Blueberry IPA Question

[ZmannR2]

Let's say I took a session IPA recipe and modified it by using more fruitier hops like Mosaic, and added a bottle or so of 100% pure blueberry juice at flame out. Would this be a good way to infuse a blueberry taste into an IPA?

I ask because all the recipes I see for blueberry beer calls for whole blueberries. I just would think 100% pure juice would not only taste amazing, but be much easier and boost alcohol as well. What do y'all think?

 

[SanPancho]

two things
1- it only boosts alcohol if the OG of the juice is higher than the wort. otherwise you'd be diluting the beer. i think you can work out the brix of the juice based on the volume and the grams of sugar on the label? and brix is mostly same as plato. then convert to gravity if thats what you use in your calcs.

2- i think most folks would say that you'll get more flavor carried into the beer if you add it after primary fermentation. in the kettle and fermenter it might not make its way to the end. i believe this based on experience with less strong fruits like peaches, white berries, hibiscus flowers, etc.

so im not sure about the juice, but frozen blueberries are cheap. maybe get a bag at costco and use both? berries in kettle and then juice to adjust the taste at the end?

im sure folks with more fruit beer experience will chime in here.

 

[ZmannR2]

Awesome thanks!

 

[elburrogrande]

Currently brewing a blueberry IPA. Im using Mosaic, El Dorado, Belma, Nelson Sauvin. Ill be adding 6lbs of frozen blueberries to this. I have used both juice and fruit and I always feel fruit give better flavor. with fruit you almost have to use a bucket and some kind of mesh bag.

 

[treacheroustexan]

I made a blueberry IPA last year with all mosaic and racked it onto roughly 5 pounds of blueberries. It turned out AMAZING. Honestly. They were fresh blueberries and then I froze them until I added them to a secondary. It had more of a blue tint to it in person. I can post my exact recipe if you would like. You can substitute the whole blueberries for the puree and see how it turns out.

 

[Redtab78]

I made a blueberry IPA last year with all mosaic and racked it onto roughly 5 pounds of blueberries. It turned out AMAZING. Honestly. They were fresh blueberries and then I froze them until I added them to a secondary. It had more of a blue tint to it in person. I can post my exact recipe if you would like. You can substitute the whole blueberries for the puree and see how it turns out.

I would be interested in seeing it

 

[ZmannR2]

Yes me too. Did you put the blueberries in whole?

 

[treacheroustexan]

Yes they were whole. I'l post it this evening after work.

 

[Redtab78]

so you didn't puree them in a tincture with some vodka to sterilize?

 

[treacheroustexan]

so you didn't puree them in a tincture with some vodka to sterilize?

Correct. Whole blueberries from the freezer. I figured since I'm racking alcohol on top of them it would be okay, and it was.

 

[treacheroustexan]

Sorry for double post, but I ended up posting it in the recipes section:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?p=7964156#post7964156

 

[xpops]

so you didn't puree them in a tincture with some vodka to sterilize?

I make fruit blondes every summer and i never soak in vodka either. never had an issue. Always freeze the fresh fruit first to break membranes. leave them whole and toss them in! fresh fruit gives much better flavour (real) than juice or extract, and tends to give a nice light blonde beer excellent coloring!

I've done Raspberry blondes, blueberry blondes, and strawberry/rhubarb blondes.

i'm kind of interested in trying out a kiwi or strawberry kiwi blonde this year. anyone with experience using kiwis?

 

[Weezy]

I like using real fruit, supplemented with a little bit of extract added to the keg, to complement and enhance the fruit.