Fruit Beer McMenamin's Ruby

[spiffcow]

Having brewed two batches of Ruby at one of the McMenamins breweries, I can say for certain that the beer is racked on top of the raspberry puree, the fruit does not get put in the boil. They use the aseptic Red Raspberry puree from Oregon Fruit (available to homebrewers here). The mash bill is 2-row, wheat, and a little bit of crystal - I don't remember the exact proportions. IIRC, there's only a bittering hop addition (the previously-mentioned Chinooks, which seems to be the universal bittering hop for most of the McMenamins beers). A single-infusion mash - 150F, recirculated for 40min before pumping over to the brew kettle for the 60-min boil.

Oh, and it's a lot of work! While the pump over to the kettle is happening, you're kegging another beer to make room in the fermenter for the new batch, and cleaning the fermenter, and getting ready to wash returned kegs... it makes me tired again just thinking about it!

Any clue on the proportion for the puree?

 

[AgentHubcap]

I tried making this and it came out waaaay too tart. I also subbed fuggles and Willamette hops, and found them a bit too floral.

 

[archer75]

I brewed this last week, this week I transferred to a secondary. I'll bottle next week. If it comes out close to a ruby i'll go ahead and post the recipe.

 

[spmckee]

Well here's confirmation as to the puree and malts (here):

RUBY'S CURRENT RECIPE
Malts: Great Western Premium 2-row Malt
Hops: Vary
Fruit: Oregon Fruit Product Aseptic Raspberry Puree
Yeast: Proprietary McMenamins Strain
Alcohol by Volume: 4.39%

 

[daenja]

The tartness should fade with time.

I've had great success using fresh berries that I've frozen, then thawed, smashed and put right into my hop bag to catch all the plant matter and seeds. I put the berries in at flame out. My wife's favorite beer used to be the real Ruby, now she prefers mine! It's got more berry flavor and a nicer pink color too.

My recipe can be found here: http://hopville.com/recipe/637894/home-brew/ruby-clone-ag

Sub any hop and readjust to get around 15 IBUs. I usually just use what I have on hand at the time.

 

[AgentHubcap]

here's the recipe that I used: http://hopville.com/recipe/1268190/fruit-beer-recipes/aunt-flos-raspberry-ale

 

[f0xtr0t]

I've done two batches of this beer during this year.
I did them both with frozen raspberries from wally world.
First was 8lb 2 row, 2 lb red wheat with 1099 whitbread yeast mash @ 148
1/2 oz of chinook @ 60 min
12 oz raspberries @ 15
1 lb lactose @ 15
then 48 oz raspberries in secondary

This was very light and thin bodied, very refreshing, my wife loved it I thought I was copying Mikes hard lemonade or something. (not really but I like hop bombs or roasty stouts and dopplebocks)

The second Mashed 154
8 lbs 2 row, 3 lbs red wheat, 1/2 lb crystal 75
1/2 oz chinook @ 60
1/2 oz chinook @ 30
1 lb Light DME @ 15
12 oz raspberries @ 5 mins
1 lb lactose @ 15
1099 whitbread

48 raspberries in secondary

This beer is more beer like. Its a little hot from alcohol. Its got body. Although the chinook takes a little from the raspberries. I should have done maybe a 1/2 oz at 15 mins and dropped the 30 min addition.

The first batch was like someone dropped a little beer in raspberry juice. The second actually tastes like a beer with raspberries peeking in from the back.

 

[FuzzeWuzze]

It should also be noted that according to this website from 2011 that they only use 42# of Oregon Fruit Raspberry Puree for 210 gallons. If you do the math that comes out to only 1# of Puree for 5 gallons, so i think a lot of people are over fruiting their recipes.

http://www.mcmenamins.com/blog/2011/3/18/75-Happy-Birthday-Ruby-Ale

This makes sense because Oregon fruit sells Aseptic fruit thats specially pasturized and deseeded to breweries in 42# box's.
https://www.fruitforbrewing.com/