Upcoming First Brew- Raspberry Wheat

[bayoubabsy]

As soon as I get a pot, I will be ready for my first brew. I am going with a wheat because keeping my house lower than 70-72 for a few days just isn't feasible in this TX summer. I understand wheats work better because the "fruit" flavors produced in the warmer fermentations will work best with wheats.

I went to a LHBS and spoke with the sales guy about this, and mentioned that I will want to eventually do some fruit beers with wheat. After talking to him, I decided it seemed easy enough to try on the first run.

He says he dumps three lbs. of frozen raspberry in the wort at the very beginning of the cooling. He told me the raspberrys are already basically sterilized (I supposed they are cooked and flash frozen), so sanitation shouldn't be a problem. Plus, dumping three lbs. of frozen raspberrys helps cool the wort a lot faster.

I asked him if the berrys should be put in the secondary fermentation instead, but he said with his experience that enough raspberry flavor was kept when the fruit was put in before primary.

He said something about the fruit separating from the skins, but I can't remember what he said. My question is, if I dump the raspberries in the wort, do I pour EVERYTHING into the fermenter when the wort is cool enough? Or do I pour it through a strainer on my funnel?

I will definitely be using a blowoff with the anticipation of a violent fermentation :cross: Plan on having the thermostat at around 73 for primary fermentation.

If the ingredient information helps, I will be using canned malt extract (Edme Wheat), 2 lbs. DME, and the yeast that comes with the can.

 

[david_42]

I like to ferment on the berries. This means a bucket and a very big grain sack.

 

[jpuf]

Welcome to the obsession. Have fun and good luck.

 

[bayoubabsy]

I like to ferment on the berries. This means a bucket and a very big grain sack.

You mean put all the berries in a large grain sack? How do you go about getting it in the fermenter?

 

[bayoubabsy]

Ok, thinking about what you said, I figured out that you meant to ferment in a bucket. I only have glass carboys to use for fermentation. Will it hurt to have the berries just "loose" in the carboy fermenting? I'm figuring that after active fermentation they would sink to the bottom as part of the trub, and then be left behind when I rack to secondary. Any drawbacks to this?

 

[bayoubabsy]

I've been meaning to post this for a few days, but I wanted to thank those who provide advice to this noob.

I pitched the raspberry wheat to primary a week ago. I know that a wheat is supposed to create quite an active fermentation, and any fruit is supposed to make an active fermentation. But this sucker was VIOLENT. Hehehe for a couple of days I was having to pour out the the container that the blow-off was going to.



I thought it was pretty amazing how the skins separated and blew out, but the actual fruit stayed in the fermenter. I didn't get to the blow-off container in time one day, so I had raspberry skins overflow into my tub and stopped it up. Thankfully, I discovered this before SWMBO and got some drain-o to unclog it. After that, I was cleaning out the blow-off container every 4 hours or so.

I pulled a sample yesterday as I racked to secondary. Very tasty. The first thing I taste is definitely a wheat, but the after taste is a nice raspberry. SWMBO was impressed (I'm starting with fruits to gain her initial approval).

I had done a few Mr. Beer's over the past year or so. Even though I used a canned extract for this just like Mr. Beer, this was very different. I just got the feeling that everything was much more clean and sterile. Plus I know there aren't holes letting air into the fermenter.

Anyway, my first experience was great. This board is awesome, and I was able to read it for a long time and learn a lot before I tried my first brew. Already cleaned out primary and have EdWort's Apfelwein going in it