JakeKelley
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During the cusp between late June and early July, wild black raspberries are at their prime in Ohio. Typically, people pick them off of their own property, and fortunately for me, I have a location where I can pick them. I am an epitomic amateur brewer (this is my second batch of all time) but I thought I'd make a wild black raspberry ale when I was afforded the opportunity. This is an extract recipe with steeping grains and it makes a 3 gallons of wort. This is an odd number, but I wanted the abv to be on the lower side compared to the Imperial IPAs I usually drink. It should be somewhere in the ballpark of 5.1% abv, potentially more.
I really wanted the hop flavor to be there, but I toned back the bittering hops to compliment the sourness of the berries I added. After researching for a low AA hop with fruity flavors, I ultimately decided upon using Australian Summer hop pellets exclusively. It is said that this hop produces fruity, peachy flavors when used for dry hopping, and I'm hoping I also receive those results.
If any veteran brewers notice any glaring mistakes in my brewing process, please by all means let me know. To reiterate, this is my second brew, my first one being an insanely high IBU IPA which I will be sharing pending a taste test. They say not to go overboard with extreme recipes when you're first starting out, but that's just not in me. Anyway, here's what I did:
Ingredients:
1lb strawberries
1 lemon
Brown sugar (for sprinkling)
Kosher salt (for sprinkling)
4 gallons Absopure spring water
3lbs golden light DME
8oz crystal malt 60L
8oz wheat malt
1oz Australian Summer hop pellets
2oz brown sugar
3/5 teaspoon Irish moss
1 packet Safale US-05 yeast
1oz Australian Summer hop pellets
Homemade black raspberry tincture (more on this later)
Recipe:
1. Trim leaves and stems off strawberries and rinse. Add to ziploc bag in addition to the juice of one whole lemon. Sprinkle brown sugar and kosher salt to taste (I imagine this step is completely optional and irrelevant, but I did it anyway). Freeze strawberries and thaw in refrigerator 24 hours before brew day. Also, you should fill a 5 gallon carboy with 3 gallons of water and mark this level at this point.
2. Add as close to 3 gallons of Absopure water as you can to a stainless steel pot leaving about 6 inches of room at the top. I think I could fit around 2 1/4 gallons. Add to this 8oz of crystal malt. I recommend using a muslin bag. Bring to 150-155 degrees over medium high heat. Once you reach 150-155 degrees, remove the pot from the burner and add 8oz wheat malt. Again I put it in a muslin bag. Cover and let sit for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove crystal malt while leaving in wheat malt. Cover and let sit an additional 30 minutes before removing.
3. Return pot to medium high heat and bring to a boil. Once you reach a boil, remove the pot from the burner and stir in 3lbs golden light DME. BE CAREFUL OF BOIL OVERS. Return pot to burner over medium high heat and bring to a boil. Add 2/3 oz of Australian Summer hop pellets (4.8 AA) and set timer for 60 minutes. At 30 minutes add 2oz brown sugar. Add 3/5 teaspoon Irish moss at last 15 minutes of boil.
4. Remove pot from heat and add 1/3 oz Australian Summer hop pellets and thawed strawberries as well as the juice that has developed during defrosting. Stir to create a whirlpool and cover for 20 minutes. Transport wort to ice bath and cool as quickly as possible. (I will go over my cost effective method below). Pour wort through a sanitized mesh strainer and funnel into sanitized carboy. Fill to 3 gallon mark with cold Absopure spring water. Shake vigorously to aerate. Pitch yeast. Add sanitized stopper and airlock. Store in a cool, dark place for 4 weeks before utilizing a priming method of your choice and bottling. Also dry hop with 1oz Australian Summer hop pellets for the last 10 days before bottling.
5. To make a homemade wild black raspberry tincture, pick and wash some wild black raspberries and put them into a mason jar. Fill with 100 proof vodka until all of the berries are submerged. Let sit for 3 weeks in a dark cool place, and give the jar a good shake daily. Strain out the berries and taste a sample. I'll admit this was my first time making a tincture, so I'm really not sure what to expect. I'm going to add about 1oz to the carboy before I rack to a priming bucket then taste a sample there. If I think it needs more, I'll add an ounce more and go from there.
6. My cost effective and easy wort chilling method:
What you need:
Ice
Salt
Cold water
The first step I take in this process is put the water I plan on adding to the carboy to reach the fill line in the freezer just long enough that it doesn't freeze. Second I put ice in my sink and sprinkle it with a ridiculous amount of table salt. Then I add cold water to it and mix it around. Adding salt lowers the freezing point of the water so it is VERY cold. You will feel it as you move the water around your pot. Once the pot is no longer hot, pour it into your carboy as per the recipe and add your cold water to the fill line. This helps clear your beer up to some degree and it also limits potential off flavors the yeast may produce if you pitch at a high temperature.
Disclosure: I have not bottled or tasted or dry hopped or even added tincture to my brew yet. In fact, I just brewed it a few days ago. So I can't guarantee the success of this recipe, but I thought I'd share it now in case anyone else has wild black raspberries and they don't know what to do with them. I will definitely be updating this thread in a couple months when I get around to tasting this brew. Hopefully it will have been a success!
I really wanted the hop flavor to be there, but I toned back the bittering hops to compliment the sourness of the berries I added. After researching for a low AA hop with fruity flavors, I ultimately decided upon using Australian Summer hop pellets exclusively. It is said that this hop produces fruity, peachy flavors when used for dry hopping, and I'm hoping I also receive those results.
If any veteran brewers notice any glaring mistakes in my brewing process, please by all means let me know. To reiterate, this is my second brew, my first one being an insanely high IBU IPA which I will be sharing pending a taste test. They say not to go overboard with extreme recipes when you're first starting out, but that's just not in me. Anyway, here's what I did:
Ingredients:
1lb strawberries
1 lemon
Brown sugar (for sprinkling)
Kosher salt (for sprinkling)
4 gallons Absopure spring water
3lbs golden light DME
8oz crystal malt 60L
8oz wheat malt
1oz Australian Summer hop pellets
2oz brown sugar
3/5 teaspoon Irish moss
1 packet Safale US-05 yeast
1oz Australian Summer hop pellets
Homemade black raspberry tincture (more on this later)
Recipe:
1. Trim leaves and stems off strawberries and rinse. Add to ziploc bag in addition to the juice of one whole lemon. Sprinkle brown sugar and kosher salt to taste (I imagine this step is completely optional and irrelevant, but I did it anyway). Freeze strawberries and thaw in refrigerator 24 hours before brew day. Also, you should fill a 5 gallon carboy with 3 gallons of water and mark this level at this point.
2. Add as close to 3 gallons of Absopure water as you can to a stainless steel pot leaving about 6 inches of room at the top. I think I could fit around 2 1/4 gallons. Add to this 8oz of crystal malt. I recommend using a muslin bag. Bring to 150-155 degrees over medium high heat. Once you reach 150-155 degrees, remove the pot from the burner and add 8oz wheat malt. Again I put it in a muslin bag. Cover and let sit for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove crystal malt while leaving in wheat malt. Cover and let sit an additional 30 minutes before removing.
3. Return pot to medium high heat and bring to a boil. Once you reach a boil, remove the pot from the burner and stir in 3lbs golden light DME. BE CAREFUL OF BOIL OVERS. Return pot to burner over medium high heat and bring to a boil. Add 2/3 oz of Australian Summer hop pellets (4.8 AA) and set timer for 60 minutes. At 30 minutes add 2oz brown sugar. Add 3/5 teaspoon Irish moss at last 15 minutes of boil.
4. Remove pot from heat and add 1/3 oz Australian Summer hop pellets and thawed strawberries as well as the juice that has developed during defrosting. Stir to create a whirlpool and cover for 20 minutes. Transport wort to ice bath and cool as quickly as possible. (I will go over my cost effective method below). Pour wort through a sanitized mesh strainer and funnel into sanitized carboy. Fill to 3 gallon mark with cold Absopure spring water. Shake vigorously to aerate. Pitch yeast. Add sanitized stopper and airlock. Store in a cool, dark place for 4 weeks before utilizing a priming method of your choice and bottling. Also dry hop with 1oz Australian Summer hop pellets for the last 10 days before bottling.
5. To make a homemade wild black raspberry tincture, pick and wash some wild black raspberries and put them into a mason jar. Fill with 100 proof vodka until all of the berries are submerged. Let sit for 3 weeks in a dark cool place, and give the jar a good shake daily. Strain out the berries and taste a sample. I'll admit this was my first time making a tincture, so I'm really not sure what to expect. I'm going to add about 1oz to the carboy before I rack to a priming bucket then taste a sample there. If I think it needs more, I'll add an ounce more and go from there.
6. My cost effective and easy wort chilling method:
What you need:
Ice
Salt
Cold water
The first step I take in this process is put the water I plan on adding to the carboy to reach the fill line in the freezer just long enough that it doesn't freeze. Second I put ice in my sink and sprinkle it with a ridiculous amount of table salt. Then I add cold water to it and mix it around. Adding salt lowers the freezing point of the water so it is VERY cold. You will feel it as you move the water around your pot. Once the pot is no longer hot, pour it into your carboy as per the recipe and add your cold water to the fill line. This helps clear your beer up to some degree and it also limits potential off flavors the yeast may produce if you pitch at a high temperature.
Disclosure: I have not bottled or tasted or dry hopped or even added tincture to my brew yet. In fact, I just brewed it a few days ago. So I can't guarantee the success of this recipe, but I thought I'd share it now in case anyone else has wild black raspberries and they don't know what to do with them. I will definitely be updating this thread in a couple months when I get around to tasting this brew. Hopefully it will have been a success!
