Blueberry Wheat Ale Help Needed

[pippyd8]

Hi Everyone - I am fairly new to homebrewing and I want to make a blueberry wheat ale. I was going to get an extract kit for american wheat ale and then add blueberries to it. My question is when do I add the blueberries and what kind of blueberries do I need to get? How do I need to prepare them? Any help you can provide will be great! Thanks

 

[brewsnthelou]

For my blueberry cream ale I just used a blueberry extract, but that's how I roll.. Good luck to you!

 

[webby45wr]

I add them during secondary. Here's my procedure:

1. Freeze them
2. Thaw them
3. Put in large nylon bag
4. Put in bottom of ale pail
5. Rack beer on top.

I usually leave them for at least two weeks and then rack to a third (tertiary?) ale pail. The tertiary helps get any blueberry bits out that may have escaped the nylon bag. I think freezing the berries first helps kill some bacteria and helps break the skin of the fruit so the juices get out into the beer. Oh, when I pull the berries out of secondary, I also squeeze the hell out of the bag to get all the juices out (with sanitized hands).

 

[pippyd8]

Also how much blueberry to 5 gallons of beer?? Do you use fresh blueberries??

 

[JBruchwalski]

I know this is way after your post date but I was just visiting my LHBS today to get some ingredients to make a blueberry wheat ale and they suggested adding te blueberry to the primary. I am using 4lbs of frozen blueberries and then waiting until the desired flavor/aroma is where I want it.

Did you happen to brew yours? Did it come out good and how did you utilize your blueberries?


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

 

[comicsandbeer83]

I am actually quite interested in doing a blueberry wheat myself. I planned to use a wheat ale recipe that basically consists of 2 cans of wheat extract and hops, then i wanted to add either blueberries or blueberry extract. which gets a better blueberry taste? and i am still unsure at what point i should add them.

 

[JBruchwalski]

That is exactly what I did for my blueberry wheat. I used 6.6 Lbs of Bavarian wheat and 1 oz hops.

I added 4 Lbs of frozen blueberries to my primary. It is fermenting right now. As far as extract or not I have heard better things about using frozen fruit but I'm not sure. I have only used flavoring a such as peanut butter and chocolate (both turned out horrendous). I will let you know how mine turns out when it's all said and done. Let me know if you brew one and how it turns out!


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

 

[solbes]

I have a blueberry wheat I've made twice. Turned out pretty good.

I like the combo of real blueberries (more authentic taste) and the blueberry extract (adds extra taste and aroma). With just one or the other, I don't like it quite as much.

I add 20 oz package of frozen blueberries to secondary and let it ferment out for another week. I usually pre-heat them to around 155F for 10-15 minutes to mostly sterilize. Boiling them will cause pectin haze so don't do that, though I guess in a wheat it might be okay.

I add around 2 oz of blueberry extract at bottling, but I add it to taste.

 

[typebrad]

I had a blueberry wheat done with 2 oz. of extract put in when yeast pitched and it was DELICIOUS. About to do the same with a Northern Brewer American Wheat kit plus one added lb. of dme to increase abv.


Sent from my iPad using Home Brew

 

[comicsandbeer83]

I had a blueberry wheat done with 2 oz. of extract put in when yeast pitched and it was DELICIOUS. About to do the same with a Northern Brewer American Wheat kit plus one added lb. of dme to increase abv.


Sent from my iPad using Home Brew

So you didn't use any frozen blueberries? Just extract?


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

 

[typebrad]

It was another person's beer I had, and I don't have his recipe. I will be starting mine on Tuesday. He used NO blueberries. Only 2oz. of extract for a 5gal. batch, and I thought it was quite nice. Nice enough to inspire me to do my own. I'm sure you can do better with the real thing. I would never use orange syrup in my IPA, but in this case, like I said, I enjoyed it very much having been made with just extract.

I will be doing the Northern Brewer American Wheat extract kit with an additional pound of wheat DME and 2 ounces of blueberry extract. Hopefully it will be just right for those backyard barbecues with friends.


Sent from my iPad using Home Brew