Blueberry Beer... Possible Problem???

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Volitan

Member
Joined
Jan 31, 2010
Messages
11
Reaction score
2
Location
Kingsport
Hi all. Well, I hate asking a question that will likely result in RDWHAHB, but here goes.

I brewed a blonde ale and allowed it to ferment for two weeks. I put 6 pounds of frozen blueberries in a container, added pectic enzyme and 2 campden tablets, and allowed it to sit for 24 hours in the fridge. I put the blueberries in my secondary fermenter the next day, wracked the blonde ale on top, and expected to see fermentation kick off. I suppose I'm used to seeing another light round of fermentation from brewing raspberry wheat, etc..., but I didn't see it at all this time.

On the same note, when I brewed my other raspberry and strawberry beer, I didn't bother with the campden tablet. I suppose, for whatever reason, I got scared of contamination despite great previous results. So, is it possible that fermentation is just not going to occur. Did I possibly kill off the yeasties in the beer with those campden tablets? I figured that they were safe since the way I did it appeared to be the consensus on the board, but maybe I was wrong.

Just curious about the combined knowledge of the board!

Thanks!
 
Did you drain the berries before putting them in the secondary?

I heat blueberries to 165F for 5 minutes and crush them. I just kegged a blueberry weiss and didn't see much action when I added the berries.
 
I'm not sure, but don't the camden tablets kill off the yeast? Which is why you never got the second fermentation from the extra sugar.
 
Was the container closed? That would prevent the sulfur dioxide from evaporating. Combined with being in the fridge, you may have had enough gas left to kill your yeast.

Also, don't forget that berries are mostly water and not much sugar (about 15%).
 

Latest posts

Back
Top