A good base for a fruit-flavored ale?

[sbhank]

Hello all,

I think I am going to begin plans to ferment a fruit flavored ale (probably blueberry, but open to suggestions) and have it bottle conditioned in time for spring. I will be using fruit-flavored extracts during secondary to provide the fruity scent and taste, but this brings about the question as to what type of ale should serve as the "base" on which I build this fruity mix?

What do you guys think would work best? I'll be buying the supplies from a home brew store, so I have the ability to go in any direction with my ingredients (although I'd prefer to buy my grain premashed than do that myself). Let me know what you guys think! Could be a recipe outline or just a general suggestion.

Thanks!

 

[Tommyb52]

Raspberry lambic is great beer!

 

[chickypad]

Raspberry lambic is great beer!

Yes, but I think the OP wants it for this spring. Never done a blueberry beer but I think that would be a fairly subtle fruit. I'd go with a blonde or american wheat. I think you meant you wanted your grains pre-milled, right? Pre-mashed would be extract.

I don't know about the fruit extract, I use actual fruit or puree for the occasional fruit beer, but again I've never done blueberry. The one extract flavored beer I had was cherry and it tasted like cough syrup.

 

[chickypad]

A very simple wheat recipe that I have used with good results for watermelon, peach, and apricot is:

- 50/50 white wheat and 2 row for an OG around 1.047 - 1.050
- Bitter with hallertau or perle at 60 min to get about 20-22 IBU for that addition
- 0.5 to 1 ounce of same hops around 5 min

If you are in fact preferring extract you can just use all wheat extract which is usually 50-60% wheat.