Fruit Beer Blueberry Summer Ale

[azscoob]

I will have to check when I get home, I think I do have a pic or two, I just have to find them

 

[motleybrews]

I will have to check when I get home, I think I do have a pic or two, I just have to find them

cool, thatd be awesome. no worries if you can't find any though. Mine will be finished soon enough. Just wanted to get an idea of what its going to look like color wise.

 

[Wheatmeister]

Use this in the secondary, you'll find it works 10x better, and is easier.

http://www.google.com/products/cata...plqZT9ObMZGy8QTgy5mdBg&sqi=2&ved=0CFcQ8wIwAg#

 

[motleybrews]

Use this in the secondary, you'll find it works 10x better, and is easier.

http://www.google.com/products/cata...plqZT9ObMZGy8QTgy5mdBg&sqi=2&ved=0CFcQ8wIwAg#

i bought a bottle of that. going to taste the brew at kegging time, if not enough blueberry for my liking, i'm going to add it to the keg

 

[blitzcreeg]

i just kegged this recipe but with different fermentaion times. It was very hard racking into the keg even with a sterilized panty hose banded to my siphoner to help filter. with that being said the beer was very good flat. Not the most blueberry taste in the world but it is there and is balanced pretty well with nothing overwhelming the other. I also lost a gallon or so of beer due to berry absorbtion. im happy with the outcome thanks for the recipe. this beer will go very fast. This was my first fruit so didnt know what to expect.

 

[motleybrews]

Tomorrow marks 2 weeks on the berries. Going to taste it for the first time (tasted the base beer when I was racking onto the berries...turned out wonderful) and either leave it on the berries, or move it to a third vessel.

Have to bottle some beers for a competition, so should have keg space soon

 

[GGGsPorter]

Use this in the secondary, you'll find it works 10x better, and is easier.

http://www.google.com/products/cata...plqZT9ObMZGy8QTgy5mdBg&sqi=2&ved=0CFcQ8wIwAg#

That's a great idea! I'm thinking of brewing this next week. How much did you pour into 5 gallons? How was the flavor? Did it turn the beer blue at all?

 

[motleybrews]

This beer goes quick is all I can say. Need to brew another batch soon

 

[motleybrews]

That's a great idea! I'm thinking of brewing this next week. How much did you pour into 5 gallons? How was the flavor? Did it turn the beer blue at all?

5 pounds of puréed blueberries came out to a half gallon of chunky blueberry soup, so I'd say you'd need half gallon.

 

[GGGsPorter]

Alright, that's how it's going to happen then. Did it turn the beer blue at all?

 

[azscoob]

I am glad I'm not the only one who enjoys this one! Too often a fruit beer is over the top fruity, when I was working this recipe up I wanted a beer that tasted like beer and not a wine cooler

 

[coonz]

So I am about to start this brew and was wondering what I should do for blueberries. I want a good flavor of blueberry and a blueish color. I leaning towards fresh/frozen blueberries, if anyone can help me out and give any suggestions thanks.

 

[motleybrews]

Alright, that's how it's going to happen then. Did it turn the beer blue at all?

5 pounds of puréed blueberries turned it beautiful purple with a light pink head

 

[motleybrews]

So I am about to start this brew and was wondering what I should do for blueberries. I want a good flavor of blueberry and a blueish color. I leaning towards fresh/frozen blueberries, if anyone can help me out and give any suggestions thanks.

Fresh. Puréed. Pasteurized.

 

[DrBrewDC]

Back to the topic of photos.....

Does anyone have a pic to share??

 

[coonz]

Brewed mine up on Monday brew day turned into 6 hours of fun. Messed up on the OG reading, but looking forward to adding blueberries.

Does anyone have their fermentation schedule? Not sure if I should do 1-2 weeks in primary and how long on fruit in secondary?

Thanks

 

[azscoob]

Brewed mine up on Monday brew day turned into 6 hours of fun. Messed up on the OG reading, but looking forward to adding blueberries.

Does anyone have their fermentation schedule? Not sure if I should do 1-2 weeks in primary and how long on fruit in secondary?

Thanks

I ferment for 2 to 3 weeks in recent batches, rack onto the berries and let that go for another week before transferring to a keg and carbing for 3 weeks to a month to let it carb up.

You could go longer on the fruit for more berry flavor, I prefer the blueberries to be a background player in this beer.

 

[FlyDoctor]

Anyone try oregon blueberry puree for this? I was listening to the Jamil show and he was raving about how the puree aids in geting consistent results. I was thinking 3 lb or puree in secondary? Thanks!

 

[archer75]

Anyone try oregon blueberry puree for this? I was listening to the Jamil show and he was raving about how the puree aids in geting consistent results. I was thinking 3 lb or puree in secondary? Thanks!

Yes. It's what Mcmanamins uses in their ruby. I have made both a ruby clone and a blueberry ale with it. In both cases I added to the primary and racked on top.
In the ruby it worked great, perfect clone recipe and the raspberries really shine through.
In the blueberry I can't taste any blueberry at all. I could when I first kegged it but not anymore.

 

[FlyDoctor]

Yes. It's what Mcmanamins uses in their ruby. I have made both a ruby clone and a blueberry ale with it. In both cases I added to the primary and racked on top.
In the ruby it worked great, perfect clone recipe and the raspberries really shine through.
In the blueberry I can't taste any blueberry at all. I could when I first kegged it but not anymore.

Do you mean you added it to the secondary or did you really add it to the primary? My understanding would be that adding it to the primary will drive of a lot of the aroma due to CO2 escaping, whereas adding in secondary preserves this.

Thanks for your help.

 

[archer75]

Do you mean you added it to the secondary or did you really add it to the primary? My understanding would be that adding it to the primary will drive of a lot of the aroma due to CO2 escaping, whereas adding in secondary preserves this.

Thanks for your help.

Yes, the primary. Co2 will escape in the secondary as well as there is an airlock on the carboy.

 

[azscoob]

Yes, the primary. Co2 will escape in the secondary as well as there is an airlock on the carboy.

Fermentation is not very vigorous in secondary so more of the subtle flavors and aroma seem to be retained by going secondary with the fruit

 

[FlyDoctor]

Fermentation is not very vigorous in secondary so more of the subtle flavors and aroma seem to be retained by going secondary with the fruit

Thanks Azscoob - this was my impression from reading. Have you ever tried the puree?

 

[archer75]

Well all I can tell you is myself and a friend both made ruby clones that were spot in with using the raspberries in the primary. My friend made an apricot ale with the puree in the primary as well and it came out good with a nice little bit of the apricot sweetness coming through and not being overpowering.

Both my buddies made a strawberry and blackberry wheat beers with frozen berries in the primary and both turned out great.

Now with my blueberry I got nothing for flavor or aroma so next time i'll try that in the secondary.

 

[FlyDoctor]

Rasberries are such strong flavor contributors, that I wonder if relatively less flavor is needed to get the desired effect. Blueberries are pretty muted fruits, I bet it just takes more to get what you need.

In any case, I'm going to try it with the puree and I'll report back.

 

[kmac666]

We have a bunch of frozen fresh berries left over from the summer and gonna brew this up - I know not the ideal season but what the hell that's what makes home brewing fun, we can do whatever we want. Anyone have pics of finished product?? Any thoughts?

 

[azscoob]

We have a bunch of frozen fresh berries left over from the summer and gonna brew this up - I know not the ideal season but what the hell that's what makes home brewing fun, we can do whatever we want. Anyone have pics of finished product?? Any thoughts?

Cripes! I just kicked a keg a couple weeks ago, I never think to take pics, I may have a bottle reserved that I can snap a pic of and post up.

 

[mcgearybrewing]

Just throwing out some info here, blueberries have almost no flavor, even when eating them they ar dull. So one would need a massive amount of fruit to get any noticeable flavor, but it's going to dissipate rather quickly. Now as far as finished flavor even the best commercial examples do not carry a lot of flavor but they have aroma. To achieve this use the berries as everyone had been
using but in the secondary, and right before kegging or bottling use a fruit extact. Use in moderation as it will add flavor not just aroma. Look at commercial beers, clear but a big blast of blueberry aroma, just not a lot of flavor. Wachusette uses up to 762 lbs. of fruit in their batches. Good luck brewing and I hope this helps a little bit.

 

[Leisure Master]

After a few days on the fruit.

 

[azscoob]

After a few days on the fruit.

That's a damn pretty looking brew... I want a pint myself!!!!