Juniper Pale Ale

So a couple of weeks ago I was in Central Oregon and I had the opportunity to harvest juniper berries from a Paulina Peak at around 8000 ft. I would like to make a juniper pale ale for the holiday season and I'm wondering how much juniper berries I would need to use to get a decent juniper flavor in a 5 gal batch, also would I want to grind the berries up and add at like 5 min?

First reaction.

I think I'd go dark for a juniper brew. Just feels right.

Secondly. Try a small test boil in a pint of water and do a taste test.
Without researching and reading I think I'd boil separately and add directly to the fermenter so I can adjust the flavour.

orfy said:

First reaction.

I think I'd go dark for a juniper brew. Just feels right.

Secondly. Try a small test boil in a pint of water and do a taste test.
Without researching and reading I think I'd boil separately and add directly to the fermenter so I can adjust the flavour.

Click to expand...

Good idea orfy I think I may just make an extract with Vodka and then add it accordingly. Rogue makes a Juniper Pale Ale and while I like it, it doesn't have enough juniper in it.

I love the Rogue JPA, be sure to post back what you come up with for yours.

Yes please post your recipe. I just ordered the ingredients for my 1st Juniper Pale Ale. Sadly my berries didn't come from a mountain in OR.

Any way here's what I'm going with
Type: All Grain
Date: 9/20/2008
Batch Size: 5.00 gal
Brewer: Kirk Collins
Boil Size: 6.41 gal Asst Brewer:
Boil Time: 60 min Equipment: Brew Pot (7.5 gal) and Cooler (48 qt)
Taste Rating(out of 50): 35.0 Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.00
Taste Notes:

Ingredients

Amount Item Type % or IBU
9.00 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 76.92 %
2.00 lb Vienna Malt (3.5 SRM) Grain 15.38 %
0.50 lb Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain 3.85 %
0.50 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L (40.0 SRM) Grain 3.85 %
1.00 oz Goldings, East Kent [5.00 %] (60 min) Hops 15.7 IBU
1.00 oz Goldings, East Kent [5.00 %] (30 min) Hops 12.1 IBU
0.50 oz Fuggles [4.50 %] (5 min) Hops 1.4 IBU
2.00 oz Juniper berries (Primary 0.0 days) Misc
1 Pkgs Nottingham (Danstar #-) Yeast-Ale

I'm thinking of using Ed's Pale ale recipe with a little more Cascades and probably Marris Otter instead of American 2-Row.

farmbrewernw said:

I'm thinking of using Ed's Pale ale recipe with a little more Cascades and probably Marris Otter instead of American 2-Row.

Click to expand...

Sounds like a good plan. Can't go wrong with Marris Otter

I have to agree with orfy: go darker. I have had many a Rogue, and while it is good, it lacks juniper and tastes too light to support the juniper taste. I think a medium-hopped dark ale, or even amber would be better... porter may be the best.

My $0.02...
Eric

I like the idea of going darker but I really would like to make something the SWMBO would like and she is really into the Pale Ales, I suppose I could always go with a brown ale she may like that.

I will be foling this thread

it's 2 years old..........

ah shiy bugger

enough juniper will give you a sharp bitterness and even a "sourish" flavor. i do have some sours around so cross contamination may have occurred with this batch, although i don't think that's the case. when i finally got to try RR consecration i was surprised how much this juniper recipe tasted like it! it might just be hopeful wishing, though. anyway, while in seattle i got some juniper berries last year to bring home for a recipe. i made several additions at various times. some of the juniper berries were put in my coffee grinder to make sure i could get more surface area for plenty of flavor. i think soaking them in vodka is a great alternative that someone mentioned. my recipe was a PM:

6 oz crystal 90L
1 oz chocolate
1 oz darkwheat
1 oz special B
1 oz roasted barley
1 oz juniper berry (steep w/ grains - whole berries)
2 quarts or ~ 6 lbs Pale LME (full boil)
1 oz fuggles (60min)
1.5 oz juniper berries (60 min - ground)
.25 oz fuggles (30 min)
.75 oz EKG (5 min)
2.5 oz juniper berries (0 min - ground)
2 oz hibiscus flowers (0 min - ground)
1 oz vanilla powder (0 min)
White Labs Saison I Yeast

this spiciness of the saison yeast went great with the hibiscus and juniper additions. the vanilla never became noticable, but overall i really enjoyed this beer. light tart and refreshing it scored high 20's/low 30's in 2 diff't competitions for specialty ale and was noted as being sour. cutting back on the juniper will prob help.

So did a Juniper Pale Ale ever get brewed from this thread? I wonder how it turned out. I just picked 5.5 oz of berries from the backyard last night. Trying to figure out what to do with them. I definitely want to go with a pale ale though.

...and...?

I ended up brewing a Juniper Rye Pale Ale.

9 lbs 2-row
2 lbs rye
1 lb Vienna
.5 lb Crystal 60
4 oz Flaked Barley
mashed for an hour at 150F

.75 oz Magnum 10.6% aa for 60 min boil
.5 oz Cascade 6.1%aa last 15 min
.25 oz Chinook 11.4% aa last 15 min
1 oz crushed, dried juniper berries last 15 min (these were very dark, almost black when I picked them. When they are lighter blue colored they are more bitter)

at flame out add .5 oz Cascade and .25 oz Chinook

Chilled and sprinkled in packet of US-05
O.G. 1.051 F.G. 1.010 (59% brewhouse efficiency. I've corrected that with a Barley crusher adjustment.)

I tried it when I kegged it, I didn't think it was too bad. swmbo made a face of disappointment. I'm anxious for it to carb up in another week and give it a fair try. The rye was pretty noticeable, if I do this again I may cut back on that. Can't say I noticed the Juniper too much but we'll see when it's carbed and cooled.

Don't know if any one is still following but I've got to add this.

I was researching a juniper ale recipe when I came across this post. I'm no brew master but many of you said soak the berries in vodka. I was thinking that gin is made from juniper berries, so wouldn't it add a whole other depth to a brew if you soaked them in gin instead of vodka. I'm thinking it would go really well with a pale ale. I dunno maybe I'm wrong just my 2 cents.

I was part of another Juniper thread. Used juniper berries in a Hopless Henry the VIIIth strong ale... Juniper came through VERY Strong even without the gin... Some say vodka for vanilla beans... I've had better luck with silver rum w/ Vanilla... Most times a something more neutral is better. gin has a distinct flavor... maybe with some piney hops it would be ok. Just my 2cents.