Mulberry Stout?

[smallsc111]

Hello all,

I was planning on making a Blackberry stout over the summer so it will be good in the fall and a thought occurred to me, I have a mulberry tree that overhangs my yard. Rather than using blackberries use the mulberries. Has anybody tried this? I am a little afraid that it will clash with the stout because they are so much sweeter than blackberries or raspberries.

Thanks for the input,

MC

 

[cervezarara]

I haven't tried this, even though I have a mulberry tree in the front yard. Yes, mulberries are quite sweet when fully ripe, but most of the sugars should ferment out. Blackberries and raspberries are about 4% sugar while mulberries can be between 9-18%. You may want to either pick them a little red, before the sugars have fully developed, or add a little less than the blackberry stout recipe calls for. Or add the same amount! I find that my mulberry pies have a better flavor when I use some of the red berries- they need that tartness. If you go with all black berries, the flavor contribution might be lower than from a similar amount of raspberries.

 

[unionrdr]

I think mulberries would be a great adition to the stout. My wife's mulberry jam tastes like a desert wine. So the right amount woul account for some of the ABV,but that dark sweet flavor might be good in a milk stout.

 

[Zamial]

Yep, I have 2 different mullberry beers under my belt and my mother makes a REALLY great mullberry wine.

Some knowledge: (YMMV)

Mullberries stain EVERYTHING they touch FOREVER. I wrap plastic bags around my shoes (stops walking in the house with juice on the feet and staining floors/carpet) wear gloves as well as old clothes and a hat.

You need about 7 lbs for a 5-6 gallon batch of wine or beer for a VERY present flavor and 1/2 that for a less "berry centric" flavor or in a lighter beer...

Mullberries when fermented taste very similar to wine, IMO VERY merlot-like.

I have done a mullberry stout and it was like a stout with wine in it that had a very muted berry flavor. (This is much how the wine tastes.)
I have also done a mullberry peppercorn bavarian wheat. I like this one the best but the wife perfers the stout. This year I will make another mullberry beer but not a stout or wheat, more like a berry kolsh??? We will see at harvest time...

 

[Yooper]

Zamial, where do you get mulberries? I'd love to get some for wine.

Interestingly enough, we were talking about you today! I'm going to be digging into some of your stouts when we get home from Texas- I've been looking forward to your "cookie" stout.


If I was drinking a mulberry stout, I would be looking for a strong "berry" presence I think. Not necessarily sweet, although some lactose can be added for balance if it's too tart, but with a nice berry presence behind the flavors of the beer.

 

[Zamial]

Zamial, where do you get mulberries? I'd love to get some for wine.

My mom has 1 huge mullberry tree and 3 apple trees on the hobby farm. Mullberry trees can grow all over this area of the US. They are a PITA to pick as described above and you need alot. It takes the wife, mom and myself picking for about an hour to get the 7 lbs. You want the big juicy black berries and not the red or light red ones. The red and light colored berries are pretty bitter.

I am pretty sure I can get some berries for you this year and we can plan a get togeather. I actually plan to enter mom's wine into the Trout Springs wine comp that is comming up. I can get another bottle to share

If I was drinking a mulberry stout, I would be looking for a strong "berry" presence I think. Not necessarily sweet, although some lactose can be added for balance if it's too tart, but with a nice berry presence behind the flavors of the beer.

The flavor of mullberries are very subtle, they are milder than grapes. They almost have no flavor at all. I think this is why when they are fermented they taste so much like wine. The finish is mullberry if you know what you are looking for but there is not much else that can be detected, at least in my dealings with these berries...YMMV

 

[Yooper]

The flavor of mullberries are very subtle, they are milder than grapes. They almost have no flavor at all. I think this is why when they are fermented they taste so much like wine. The finish is mullberry if you know what you are looking for but there is not much else that can be detected, at least in my dealings with these berries...YMMV

Mulberries don't grow where we live- we're too far north, so I don't think I've ever seen them.

Interesting about the "wine" flavor from them- thank you for your input.

(And you should come up to the cottage for a stay, and we could brew!)

 

[smallsc111]

Thanks Zamail that's exactly what I needed to know! Now I have to wait for the mulberries to grow :/ I will post results when it is ready!

 

[Zamial]

I prep mine by a quick soak in water 10 minutes or so should get most of the bugs off, strain as much water off as possible, then put them in a freezer bag, squish them up a bunch and freeze them for a few days. These berries squish REALLY easy so be gentle until they are in the freezer bag. Use extra precautions when handling these like during picking the staining power of these berries is not to be underestimated.

When I want to use them I pull them out and thaw them or add the frozen chunk in at secondary depending how bold I am feeling.

Once you get a recipe/brew post it up I would love to hear how this works for you.

This year I am planning a batch of mom's wine and a mead to see how the mead will compare against the wine. I also think I will do a Kolsh as well but will only use a few pounds due to it being a lighter beer.