To add something or not

[usmcryguy]

I am brewing a Christmas Ale and a friend who is a home brewer suggested that I add some raspberries (about 15 muddled in vodka) to a secondary fermentation. I am fermenting in the primary for around 4 weeks but was thinking about doing the secondary for the last week or two with the raspberries. I need help!
Here's my recipe;

3 lbs amber extract
3 lbs extra light extract
1 lbs carmel/crystal malt
2 oz Pearle hops
0.25 tsp (each) cloves, ginger, all spice, cinnamon, and nutmeg
0.25 lb honey
2 whole orange peels, one use during steeping
4 tsp vanilla
2 packages of dry ale (windsor) yeast

 

[shanecb]

Just 15 raspberries? It will hardly come through, especially with all of the spices. If you want some raspberry character, you'll definitely have to bump up the amount.

That recipe looks tasty, by the way.

 

[bcgpete]

I agree with shane. I made a strawberry beer and added 6lbs of strawberries into a 5 gal batch. It was fairly subtle, and I had hardly any hops and no extra flavors (it was for a girl).

 

[usmcryguy]

Perhaps use around 5 lbs of raspberries or no raspberries at all?

 

[bcgpete]

That was my only fruit beer. But since you've got all those spices, 4-5lbs might be a good amount. You could always split it up and only add some berries to part of it just to try it out.

 

[Homercidal]

Don't fruit the beer! <manlaw>

 

[DrinkNoH2O]

Looks like you already have a spiced holiday ale going on there with an above average amount of flavor additions. I wouldn't convolute it further by adding fruit.

Maybe for your next patch you could make a nice pale ale and add some raspberries but I agree with those above - you'll need several pounds, not just 15 or so berries. Fruit is highly fermentable and doesn't leave too too much character behind so you'll need to use a large quantity.

 

[shanecb]

If you do decide to go with raspberry, ~5lb sounds about right to me.

 

[usmcryguy]

Thanks much to everyone who weighed in on this. I think I'll just leave it alone and add fruit to some other batch some other time.

 

[mikeysab]

If you use the raspberries, you can tie them up in your panties and throw that in the fermenter. Just kidding. Yeah, skip them if that's all you have, or better yet, throw them in a one gallon bottle of apple juice with some brown sugar, and yeast and make a raspberry cider