Blueberry hef ideas

[neildytham]

I'm thinking about brewing a blueberry hef, mostly using extracts but with a partial mash, does anyone have any suggestions for how to get a good blueberriness in it?
I bought a 32oz bottle of pure blueberry juices from Trader Joe's the other day - how much of that do you think would be good? I can certainly add some fresh fruit too... just l;ooking for ideas so any help or prior experiment outcomes would be welcomed!

Thinking:
7lb Wheat malt extract
8oz flaked oats
1oz Haller hops
Blueberry juice (qty?)
coriander seed (1tsp)
Belgian yeast....
Primary for ~10 days

Secondary with (1lb?) blueberries ~ 6 days....

Bottle.....

Thanks guys, I'm sure you'll come up trumps for me with some great advice again.

Neil

 

[kryolla]

a hefe with belgian yeast and coriander? You can try blueberry extract which comes in 4oz and just use 2 at first or you can use 1 can of Oregon Blueberry Puree in secondary. Also im not sure if the flaked oats can be converted alone you might need some base malt like a lb of pils.

 

[neildytham]

Ok, scrap the coriander, I was ,looking at adapting a Belgian Wit recipe.
Should I not use this blueberry juice then?

 

[kryolla]

here is a fruit apricot wheat beer from Jamil brewing classic styles book which you might have to experiment with the amount of blueberry

8.3lbs wheat lme
.5lb C15
williamette 60min 18.2 ibu
yeast WL320 or wyeast 1010
secondary 3lbs blueberry

 

[blackwaterbrewer]

blueberry extract is easier and quicker to use. if you use puree, it will take longer to clean up fementing, but will be better in the long run. you will need some base malt to convert the oats or some pH adjuster.

 

[jiggs_casey]

I've never used juice in brewing beer... Not really sure how that would play out.

If it were me, I would use a couple of lbs of blueberries in your secondary. Blanch them first! ...and I would let them set in the secondary for a lot longer then a week. Maybe like a month...

But, if you're looking to do it quick then an extract is the way to go! Unfortunately, I haven't had good luck with using flavoring extracts. IMO, they tend to come out very sharp.

 

[neildytham]

What is C 15?
So what grains should I be using along with my Wheat Malt Extract?
Also, what yeast strains are the best for that bubblegummy flavor?

 

[SeanT17]

c15 = crystal 15L malt

 

[BottleBombs]

I think using the juice would be a lot easier than puree or whole fruit. Easy to sanitize - just boil it. Also, I think it would take less time to peak than using puree, and you wouldn't have to worry about all that gunk left over from the puree. Keep in mind though, that the sugar in the juice is fermentable. I'd boil it for a few minutes, cool it, and then add it to the secondary.

 

[Cpt_Kirks]

I make a mean Sunset Wheat clone, but without the "fruity pebbles" taste.

Just a standard American Wheat, fermented with US-05. I add 1/2 oz of crushed coriander at flame out, and 2 oz of blueberry extract at kegging.

Good stuff, SWMBO loves it.

 

[neildytham]

Well I've ended up throwing that juice in at the end of the boil. The Belgian yeast has made quick work of the sugar and I'm down to 1.011 after less than a week.
My thoughts are one of these two (O'm heading out of town for 10 days):
1. Transfer to secondary with 2oz blueberry extract for 10 days. OR
2. Call it time, add the extract along with the bottling sugars and bottle age it from here on in.
Any suggestions?

Also, as it's meant to be a Belgian Wit, should I try and get more yeast on suspension and siphon off more trubby stuff?

 

[wendelgee2]

I think using the juice would be a lot easier than puree or whole fruit. Easy to sanitize - just boil it. Also, I think it would take less time to peak than using puree, and you wouldn't have to worry about all that gunk left over from the puree. Keep in mind though, that the sugar in the juice is fermentable. I'd boil it for a few minutes, cool it, and then add it to the secondary.

Why would you want to boil your fruit juice? Then it would taste like cooked fruit, not fresh fruit. I've never had sanitation problems with dumping the Oregon fruit puree in the secondary. It's canned, it's already sanitized. Just clean/sanitize the outside of the can, and you're ready to roll. And it tastes like fresh fruit, not like cooked fruit.