Bird Poop Beer

So I'm thinking of going to my local metropark where there are lots of Mulberries. I was thinking of making a stout or an American Ale (i know, huge spread of ideas) and racking it over the mulberries. Lets say I get 2# worth, should I also add some sugar and boil it up? If I rack it in secondary, it will impart sweetness without being fully consumed right? I dont' have a recipe yet, but just assume 10-12 lbs of grain in a 5-5.5 gal batch. Now that i'm typing, I think I would want an american ale, so it's good and crisp. (i was only thinking stout because it's dark like bird poo)

But come on, mulberries? bird poop? get it? I just thought it was a funny idea so I decided to run with it. The label will read:

Bird Poop Beer
"Eat sh*t and Die"

and hopefully will be hand drawn (poorly) kinda like the flying dog labels. then scanned and copied.

sounds weired but I like it. do and tell us how it comes out

Good idea, always cool to see someone trying something new, but I would put more than 2# in it. Go for maybe 5-6?

So, you're going to pasturize the poop(mul)berries before tossing them into the fermentor?

I'm not sure how you are going to get sweetness to carry through unless you kill the yeast and then artificially carbonate.

Better than dingleberries I guess

fresh picked berries sounds a little like a crap shoot....im just worried about nasties they are carrying.

pasteurizing them would help i guess...but wouldn't that alter to the pectin in the fruit?

My wife, a farmgirl, always adds about 1 tbs of white vinegar to her water when rinsing picked fruit to remove the pesticides, etc.

hey thanks for the suggestions!

ACo said:

pasteurizing them would help i guess...but wouldn't that alter to the pectin in the fruit?

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I figured that boiling the berries would pasturize them. Not a good enough idea?

I don't really know all the science of fruit, so I don't know what it would do to the pectin, nor do I know what pectin does to beer boiled/pastuerized/whathaveyou. I just know that pectin is used for making jelly. Can someone elaborate on that?

And how would I artificially carbonate? I really don't know if I want sweetness other than what is imparted by the malt and unfermentables. i.e. a blueberry ale my wife had the other day...had more like an essence of blueberry. I like the sour character of mulberries

i don't think u want vinegar any where near ur brewing equipment. u could always soak the berries in a solution of Camden tables to kill off any buggies, then if u were impatient u could rinse with distilled water and use.