Final Prognosis on Blueberry Wheat

[SkewedBrewing]

My blueberry wheat has been in the bottle for about three weeks. I cracked one open after 10 days and it had a leathery taste to it. I thought it would mellow but then 6 days later it still have the same leathery quality. It is now week three and its still an aquired taste to drink. SWMBO has a little knowledge of good beer and she has had a couple blueberry wheats in her day and she didn't like it either. I think it might have gotten contaminated at bottling time.

My recipe was a typical extract Weissbier. After 12 days in the secondary I bottled three gallons and then threw in a little over a lb of blueberries that I pasteurized in a pan got a little while.

Anyone else have this experience with their blueberry? If not what did you experience. If yes, did it ever mellow or is it doomed to be my first bad batch?

 

[homebrewer_99]

Blueberries, like a lot of berries require a long time to mellow out.

Give it another month or so before trying another one.

Make sure you take notes of what you've done and how it tastes. Do the same every time you sample and you'll have a better understanding about what to expect next time.

 

[SkewedBrewing]

Great, thanks a lot!

 

[Chairman Cheyco]

It could be the skins, try peeling them next time

 

[casebrew]

Hey Skew, How are the non-blueberry Weissbiers? OK?

Leather? Oxygenation from stirring in the berries? or wild yeast, it'll mellow, like other yeastiness?

3 weeks won't even get my brews carbed in the winter. I'd wait a looong time before dumping a batch.

 

[david_42]

I would have put the berries in the primary, but I must admit, I've never run across a leathery off-flavor.

Give them more time and be ready for a few bottle bombs. There is a lot of sugar in a pound for berries.

 

[SkewedBrewing]

Hey Skew, How are the non-blueberry Weissbiers? OK?

Leather? Oxygenation from stirring in the berries? or wild yeast, it'll mellow, like other yeastiness?

3 weeks won't even get my brews carbed in the winter. I'd wait a looong time before dumping a batch.

The non-blueberry ones are great. Its been a little more than a month for those guys in the bottle and they are starting to come out nicely. They are a little too malty in comparison to more commercial Weizen but they are still good.

I think the oxygenation occured at racking, the blueberries kept on clogging the racking tube and I had to stop every 15 seconds or so to unclog it.