Fruit Beer Dark Blueberry Wheat

I wanted a darker, malty wheat beer as the backbone to the blueberry. This was a hit at a house party. I saw fewer miller lites and raspberry bud lights after I started pouring these.

This is also a partial mash recipe. I like using wheat extract for wheat heavy beers. I also like mashing specialty grains/adjuncts, to get all the sugar I can and to keep the starches out of the fermenter.

Grain Bill
74% Wheat DME (one 3 lb. bag)
20% 2-row (13 oz)
3% Aromatic (2 oz)
3% Special B (2 oz)

Hop Bill
12.5 g Ahtanum @ 45 Minutes (Boil) (5 g/Gal)
5.0 g Ahtanum @ flameout (2 g/Gal)
5.0 g Delta @ flameout (2 g/Gal)

Fruit
1 lb/gallon fresh blueberries (frozen then mashed)
5 ml/gallon blueberry extract

Water
Untreated RO. Don't use tap water.

Minimash
I've been using a hydroflask to minimash the grains for these low weight grain bills, using enough base grain to supplement the extract and enough to provide enzymes to convert any available starches from the adjuncts. I'll double crush and put the grain in a one gallon paint strainer bag. It's super easy and it holds the temp well. Mash temp isn't super critical since this is all just supplementing the extract. I target 150°F.

Fermentation
I used Kolsch on this one. I can see using a clean ale yeast as well. I think the Kolsch does add some sweetness to a plain wheat ale, but this has sweet malts in the recipe and a faster and better flocculating yeast sounds fine in my book (and you'll get a clearer beer).

For the Kolsch, i'll hold it at 60°F for a week, then ramp it to 68°F over the next week.

I'll purge the secondary with co2 before placing the blueberries and racking the beer into the berries. Give it a gentle stir, then cap and let it sit at basement temp (high sixties) for two weeks. I add the blueberry extract straight to the keg. Using both the fruit and extract creates a rich complexity to the fruit flavor.

Looks and sounds amazing

Thx. Yeah, i'll brew a variation of this next year when blueberries are cheap again. Me posting this was mostly about my sharing my dosing rate on the blueberries and extract, which I think is a good level. I also like this beer specifically with some darker crystals.

I was thinking of doing one like this but I haven't the slightest of when to add the fruit. Do I do it when I am boiling or do I put them in when I am fermenting.

Its best to add the fruit to the beer after fermentation is complete and before bottling or kegging. I'd recommend putting the fruit in a muslin bag, so the fruit can be separated from the beer more easily.

I forgot to ask is this a 5 gallon or 1 gallon recipe?

Its listed there...2.5 gallons. Double it if you do 5 gallon batches.

Cheers!

Nice I have only done 5 gallons but fermenting a Bavarian hefe now that is one gallon

I'd love to hear your suggesions on this.

I think the blueberries would go really well with some extramalty and darker adjuncts?

My color. 1 gal batch with cascade hops. This was after fermenting and adding blueberries. After the bottling conditioning is done I will post as well as my addition and.times to compare.

View attachment 1422209453708.jpg

lazarwolf said:

I'd love to hear your suggesions on this.

I think the blueberries would go really well with some extramalty and darker adjuncts?

Click to expand...

I just wouldn't go with roasty, chocolaty, or bready malts. Well you could do bready, but I'd ditch the fruity crystals that I have. It'd be a different beer.

Nice color!

Looks interesting.

I did only do a gallon batch and I will do thread to let you guys now how I did it if it turns out okay