Wheat Berry Recipe

How does this recipe look? I got this from Cats Meow 3. I have only brewed 4 batches, 3 of which were kits. I want to brew a wheat beer with fruit and thought this recipe would be good.

Let me know what you think. Should i make any changes?


Ingredients:
5-1/2 lbs light dried wheat malt extract
1-1/2 oz Hallertauer or Northern Brewer (boiling), 7 HBU
1/2 oz Hallertauer Hersbrucker (finishing), 2-3 HBU
24 to 36 oz frozen raspberries
16 oz frozen blackberries
1 tsp vanilla extract
Belgian ale yeast (Wyeast 1214)

Procedure:
Boil 2-1/2 gallons of water, add malt extract and boiling hops, and boil for 55-60 minutes. Turn off heat, add finishing hops, cool to 190 F and add the frozen fruit and vanilla. Let sit covered for 20 minutes, maintaining temperature at about 170 F and stirring occasionally. Cool to below 100F, add to carboy pre-filled with 2-1/2 gallons of water, straining out and pressing the fruit to extract most of the juice. Pitch the yeast, ferment at 70-72F, transfer to secondary after two days, then ferment completely out (about another 7 days). Prime with 3/4 cup corn sugar and bottle.
24 oz of raspberries gives a fairly subtle beer, with a mild tart raspberry underpinning that all of my friends loved. 36 oz of berries give a more assertive, but not overwhelming, raspberry flavor. Note that Belgian ale yeast will give stronger "clove" overtones when fermented at temperatures of 75-78F, and milder flavors at 70-72F.

Similar to how I made my blueberry wheat beer recently.

Let the berries thaw out a little while before you add them, and smash them down good so you are sure to get the juices into the wort. I read that frozen blueberries were already split, but im not sure mine were as it doesnt have a very strong berry flavor, and i used 7.5 lbs.

Hopefully you have a large pot to cover the displacement of the berries, and remember the temp is going to drop alot when you add the cold berries.

I think that looks pretty good though

Do you think i shoud add more fruit? Maybe 2# of each fruit to the secondary?

Thanks for the advice Tophe96.


Kenny

As I am on my first batch of fruit beer, Im not sure...It wouldnt hurt. I would wait until youre ready to rack to secondary and taste it and see if its fruity enough for you.

what about useing the purees. there already seeded. how much of the berry flavor do you lose when you add then early? becuase most of the flavor is from the sugar which are getting all fermented. then again its a weat based recipe so useing a primary is not really needed.

well any way it looks good keep us posted on how it goes:rockin:

You will almost always get a stronger berry flavor if you add it to the secondary. I have found that if added in the boil, you end up with very slight flavor but good aroma. Also, all natural fruit juice concentrate can be used in the secondary.

Sorry to hijack your thread but I have a wheat beer in my primary right now that's just about ready to rack to secondary. I had an inkling to grab some of the canned oregon fruit to add to it. Is there anything I need to know or do I just toss it in and wait another week?


Dan

Rack on top of the fruit.

This is what worked for me, bottle conditioning now, but I had a great flavor and aroma, nothing lost. Besided, the sugars will still ferment in the secondary. If you add the fruit to the secondary, I would recomend a tertiary.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=24627

Sweet guys, thanks!


Dan