Blueberry Ale recipe?

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pickles

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Does anyone have a good blueberry ale recipe? Something similar to Bar Harbor's offering. If not what wouldbe a good base recipe to add blueberry to?
 
I don't have a recipe, but a similar request. Up in Boston, right across from Fenway is a bar called Boston Beer Works and they have a blueberry ale that's pretty good. Sure it almost seems like a novelty beer, but I do really enjoy it and usually bring back a growler or two anytime I can get up there...
 
Does anyone have a good blueberry ale recipe? Something similar to Bar Harbor's offering. If not what wouldbe a good base recipe to add blueberry to?

I do not but if I was to make one I'd do this;

Extract: http://www.northernbrewer.com/docs/kis-html/1261.html

All Grain: http://www.northernbrewer.com/docs/kis-html/1263.html

Then bottle w/this. ( Just one of either)

http://www.northernbrewer.com/pics/fullsize/fruit-extracts.jpg

or this.

http://www.northernbrewer.com/pics/fullsize/oregon.jpg

I'd go with the bottled extracts, less fuss with particles during syphoning and bottling. (It'll be easier to dial back the strength)

This is their raspberry, just substituite blueberry.

http://www.northernbrewer.com/docs/kis-html/1291.html
 
I usually make this for late summer enjoyment. Add 1 or 2oz of blueberry extract during 2ndary.



Type: All Grain
Date: 5/6/2007
Batch Size: 5.50 gal
Brewer:
Boil Size: 6.80 gal Asst Brewer:
Boil Time: 60 min Equipment: My Equipment
Taste Rating(out of 50): 35.0 Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.00
Taste Notes:

Ingredients

Amount Item Type % or IBU
7.00 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) UK (3.0 SRM) Grain 65.12 %
3.50 lb Wheat Malt, Dark (9.0 SRM) Grain 32.56 %
0.25 lb Munich Malt - 10L (10.0 SRM) Grain 2.33 %
0.65 oz Hallertauer Tradition [6.00 %] (60 min) Hops 12.9 IBU
0.60 oz Williamette [4.30 %] (35 min) Hops 7.1 IBU
1 Pkgs British Ale II (Wyeast Labs #1335) Yeast-Ale



Beer Profile

Est Original Gravity: 1.054 SG
Measured Original Gravity: 1.054 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.013 SG Measured Final Gravity: 1.005 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 5.30 % Actual Alcohol by Vol: 6.39 %
Bitterness: 20.0 IBU Calories: 235 cal/pint
Est Color: 7.2 SRM Color: Color
 
i was hoping to find an ale recipe not really a wheat; i really want a clearer purple color. I know its just aesthetics but I think visual perception does affect taste; especially swmbo's :)
 
slo blueberry ale is the best one i have EVER had but im still trying to find a recipe.
 
i think all i need is a basic ale recipe that can handle the blueberry flavor ?
 
you could just pick your favorite ale recipe and add blueberries to the secondary...
 
i was hoping to find an ale recipe not really a wheat; i really want a clearer purple color. I know its just aesthetics but I think visual perception does affect taste; especially swmbo's :)

Earlier I posted a NB wheat. It uses wyeast 1010.

http://www.wyeastlab.com/hb_yeaststrain_detail.cfm?ID=126

It turns pretty darn clear even though the flocc is low. If clear is what you want I'd try the one of the ones I suggested, just give some time to clear or ask for 1272 as a substitute.

http://www.wyeastlab.com/hb_yeaststrain_detail.cfm?ID=11

Wheats are good w/ low hop rates. You want this so the hopping doesn't compete with the fruit flavor.

I made NB's honey kolsch for my BIL. That would be another good candidate too with some Blueberry added...

Extract http://www.northernbrewer.com/docs/kis-html/1611.html

AG http://www.northernbrewer.com/docs/kis-html/1613.html

Honey and Blueberry would be a good combo.
 
Extract won't give you a purple color, and I don't know that real blueberries would really color the beer either, but I've never tried it (enought to be kool-aid purple, anyway:cross: ) Maybe a few cans of those semi-fake blueberries that come packed in some kind of purple goo that you sometimes get with a box of blueberry muffin mix.
 
Id do a blonde and once its done fermenting throw in a campden tab and kill the fermentation- Then add 1/2 gallon 100% bluberry juice.

But youd have to keg
 
I think if you use the bottled extract flavors that a little food coloring would do the trick.

Purple....? - Blue and a little red?? :confused:

This would be pretty easy to color.
 
This is sounding really good. I'm no good with recipe formulation now, but the idea of having a standard ale with fresh (frozen) blueberries added in secondary to give it a purplish hue is practically making my mouth water. Unfortunately, the orchard I go to for fresh produce in the summer doesn't have blueberries, though that list is from last year. Anyone in WNY have other places to go?
 
This is sounding really good. I'm no good with recipe formulation now, but the idea of having a standard ale with fresh (frozen) blueberries added in secondary to give it a purplish hue is practically making my mouth water. Unfortunately, the orchard I go to for fresh produce in the summer doesn't have blueberries, though that list is from last year. Anyone in WNY have other places to go?

Grocery store, frozen food section.... :D

But bottled natural flavoring is the cheapest & easiest.
 
Eh, I got raspberry flavoring for my raspberry wheat extract kit last summer and wasn't happy with it at all. Although it mellowed, there was always the taste of taking a sip and saying 'oh look, you added raspberry flavoring to this.' Not subtle at all, and very manufactured. So, if possible, I'd like to use fresh stuff from now on :)
 
Eh, I got raspberry flavoring for my raspberry wheat extract kit last summer and wasn't happy with it at all. Although it mellowed, there was always the taste of taking a sip and saying 'oh look, you added raspberry flavoring to this.' Not subtle at all, and very manufactured. So, if possible, I'd like to use fresh stuff from now on :)

You'd be surprised how "the real stuff" can get very tart or sour. Enough to think its not right.

I generally think this is the case when its not sweet enough for flavor one would expect. You need to add an unfermentable sugar. I think its harder to get right than using a flavored extract. I have tried blueberry, strawberry and black raspberry & red raspberry. I've only had what I would consider good success with the red raspberry.

I haven't used any natural flavored extracts yet. I have Apple and a Strawberry/Kiwi on hand so I can make SWMBO flavored Apfelweins. The hassles w/ fruit pulp in real fruits is enough to make me use flavored extract.
 
i think i'm gonna do a blueberry blonde ale, I was thinking about Jamil's Blonde that Booby_m has posted?
 
Well i decided to try to my hand at making a Bar Harbor-like blueberry ale. This is what I came up with:
Type: All Grain
Date: 5/12/2008
Batch Size: 6.00 gal
Brewer: Pickles
Boil Size: 7.02 gal Asst Brewer:
Boil Time: 60 min Equipment: Pickle's brewery
Taste Rating(out of 50): 35.0 Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.00

Ingredients

Amount Item Type % or IBU
5 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 55.56 %
3 lbs 8.0 oz Wheat Malt, Dark (9.0 SRM) Grain 38.89 %
4.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 20L (20.0 SRM) Grain 2.78 %
4.0 oz Munich Malt - 10L (10.0 SRM) Grain 2.78 %

0.50 oz Target [11.00 %] (60 min) Hops 17.9 IBU

0.25 oz Williamette [5.50 %] (60 min) (Aroma Hop-Steep) Hops -

1 Pkgs American Ale (Wyeast Labs #1056) Yeast-Ale



Beer Profile

Est Original Gravity: 1.042 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.010 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 4.12 %
Bitterness: 17.9 IBU
Est Color: 6.3 SRM

Mash Profile

Mash Name: Single Infusion, Full Body Total Grain Weight: 9.00 lb
Sparge Water: 4.41 gal Grain Temperature: 72.0 F
Sparge Temperature: 168.0 F TunTemperature: 72.0 F
Adjust Temp for Equipment: TRUE Mash PH: 5.4 PH

Single Infusion, Full Body Step Time Name Description Step Temp
45 min Mash In Add 11.25 qt of water at 174.2 F - 158.0 F
10 min Mash Out Add 4.50 qt of water at 198.0 F - 168.0 F

Primary - until finished
Secondary - 2 weeks
Age for: 6 weeks
Storage Temperature: 52.0 F

Notes

Cook 5 lbs. of frozen blueberries in 1 qt of water at 160 F. Add to secondary for 14 days.

add pectinase if needed

any ideas?
 
You will get a nice secondary fermentation. If you are down to your final Gravity before adding the Blueberries Why not add a campten tab to kill the remaining yeast and let the blueberries truely soak into the beer

Only 4%? It will be plenty swee enough Id bump it 50/50 pale and wheat
 
Adding the campden will kill the yeast though, right? That would mean it's not an option for us bottle conditioners.
 
i think i'd rather bump the pale up, I don't want as much wheat flavor in this
 
Hmm, well I'm interested in this recipe, so let me know how it turns out. I'll have to try it without the campden, but if it still works, hey.

Also, 43 calories/pint? Did you mean 143? Health beer! :D
 
i've bumped the pale to 7 lbs which brings the alc content to ~5%
btw sigafoos it will have ~203 cal
I'm hoping the tartness of the blueberries will balance with the sweetness munich. i guess we'll see. I may also add a few drops of pectinase to prevent haze.
 
i made a few adjustments and the wife and I brewed this 2 weeks ago. When fermentaion (FG = 1.009) was complete we transferred to secondary with 3 lbs of blueberries. It began to bubble for a day; its been 4 days and FG is now 1.008. That's a bit lower than I hoped for. I'll let it sit for another week or so then age in keg for about 6 weeks. I'll keep those interested updated.
 
I'd like to know how much blueberry flavor the beer has. I just reread the fruit beers section in Designing Great Beers, and he recommends 2 lbs per gallon of beer for blueberries as they're a more mild fruit. The 3 lbs in your recipe seems a little low, but if it works and I don't have to buy a lot more than I need, then all the better.
 
Its still in the secondary but I tasted it and the blueberry flavor seems non-existant.
so maybe a few more pounds would help?
 
yea if you dont stop the ferment- It will ferment the flavor out.

Id ad a can of the blueberry puree after a campden tab. Thats if you are kegging.

Or add a can to your botteling busket.
 
it's been two years almost to the day since the last post here, but i just put a blueberry ale in the primary and am wondering about blueberry ratio.

Does anyone have any new updates/experience on this? i'll blueberry the $hit out of it in the secondary if needed, but this is one of those beers i dont want to over fruit and therefore waste the entire batch. i'd rather deal with too little fruit flavor/aroma than too much of it.

thanks
 
I'd like to attempt to replicate the Wachusett blueberry ale. It says it's a wheat ale with 3 grains and 3 hops. since the beer is clear and there is no purple color, it must be with blueberry extract instead of fresh blueberries, right? any other advice on what two grains to use besides some wheat? thanks

http://greatbrewers.com/product/wachusett-blueberry-ale
 
searched blueberry ale and found this post from what 2018...
sooo how did they turn out - what was the verdict??
I'm also looking to replicate wachusett blueberry ale as best as possible - I bought blueberry juice concentrate and already made a batch of wine with it - which came out nicely.. this year I want to try a blueberry beer - cheers.
 
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