wheat fruit beer turned out AWESOME!

[dorno_b]

I posted a thread a couple weeks ago. Cause i ddint think it was gonna turn out well. and i was pretty concerned about it. just to let you guys know who commented on that thread.......

 

[Olddog]

Way to go!

 

[Broadbeer]

Good to know I have one in the secondary right now. Did you use an extract or fresh fruit?

 

[dorno_b]

I used Dole Frozen Mixed Berries. just thawed them out and threw them in....
But i have heard from others that u should prolly boil the fruit to kill any thing that might be in it. I didnt, and mine turned out pretty good. but i prolly will next time.

 

[sfrice80]

So is it just a mixed berry wheat beer? How long did you let them sit in the secondary and how is the taste? Is it really noticeable or just like an aftertaste? How's the color? How's head retention? Sorry for all the questions, I'm about a week away from brewing a blueberry wheat and really want it to turn out awesome.

 

[Broadbeer]

Glad it turned out well. I heard the same about the boiling. I boiled some raz but I wonder if that takes the fresh taste out of the berries or produces off flavors. Guess I'll find out!

 

[pr0cess]

My fruit beer experience;

A few weeks ago I got a couple (4ish) pounds of rapidly aging pears from work and was going to make some ginger-pear jelly. My weekend turned hectic and I couldn't fit it in, so I froze the pears and decided to try a random fruit beer later in the week.

I boiled about 5 inches of freshly grated ginger from almost the start hoping to mild it down a little, and threw in the pears just after flame out. The beer smelled great all during fermentation, but upon trying some recently the ginger is WAY too strong and the pear is all in the nose, if you are lookng for it you can taste some fruitiness. I have only conditioned for a week and decided to move the bottles to the back of the closet to see how it ages for a month or more.

Next time I do it I will try throwing the pears in the secondary to bring a stronger flavor out and I will cut the ginger in half.

-dylan.

 

[TowsonTiger22]

I've got a raspberry/blackberry weiss in secondary. I used three pounds of fresh berries for each type, then pureed. The damn yeast went ballistic when it got ahold of the fruit. It's got a really good color so far, and gonna pull a sample this weekend to check for taste.

 

[Dr_Gordon_Freeman]

Yeah, that is WAY too much ginger. I'm brewing a belgian golden strong (~9%ABV) and the recipe only called for a grated piece of ginger about the size of a quarter by about 1" long.

I boiled about 5 inches of freshly grated ginger from almost the start hoping to mild it down a little, and threw in the pears just after flame out. The beer smelled great all during fermentation, but upon trying some recently the ginger is WAY too strong and the pear is all in the nose, if you are lookng for it you can taste some fruitiness. I have only conditioned for a week and decided to move the bottles to the back of the closet to see how it ages for a month or more.

 

[BrewsCampbell]

As a note, when using fresh (or I suppose fresh-ish) fruit in a beer extra aging may be required, we're talking months, not weeks.

Personal case-in-point. I brewed a triple-berry (razz, blue, black) wheat last summer with about eight pounds of fresh berries.

I made a simple wheat mini-mash beer, fermented it and racked on top of the berries.

I smooshed my berries a day prior with a smidge of honey and added two crushed campden tablets. The idea of boiling the fruit didn't sit right with me.

The beer had a beautiful dark red color with a heavenly aroma.

I let it sit about two months on those berries. Scary things happened inside there, creepy white brain matter like chunks formed. I feared for its taste.

I racked from under the abomination (which ended up smelling and tasting (eww, yes, i ate some) fine) and bottled.

After a month in bottle I was less than enamored with this beer. It was ok, but not great. I gave two gallons worth away to a friend who loved it.

Two months ago (this beer sitting in bottles for about eight months now) I pulled a bottle just for fun and chilled it. It was amazing, it had become everything I wanted it to be.

For scat and laughs I entered it into a contest, for a review. It took its category and now I have a friend who got two gallons of award-winning beer for xmas.

Moral of the story, never give up, and age fresh fruit beers.

 

[dorno_b]

So is it just a mixed berry wheat beer? How long did you let them sit in the secondary and how is the taste? Is it really noticeable or just like an aftertaste? How's the color? How's head retention? Sorry for all the questions, I'm about a week away from brewing a blueberry wheat and really want it to turn out awesome.

yeah its a mixed berry wheat beer. I put about 2lbs in the primary for a week then when i transferred into secondary i threw another pound in. then let sit for another week then bottled. Its only been sitting for a little over a week in the bottle. so the carb isnt completely there yet. so the head question i cant answear. just a heads up........dont get scared if you see a nasty looking film on the top of the beer in the fermenters. Mine looked pretty bad. but it turned out. cheers!

 

[Gman2]

I have a batch of mixed berry wheat in the second. There are about 4lbs with the beer racked on top. It has been in the second for about 2 weeks. Tasted it yesterday and it was still a little tart, but the SWMBO said it tasted like great fruit beer. I will probably bottle it next week (give it a few more days to clear). Will let you know if mine turns out as good.

Thanks for the follow up! It is always reassuring when someone else has a similar beer that turns out well!