Blueberry Pancake Ale

[gavmasterj]

So, I want to make a blueberry pancake Ale, but I don't know exactly how to go about the ingredients and such. I've brewed about 8 batches of beer so far, but they have typically been traditional styles that I could research.

Sugars:
I'm thinking 4 pounds of wheat malt extract would be good, plus 4 pounds of either light malt extract or pale malt extract, then 4 pounds of maple syrup at the end of the boil.

Hops:
1 oz Centennial for 60 minutes
1 oz East Kent Goldings for 15
1 oz East Kent Goldings for 5
Any problems with this? Those are just hops that I've used in the past.

Yeast:
I've been reusing Wyeast Belgian Wit Ale yeast, so I'll probably just reuse that again

Blueberry:
Real or artificial? How much? Add after primary fermentation?

 

[xjmox14x]

Hmmm... for a pancake flavor I would maybe go for something similar to a maple brown ale base and try to get it less nutty and more biscuity/bready, then use the blueberries.

 

[mtbiker278]

Most people find the blueberry puree works well. I can say if you go the frozen blueberry approach you should blanche the blueberries in a big pan and rack your beer on top of them in a secondary.

 

[Doog_Si_Reeb]

I would skip the late hop additions since you want the blueberry and maple flavors and aromas to be dominant. Also, if I were to attempt something like this, I would want some malty sweetness. I would steep ~1/2 pound of honey malt at 150 - 155 F, for 30 minutes to give it some of the honey/syrup sweetness you are probably looking for. I like the idea of using wheat extract and light extract to give it a color similar to pancakes. The maple syrup should give it a nice touch, but depending on the sugar content, it may dry the beer out quite a bit. I'm assuming you are planning on using real maple syrup and not the fake stuff.

For blueberries, I have made a blueberry wheat several times. I have used three pounds of frozen blueberries that I raised to 160F for 10 minutes to pasteurize, then added that to secondary. I found the blueberry aroma was noticeable but light. All of the sugars from the berries fermented out, leaving a fairly dry beer. For the second iteration, I added some blueberry extract and that kicked up the aroma, which also helps the flavor.

In your situation, I would get a can of Oregon Fruit's blueberry puree and add that to secondary. I would also get a small bottle of blueberry extract. If you are kegging, you can add it in small doses until you reach the desired aroma/flavor.

I see xjmox14x has a Blueberry Blonde listed in the signature. Maybe xj has some input on getting a good blueberry flavor.

 

[gavmasterj]

So, I basically did the recipe as originally stated but just added 1 oz of flavor hops for the last 20 minutes and tood Doog's advice with the honey malt and blueberry. I used 3 pounds of maple syrup, 1 pound of blueberries, and half of a bottle of blueberry extract for brewing. The syrup was way too strong, and the blueberries were also arguably strong. If you brew something like this, try to think "beer, with a hint of pancake" rather than vice versa.

 

[jrobidoux]

Hey, don't they have like blueberry/strawberry maple syrup at IHOP? This thread made me think of that. Anybody know what they do to the maple syrup to make it "blueberry", might work in a brew like this...

 

[Fionag]

this sounds so good!!

 

[mattmcl]

You could add some lactose too.

 

[TwoBearsinaBathTubBrew]

I've always had issues with over bittering when using fresh blue berries, I don't know if you have ever used the fruit estates you can find on line or at your local home brew shop but they have always given me great flavors, no fuss, and no extra bitterness. Just some thoughts, hope I helped.