Raspberry amber ale help!

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.

ndhowlett

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 3, 2007
Messages
123
Reaction score
2
Location
Mountains
Doing a raspberry amber ale for my wife. Bought raspberry extract from my local HB store, but after searching on the forum realized there's a bit of a soapy chemicalish taste to it. You guys have never steer'd me wrong before, so I'm going to agree and probably take back the extract. I'll be going to 2.5 pounds of fresh raspberries or a puree from the HB store.

Unless someone has a positive story about using extract. If so...... I plan to use 4 oz. for a five gallon batch. I'm wondering if I drop the quantity if it will help with the soapy taste. My other question has to do with when to use it. MY HB store told be to put it in during bottling, but I've seen some people have put the extract in the secondary.

So, get rid of the extract or keep the extract and how much and when.

Thanks for the help.
 
Will you post your recipe please? Im looking for something like this for my wife also.....I was going to go with rasberrys in the secondary, but Im not sure about the rest of the recipe....
 
Time to be honest for me.

This is my first shot at doing a beer with my own recipie, and actually I just finished putting it in the primary and cleaning my gear.

One easy decision was the 6 lbs of amber extract used, but the hops, and steeping grains I chose on my own, 1/4 lb toasted malt barley and 3/4 lb crystal 40 malt. I'm a hop head, love IPA's, but my wife not so much. I chose N. Brewer and Williamette hops. 1/2 oz for N. Brewer for 60 min and 1/2 oz Williamette for last 15 minutes with whirlflock. Used a dry English ale yeast, Safeale S-04. I don't know how it will turn out, but from the ingredients it's simply a mild amber ale that will have a raspberry addition, from either extract or puree.

any other feedback, on the extract or my recepie????
any would be appreciated.
 
ndhowlett said:
Time to be honest for me.

This is my first shot at doing a beer with my own recipie, and actually I just finished putting it in the primary and cleaning my gear.

One easy decision was the 6 lbs of amber extract used, but the hops, and steeping grains I chose on my own, 1/4 lb toasted malt barley and 3/4 lb crystal 40 malt. I'm a hop head, love IPA's, but my wife not so much. I chose N. Brewer and Williamette hops. 1/2 oz for N. Brewer for 60 min and 1/2 oz Williamette for last 15 minutes with whirlflock. Used a dry English ale yeast, Safeale S-04. I don't know how it will turn out, but from the ingredients it's simply a mild amber ale that will have a raspberry addition, from either extract or puree.

any other feedback, on the extract or my recepie????
any would be appreciated.

Was that 6 lbs of LME, or DME??? You going to put the extract/puree in the secondary? And if so, for the full secondary, or a few days before bottling/kegging?
 
I just moved a honey raspberry to secondary. I did a pilsner recipe and added 1.5 lbs of honey. I went with Papazian and put in 24 ounces of frozen berries after boil at 180 degrees.

For better flavor and aroma I went with Celestial Seasonings Raspberry Zinger tea... I put 9 bags in the boil and put 9 in the chilled water for the primary (removed before adding the wort). I decided to risk contamination and steep them in cold water, as I compared the taste between hot water steeped bags and cold, and I got MUCH better aromoa off cold steeped.

I just racked off ( 11 days from starting) by straining the floating berries (they lost most all the flavor, but were still fizzy) then I sunk a sanitized mesh strainer in the primary (bucket) to keep chunks from clogging my intake. Seeds and berries also built up on the bottom.

I have an excellent raspberry flavor and aroma. I am drinking the green right now. Quite pleasant. for a fruit drink.

No clue about the extract. But I know the tea works.
 
chefmike said:
For better flavor and aroma I went with Celestial Seasonings Raspberry Zinger tea... I put 9 bags in the boil and put 9 in the chilled water for the primary (removed before adding the wort). I decided to risk contamination and steep them in cold water, as I compared the taste between hot water steeped bags and cold, and I got MUCH better aromoa off cold steeped...
For future reference, tea, like grain, should never be boiled. It should be placed in hot water, yes, but not boiled because it will extract tannins which will make the beer more bitter. ;)
 
homebrewer_99 said:
For future reference, tea, like grain, should never be boiled. It should be placed in hot water, yes, but not boiled because it will extract tannins which will make the beer more bitter. ;)

Good reminder. I may have lucked out, as I steeped mine coming up to the boil, as with grain, then pulled the bags and did my boil. And, as usual, the beer gods smile and it all tastes fine. Next time perhaps I will add them on the way down, as with the fruit.

I got distracted by the novelty of playing with fruit in my brew for the first time!
 
homebrewer_99 said:
For future reference, tea, like grain, should never be boiled. It should be placed in hot water, yes, but not boiled because it will extract tannins which will make the beer more bitter. ;)


Holy crap.

I've been making sweet tea, lipton, for most of my life (I'm 26). I read your post yesterday and started making the tea with hot water instead of boiling it. God I'm amazed how much different it tastes. It's great, no more tannins.

God I love science and god I love home brewing.
 
Back
Top