?
 
You can add them during the end of the boil. Well not boil but steep at 150-180 for 10-15 min. Then secondary ferment to get away from all the trub.

Or you can add them to the secondary too. I have not tried this yet tho.
 
In regards to the artificial raspberry flavoring, do I need to sanitize it prior to adding it to my bottling bucket? or is it coming from a sealing vial good enough?
 
Here it is:

1.jpg


It does not have a seal on it. not sure if that matters or not
 
I doubt the prepackaged flavoring needs any more work done to it before it goes in the beer. Did you purchsae that through Rebel Brewer?
 
There are many different ways of doing it. You can place the fruit into a muslin bag, then crush them. An easy way to do this, is if you use an ale pale instead of a carboy. You can crush them into the bucket then siphon the beer from the primary onto the fruit in the secondary. That way juices that are crushed are already in the bucket without needing to worry about pouring them in, etc. After the second fermentation has completed you siphon into your tertiary and do not add the fruit. This is why the bag comes in handy.

As mentioned, some people do add fruit after boil but depending on how much fruit you use, you don't want to have an overly high gravity where the yeast can't even break down the fruit effectively.

You can add to the tertiary and bottle as if you normally would, thinking of your tertiary as your secondary at this point. The only thing, is that fruit tends to lend "hotness" to the beer so it might need to age a bit. Just do what you normally would...tasting and adjusting accordingly. Hope this helped some. Also keep in mind there are lots of ways to do this and no real "correct" way so feel free to experiment.
 
There are many different ways of doing it. You can place the fruit into a muslin bag, then crush them. An easy way to do this, is if you use an ale pale instead of a carboy. You can crush them into the bucket then siphon the beer from the primary onto the fruit in the secondary. That way juices that are crushed are already in the bucket without needing to worry about pouring them in, etc. After the second fermentation has completed you siphon into your tertiary and do not add the fruit. This is why the bag comes in handy.

As mentioned, some people do add fruit after boil but depending on how much fruit you use, you don't want to have an overly high gravity where the yeast can't even break down the fruit effectively.

You can add to the tertiary and bottle as if you normally would, thinking of your tertiary as your secondary at this point. The only thing, is that fruit tends to lend "hotness" to the beer so it might need to age a bit. Just do what you normally would...tasting and adjusting accordingly. Hope this helped some. Also keep in mind there are lots of ways to do this and no real "correct" way so feel free to experiment.

GREAT INFO! Thank you! I am sure many of us are going to try this. I know what I am now doing for my May brews.
 
Thanks for the info!! I think i may make this one twice. One with the extract, and one with real fruit, just so i can taste the difference.

Adam
 
Thanks for the info!! I think i may make this one twice. One with the extract, and one with real fruit, just so i can taste the difference.

Adam

If you do, please post the results. Inquiring minds want to know. :)
 
Hmm, instead of doing 2 seperate batches, i guess i could put 2.5 gallons in one keg with raspberry syrup, and 2.5 gallons in another keg with fruit? I would use the fruit keg as a secondary at this point. Hit it with co2 to seal the lid and let it sit for a couple weeks, rack to a new keg after that and put co2 on the carbonate? Im new to both beer brewing and kegging, so i guess thats the right process? Using a keg as a secondary, i would just put co2 in it, bleed it, co2, bleed, do that a few times to get the o2 out, then put enough co2 in to seal it up? Can it just be stored for a couple weeks or do i have to put more co2 in every so often?
 
When its done fermenting yes. I dont think the extract is a syrup, more of an flavor extract. So no sugars.

But using real fruit will restart the fermentation so you would need an airlock so the pressure does not build up.
 
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