Adding blueberries to the boil?

[goblinbrewer]

Recently rediscovered home brewing after about ten years, oh my have things changed. Thanks hipsters

anyway!

I want to make a beer with blueberries, i have a freezer full and more on the way. I don’t have a secondary vessel yet so won’t be able to make an berry addition during secondary fermentation (because there won’t be one) so I wanted to know if anyone of you add berries to, or rather after, the boil? And what results you have gotten? Is it worth it? how much did you add? Etc etc?
it’ll be about 15-20L when I get around to buying hops and making it.

let me know!

 

[AlexKay]

I add concentrated fruit juices in a “fruit stand”: 10 minutes or so at ~150 F. Sometimes it works really well (passionfruit, pomegranate) but sometimes the fruit ends up tasting a bit cooked (melon, mango). I will probably start adding the fruit at pitching time to try to avoid the cooked flavor.

 

[goblinbrewer]

I add concentrated fruit juices in a “fruit stand”: 10 minutes or so at ~150 F. Sometimes it works really well (passionfruit, pomegranate) but sometimes the fruit ends up tasting a bit cooked (melon, mango). I will probably start adding the fruit at pitching time to try to avoid the cooked flavor.

That’s a great idea! Thanks

 

[seatazzz]

Recently rediscovered home brewing after about ten years, oh my have things changed. Thanks hipsters

anyway!

I want to make a beer with blueberries, i have a freezer full and more on the way. I don’t have a secondary vessel yet so won’t be able to make an berry addition during secondary fermentation (because there won’t be one) so I wanted to know if anyone of you add berries to, or rather after, the boil? And what results you have gotten? Is it worth it? how much did you add? Etc etc?
it’ll be about 15-20L when I get around to buying hops and making it.

let me know!

I wouldn't add them to the boil. I don't secondary either, when I add fruit to a beer I add it when primary fermentation is pretty much done. For larger fruit I just dump it in the fermenter commando, but for blueberries (all those seeds, ugh), you can use a muslin bag; just make sure they're not packed in there too tight. You will need to pasteurize them first to get rid of anything nasty, then mash them up some. My two cents.

 

[McMullan]

I usually make a blueberry porter this time of year. The wild blueberry season looks very good this year, too, so definitely on for one. Now tasting amazing and so much better than the farmed variety. I freeze them then add to a secondary, transfer the beer and leave it for a couple weeks or so. I wouldn't add them to the boil, as too much flavour is going to be lost, during active fermentation, too, probably.

Edit: it normally comes in around 7% abv, so I don't worry about any bugs.

 

[Steveruch]

Recently rediscovered home brewing after about ten years, oh my have things changed. Thanks hipsters

anyway!

I want to make a beer with blueberries, i have a freezer full and more on the way. I don’t have a secondary vessel yet so won’t be able to make an berry addition during secondary fermentation (because there won’t be one)

Secondary is rarely ever needed. Adding fruit to the primary vessel after fermentation winds down works fine.

 

[Erik the Anglophile]

I usually make a blueberry porter this time of year. The wild blueberry season looks very good this year, too, so definitely on for one. Now tasting amazing and so much better than the farmed variety. I freeze them then add to a secondary, transfer the beer and leave it for a couple weeks or so. I wouldn't add them to the boil, as too much flavour is going to be lost, during active fermentation, too, probably.

Edit: it normally comes in around 7% abv, so I don't worry about any bugs.

You don't really know what bluberries is until you have a few liters that you picked yourself out in the woods, the grown stuff just doesn't compare.

 

[Erik the Anglophile]

Nothing like Allemansrätten, right? @McMullan

 

[goblinbrewer]

You don't really know what bluberries is until you have a few liters that you picked yourself out in the woods, the grown stuff just doesn't compare.

Totally agree! I live in Finland and My mother in law is an avid berry picker, we get of them every year, raspberries and cloudberries too! she Recently told us to make room for this years harvest which to me meant “make blueberry beer!”

 

[Erik the Anglophile]

Wild raspberries is the best!

 

[DBhomebrew]

I used to take berry harvest hikes when I lived in Northern NY and near enough to NH. I'd put 3 gallon bags into the freezer and they'd last nearly all year in morning oatmeal.

 

[Bolt]

Always adds whole fruit. Only frozen, it allows them to release the juice freely, and it is easy to separate them from the beer. Additionally, the whole fruit has a lot more flavor.

 

[madscientist451]

I wanted to know if anyone of you add berries to, or rather after, the boil? And what results you have gotten? Is it worth it? how much did you add? Etc etc?
it’ll be about 15-20L when I get around to buying hops and making it.

let me know!

I've added blueberries to several brews, with mixed results. Blueberries have a somewhat delicate flavor that is easily over-taken by hops and/or specialty malts. So you have to decide what you are trying to achieve: A bold blueberry flavor, a medium flavor or just a hint of blueberries? For a lot of flavor, you need to add 2 lbs or more for each gallon of beer. In a 5 gallon batch, that's 10 pounds, and since fruit is mostly water, you'll be adding at least a gallon of water to your batch. You have to account for this when you think about the ABV you are looking for, and also mouthfeel will be impacted by all that added water. My preferred method is to add thawed frozen fruit to a keg and then add the beer on top. Note you need to cut a few inches off the dip tube or even better use a floating dip tube.
My preferred beer style to use blueberries in would be something light like a golden ale, kolsch or lager, but after reading McMullan's post above, I may try some in a porter, that sounds interesting!
My 2 cents: Don't be stuck on 15-20L batches, rather brew some smaller 1-2 gallon batches when adding fruit and see if you like the results. You can make adjustments and move on without worrying about dumping a full size batch.
Here's a good article that covers almost everything about adding blueberries to beer:
https://learningtohomebrew.com/adding-blueberries-to-beer/

 

[Beermeister32]

rather brew some smaller 1-2 gallon batches when adding fruit

Great advice. Run a 1 gallon pilot batch, dial in you recipe and process first.

 

[RM-MN]

I've tried a couple batches of blueberry beer and ended up with a more tart (blueberries are a bit acidic) beer with little blueberry flavor and a purple color. I hope you have better outcomes than I.

 

[Leezer]

I’ve had the same experience as RM-MN, and kinda gave up on trying again. However I’ve had great results with other fruit like raspberries and strawberry/rhubarb so thinking it has something to do with the delicate flavor of blueberry and the amount that needs to be added.

 

[madscientist451]

Yes, I've had the same results, so I haven't used them in beer for a while, and usually save them to flavor sweet mead, the acid/tartness goes good with that, although a marzen/fest beer with a hint of blueberry might be worth trying.

 

[McMullan]

There are sour and sweet varieties of wild blueberry. Important, too, to pick them when ripe (sweet), like those currently available in my neck of the woods. They complement a Porter recipe very well, especially with some Fuggle hops