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Berry Wheat
It's that time of the year again. The wild black raspberries are ripening, and I'm planning Raspberry Wheat.
I haven't done one in quite a while, in fact, since I started kegging.
Previously I pasteurized the berries and put them in a mesh bag in secondary for one or two weeks.
Since I'm not bottling, I'm not using a secondary much anymore.
So, my thoughts are-
Pasteurize and add-
1. During the boil - don't really want to due to pectin haze and aroma boil off .
2. At flameout and strain out with the hops after the wort has cooled- but is that enough time to get full fruit flavor? I cool my wort in a sink with ice, takes about 2 hrs.
3. In a mesh bag, to the primary at the beginning of fermentation- will the fermentation blow off too much aroma?
4. In a mesh bag, to the primary after fermentation has slowed, say 7 days, again is that enough time?
Advice, comments, other ideas?
I would go with the primary after 7 days of ferment. Won't get the aroma/ flavor loss of boil or active ferment. I would expect the ferment to start up again a bit as the yeast gets at the sugar in the fruit, but it shouldn't be enough to drive off as much of the good stuff as the full ferment. Just what I would do.
ID
I picked about a pound of berries yesterday. They are no where near to finished ripening.
So, I think I'm going to try additions at both flameout and 7 days.
We'll see how that works out.
+1 to #4
Hey there Brewski,
I have not made a raspbeery wheat yet. I have a large raspberry bramble that produces the tastiest berries so I'm going to do one this summer. I've asked around A LOT and I've been repeatedly told to do #4 or to put into the secondary (which seems to me about the same thing). So that's what I'm planning on doing.
For a 5 gal batch how many lbs of berries would you use?
3-6 lbs. should work. Raspberries are pretty tart and very flavorful so I would go on the low end unless you want cheer leader beer
I would go on the low end unless you want cheer leader beer
I say if it will attract cheerleaders, go for it!
Sounds like a good name for a Fruit Wheat. Cheerleader Beer.
I'm gonna go pick me a mess of berries.
Ok, back on subject-
I kinda screwed up, was planning to pasteurize, walked out of the room, got distracted, they boiled, but not very long, maybe 1-2 minutes.
1-1/2# in at flameout, into the ice water bath for 2 hours, strained out the berries & hops.
5.5 gal, SG 1.052.
Definitively not enough berries, need to pick another 4 pounds.
FYI, those disposable nitrile gloves are handy whilst picking berries.
Question- Since the fermentation is mostly done at 7days, so plenty of alcohol present, do you think it's necessary to pasteurize? Or, just wash real well. Trying to avoid adding any more water to the fermenter.
Update-
7 days later.
Fermentation has slowed, almost no activity in the airlock.
Picked 2-3/4# of berries this morning.
Suspended in a mesh bag in the fermenter. Think I'll just kinda forget about it for a while.
Maybe leave them in there for a month or so.
What da ya think?
Brewski - I was wondering how this turned out. I haven't brewed a fruit beer yet, but am planning for next year. Haven't brewed a wheat either(Unless you count the Belgian Blonde Catastrophe, which had wheat DME in it. I just finished one, and am actually getting quite fond of it. Working on a New Belgium Hoptober now. Seems kind of tame compared to my Rye IPA. And I didn't used to like hoppy beers. Silly me.) . Was the base beer a standard American wheat, pretty much equal parts wheat and two row malt? What yeast do you like for a wheat beer?
Sorry for all the questions, but inquiring minds want to know........
Or at least one inquiring mind.
Thanks in advance.
What made you decide on a wheat to add the berries to? I have had about a pound of mulberries frozen since summer and I want to use them in something. I just don't know what would be a good style to add them to.
For the most part, I think people use wheats or blondes as a base for fruit beers because for the most part they are pretty clean, straightforward beers that will let the flavor of the fruit come through without clashing with other flavors in the beer.
At least that is my thinking. Of course I may be wrong. Hell, I can't even keep track of who comes up with which recipes around here 
Hey rural,
Missed your post. I was up in a tree with a bow all weekend.
The recipe I used will answer a lot of these questions-
4 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) 47.1 %
3 lbs White Wheat Malt (2.4 SRM) 35.3 %
8.0 oz Wheat, Flaked (1.6 SRM) 5.9 %
1.00 oz Sterling [5.70 %] - Boil 60.0 min 17.2IBUs
0.30 oz Sterling [5.70 %] - Boil 30.0 min 4.0 IBUs
1 lbs Honey Boil 10.0 mins 11.8%
1.00 tsp Irish Moss (Boil 10.0 mins) Fining
1.50 lb Wild Blackberries (Flameout-cool ) Flavor
1.0 pkg Safale American Ale (DCL Yeast #US-05) Yeast
2.75 lb Wild Blackberries (Primary @ 7.0 days) Flavor
Mash Schedule: Papazin 4 Step
Total Grain Weight: 8 lbs 8.0 oz
----------------------------
Name Description Step Temperat Step Time
Step 1 Add 9.38 qt of water at 127.0 F 120.0 F 45 min
Step 2 Heat to 150.0 F over 10 min 150.0 F 30 min
Step 3 Heat to 158.0 F over 5 min 158.0 F 30 min
Step 4 Heat to 168.0 F over 5 min 168.0 F 10 min
Sparge: Batch sparge with 2 steps
I sent a bottle to thirsty in the swap.
I thought it was pretty good, but he has a much more trained/refined palate than I do.
Here's what he reported-
"Raspberry Wheat
Aroma- A soft bready upfront, with a hint of fresh berry. As it warms, the raspberry becomes more dominant and upfront. Very clean and no real hop aroma.
Appearance- A beautiful dark red purple that sparkles, a nice thick bright white head, very framboise looking.
Flavor- Once again an excellent balance struck, and a very clean note of wheat, then a perfectly blanced sweet raspberry on the palate, but dries up qickly without being too tart or sour. A full dose of fruit, full on flavor. No diacytel or off flavors.
Mouthfeel- Crisp and clean with a medium body that is pleasant to drink, no alcohol warmth, and no astringency.
Overall- Very very nice drinking beer. Very similar to a good framboise without the sourness. Well crafted and no flaws. Very inspiring to brew one of these myself next spring. "
So, I guess that means he thought it was pretty good, too.
Read more: http://www.brewingkb.com/message_list.p … z1b8v06bql
If you were short on the berries you needed and you cant buy them in the store. They just grow wild and you picked them. Would you wait and pick more, or put them in secondary instead of the end of boil and primary?
Brewski - This looks like a very nice recipe, and from the sound of it your beer turned out better than "pretty good".
I've never done a step mash, guess I will have to figure out a process that will work with my equipment. From what I understand wheat beers are a style that can really benefit from this technique. Now all I have to do is find a blackberrry bramble.
I was talking to a guy at work the other night. He said he was out on his stand over the weekend, it was starting to get dark and he was about to call it quits for the day when he had a flying squirrel land on him. He said he didn't know who was more startled, him or the squirrel.
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