blackberries in lambic

[jibby]

I have a quite a lot of ripe blackberries in my backyard. More than I can use. I also have some lambic base that's been going for a few months. Has anybody made a blackberry lambic? How many pounds per gallon did you find to be ideal?

Also, any point of freezing it? I have heard that fresh berries are better because they have wild yeast on the surface.

 

[jeepinjeepin]

Freezing fruit breaks the cell walls and allows them to release their juices more freely. Do you want more wild yeast?

 

[Gritsak]

Never made, but Upland makes a blackberry lambic that is quite good.

 

[ryane]

Ive used them before, I think that they work best in a lambic thats a bit softer as the acidity of the fruit is generally quite high

 

[SkinnyShamrock]

I just added 1.5 pounds of blackberries (smashed up in a food processor, almost to the point of being liquid) into my lambic/sour. That was a month ago. The flavor isn't really fruity or sweet, but they are definitely there. The color hasn't been affected too much, either.

 

[jibby]

@jeepinjeepin: My logic is that freshly-picked berries are better because they have naturally occurring wild yeast suited for breaking apart the sugars. I know that this is generally preferred in wine-making, for example.

@Gritsak: I noticed that Upland makes one, though unfortunately I don't think I'll be able to find it in the San Francisco Bay Area :/

@ryane: I can't imagine the acidity of blackberries to be more than the sour cherries used in krieks. But you're probably right, I would think any fruit flavor would be more pronounced in a "soft" lambic.

@SkinnyShamrock: Do you mean 1.5 lb / gallon or in total?