Raspberry Extract Q's...

[ViperMan]

Hey all,

I tried a Shock-Top Raspberry Wheat Ale last night at a local beer-shop in Pittsburgh, and was AMAZED at just how good and clean it tasted. I'm not a huge Raspberry fan, but the wife is, and I'm thinking this would DEFINITELY make her a home-brewing fan.

I see where I can get a 4oz bottle of Raspberry extract from my local brew shop, and wheat beers seem pretty easy to make. I'm just wondering if there's some other tips/tricks I should look into - like using real fruit perhaps - and if anyone can give any insight as to whether 4 oz of extract is too much or two little (the local brew shop says to use 4-5 oz's for 5 gallons of beer on their website.)

Thanks!

 

[BDB]

Hey all,

I tried a Shock-Top Raspberry Wheat Ale last night at a local beer-shop in Pittsburgh, and was AMAZED at just how good and clean it tasted. I'm not a huge Raspberry fan, but the wife is, and I'm thinking this would DEFINITELY make her a home-brewing fan.

I see where I can get a 4oz bottle of Raspberry extract from my local brew shop, and wheat beers seem pretty easy to make. I'm just wondering if there's some other tips/tricks I should look into - like using real fruit perhaps - and if anyone can give any insight as to whether 4 oz of extract is too much or two little (the local brew shop says to use 4-5 oz's for 5 gallons of beer on their website.)

Thanks!

IMO real fruit seems to be better. A lot of those 4oz additives have a very artificial taste to me.

 

[CrookedTail]

IMO real fruit seems to be better. A lot of those 4oz additives have a very artificial taste to me.

Agreed. A friend of mine brewed Northern Brewer's raspberry hefeweizen kit, and the I thought it had a very artificial taste to it that I didn't like at all.

Stay away from the fruit extracts.

 

[BDB]

Try adding a can of Oregon Fruit Puree around day 3-4 in the primary.

 

[doctorRobert]

Ive had good experiences with midwest supplies raspberry wheat. Its more of a german style wheat, but if that can be changed easily by using a different yeast.

The raspberry was very subtle, and did not taste artificial. My friends and I are generally not fans of fruit beers, however, this was very good with only a hint of raspberry.

 

[ViperMan]

Agreed. A friend of mine brewed Northern Brewer's raspberry hefeweizen kit, and the I thought it had a very artificial taste to it that I didn't like at all.

Stay away from the fruit extracts.

Sounds fair. So the remaining question is how much raspberry do you think would be "too much" and when should I add it to the brew?

My guess would be "about 1 raspberry per bottle" - I want a "strong hint" of raspberry... And I'd guess maybe on day 3 of fermentation, in the primary.

Thoughts? This probably belongs in the "fruit beer" section now...

 

[kgraber]

I just did a Raspberry Wheat using the Oregon Puree. I did 2 cans in the primary and it is way too much Raspberry. I would recommend one can in Secondary for a week.

 

[Dome555]

I used what I'm betting is the same 4 oz container. It was WAY too much raspberry. I wasn't surprised when I thought so but when smirnoff drinking friends of mine agreed I vowed never again to use a fruit extract. Ruined what very well may have been a nice wheat beer, although it might have been horrible anyway, no way to tell when all one can taste is raspberry.

 

[CrookedTail]

Sounds fair. So the remaining question is how much raspberry do you think would be "too much" and when should I add it to the brew?

My guess would be "about 1 raspberry per bottle" - I want a "strong hint" of raspberry... And I'd guess maybe on day 3 of fermentation, in the primary.

Thoughts? This probably belongs in the "fruit beer" section now...

You can use a can of puree, or buy some fresh raspberries and puree them yourself before adding it.

Also I wouldn't add them to a carboy. That'll be a pain in the butt to clean.

 

[doctorRobert]

I used what I'm betting is the same 4 oz container. It was WAY too much raspberry. I wasn't surprised when I thought so but when smirnoff drinking friends of mine agreed I vowed never again to use a fruit extract. Ruined what very well may have been a nice wheat beer, although it might have been horrible anyway, no way to tell when all one can taste is raspberry.

That's interesting because in my beer most couldn't even tell there was raspberry, just a slight berry flavor. Maybe the esters from my yeast overpowered it? It must have been something because there was way less fruit flavor than any commercial fruit beer I've ever had.

 

[wolverinebrewer]

Sounds fair. So the remaining question is how much raspberry do you think would be "too much" and when should I add it to the brew?

My guess would be "about 1 raspberry per bottle" - I want a "strong hint" of raspberry... And I'd guess maybe on day 3 of fermentation, in the primary.

Thoughts? This probably belongs in the "fruit beer" section now...

4 lbs. whole frozen in a 5 gal. batch. Rack on top in a carboy at day 21 and leave til day 28 and bottle. FWIW, I have not done this with a wheat beer. I only have used raspberries in a red ale and 3 lbs strawberries in a blond ale but they were damn good for a fruit beer. Both were very crisp and clear with a decent flavor. The raspberry was a good hit with the female crowd and it scored a decent 32 at the 2011 WEB.

If you are looking for for more flavor, I might up the fruit at least a lb. or two but 4 lbs. gave a really good aroma.
Here is a thread that helped me out when I was on the frence about fruit.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f75/requiem-raspberry-56285/

 

[doctorRobert]

Randy mosher reccomends 0.25 to 3 pounds of raspberrys per gallon. High acidic beer will make the flavor more powerfull.

 

[mfraier]

I would use realy fruit. If you do use the extract make sure you are using about half and letting the beer age in the bottle for a couple months.

 

[Dome555]

That's interesting because in my beer most couldn't even tell there was raspberry, just a slight berry flavor. Maybe the esters from my yeast overpowered it? It must have been something because there was way less fruit flavor than any commercial fruit beer I've ever had.

What type of yeast did you use? I used safale us05. Now I'm curious if many other people ended up with too much or too little flavor out of a fruit extract. Are some concentrates more concentrated or less concentrated than other concentrates?

 

[mewithstewpid]

I just did a rasp wheat for my girlfriend, who really liked SeaDog raspberry wheat. She wanted a lot of raspberry flavor, so i used 8oz extract at bottling. I have used extract a few times before. If you want the flavor to be up front, use 8 oz. if you want a subtle background flavor and subtle aroma, use 4 oz.

 

[BDB]

I just did a rasp wheat for my girlfriend, who really liked SeaDog raspberry wheat. She wanted a lot of raspberry flavor, so i used 8oz extract at bottling. I have used extract a few times before. If you want the flavor to be up front, use 8 oz. if you want a subtle background flavor and subtle aroma, use 4 oz.

I'm sorry but IMO that just sounds horrible. I couldn't imagine what doubling the recommended amount of artificial fruit additives would taste like. My taste buds pick up that artificial twang taste easily. I think sticking to Oregon puree or frozen fruit is best.

Can I suggest adding a can of Raspberry Puree 3-4 days into primary fermentation. If it's still not enough flavor and aroma after primary fermentation is complete, rack into secondary with some real fruit.

Once again, Just my opinion.

 

[itzkramer]

I did the raspberry red ale from Midwest with the 4oz extract. Awful. I only used 3 1/2oz and it still tasted extremely "fake." Go with real fruit.

 

[ReefkprZ]

I did a raspberry hefe with the extract flavor and I used 4 0z of crosby and baker raspberry extract on a 5 gallon batch. According to their directions they want you to use 6-7 oz on 5 gallons. I am glad I didn't use all 6-7. it came out just right. the raspberry aroma was great with-out the over punch of sickeningly fruity. it was a hit with the local home brew club.

 

[ViperMan]

My only fear with using a bunch of real raspberries - especially if I puree them before hand - is the fact that it'll probably make my beer PINK. I really liked the Raspberry Wheat Ale I tried at the bar because it was still that bright, golden wheat color - I think it actually allowed the raspberry to sneak up on you.

On the flip side, as an avid home-chef, I would certainly choose real fruit over "artificial" any day. I just wonder if there might be a better extract to use - something that's truly "extract," and not just artificial flavoring.

 

[mewithstewpid]

I'm sorry but IMO that just sounds horrible. I couldn't imagine what doubling the recommended amount of artificial fruit additives would taste like. My taste buds pick up that artificial twang taste easily. I think sticking to Oregon puree or frozen fruit is best.

Can I suggest adding a can of Raspberry Puree 3-4 days into primary fermentation. If it's still not enough flavor and aroma after primary fermentation is complete, rack into secondary with some real fruit.

Once again, Just my opinion.

yeah. for me it is too fruity. But the girlfriend wanted it that way. I used basically the same wheat recipie, but used 4oz apple extract. I liked the apple aroma and subtle flavor that gave, but she wanted more fruit flavoring.

I have also done a can of oregon puree in the secondary, and did not notice much fuit at all.

 

[JJL]

I've used the fruit extracts a couple of times on wheat beers. I've never liked them. The extracts always taste artificial to me. If you want to use them I'd recommend 1-2 oz max added into your bottling bucket.

 

[mewithstewpid]

when you guys have used the puree in the secondary, do you mix it in, or simply rack on top of it.

Also, when bottling, do u agitate to get some of the puree in the bottle?

Abita rasp wheat, although i really hate that beer, says that they add rasp puree at bottling.