blackberry beer?

[Diaperload]

I just finished my 3rd brew Saturday night. Tonight I bottled my 2nd batch ever. I'm already planning my 4th brew.

I have been contemplating a ruby clone (basically an american wheat with raspberry). A friend mentioned that blackberry season is coming up and that I should try that instead of raspberry.

Any thoughts on brewing with blackberries? Any recipes? Please keep in mind I'm only doing extract brews for now.

 

[ChillWill]

I've been considering doing a blackberry & nettle wheat... haven't got space at the moment though so it's only a thought.

 

[DD2000GT]

I made a Blackberry Brown a few years back which was said to be one of my best in 20+ years of brewing. I "usually" don't like fruit beers, but my son requested it so I made it for him.

 

[Diaperload]

Blackberry Brown sounds fantastic. Do you happen to have a recipe?

Perhaps I can just find a brown ale recipe and add blackberries to it? Would I just add lots of pasteurized blackberries to a secondary? Is there more to it?

 

[DD2000GT]

Blackberry Brown sounds fantastic. Do you happen to have a recipe?

Perhaps I can just find a brown ale recipe and add blackberries to it? Would I just add lots of pasteurized blackberries to a secondary? Is there more to it?

I used a recipe from the book The Homebrewers Recipe Guide ($11 on Amazon). The Brown recipe was so solid it has now become one of my standard brews. I only added Blackberries to that one batch but have made that Brown in different variations several times since (adding honey to the primary made a nice Honey Brown). I usually add the fruit to the primary, I did with that Blackberry Brown - I believe it was two pints worth of crushed fruit that was fresh, then I froze for several hours and thawed again before the crush to improve the juicing process. I can post or IM you the recipe when I get home (if I remember - sorry age catching up to me...).

 

[SkinnyShamrock]

I'm in the process of doing a blackberry lambic/sour beer. 1.5 pounds of ground-up blackberries. I figured it would be a good break from the ordinary (and overdone) cherry and raspberry beers.

 

[Diaperload]

I can post or IM you the recipe when I get home (if I remember - sorry age catching up to me...).

That would be great. Much appreciated.

 

[DD2000GT]

Here it is:

6 1/2 lbs 2 row malt
1 lb Crystal 60L malt
1/2 lb Cara-Pils malt
1/4 lb Chocolate malt
1 oz Fuggles hops (boil 60 min)
1 oz Liberty hops (boil 5 min)
Safeale S-05 dry yeast
1 1/3 lbs fresh crushed Blackberries (Primary 2 weeks)

This is a solid Brown recipe and as I said earlier, you can modify it easily.

Good luck.

 

[Diaperload]

Thanks for the recipe. Is that all grain or extract?

Is there a need to pasteurize the blackberries?

 

[AdvGroo]

Sounds great, I have a couple pounds of raspberry picked from my yard, and the blackberry's are next. considered doing the same for the wife. Will have to try your recipe.

 

[DD2000GT]

Thanks for the recipe. Is that all grain or extract?

Is there a need to pasteurize the blackberries?

All grain, but can easily be converted. I did not pasterize the fruit (judgement call), but I waited until after high krausen to minimize contamination. Luckily, it came out clean. As I said earlier, take the fresh berries and freeze them until just hardened, then thaw and crush. You will get much more juice and flavor from them.

 

[lumpher]

i'm starting to run low on my blackberry hefeweizen, and am hating the fact that it is low. got more planned soon. i simmered the blackberries at 172 for about 15 minutes to pasteurize, then dumped the whole thing into the hefe

 

[Diaperload]

I think I found the answer to my own question.

So to convert your all grain recipe I remove the 6.5lbs. of 2 row malt and substitute 3.9lbs. of DME.

The other grains are specialty grains? So they are steeped?