Any season is great to brew fruit beers which are especially popular as the days warm up. We try to brew and hold a special beer usually using berries that tend to impart delicious flavor profiles. Blackberries fit the bill as they contribute decent color and tastes that are unique and drinkable delighting people that don’t even drink beer.
The base for this beer is a wheat ale which is neutral and light and it will highlight the fruit used. After 8 days in the primary prepare the berries as directed and pour into a clean fermenter with extra headspace to accommodate the added fermentation. Rack primary onto fruit juice and let sit for at least 2 weeks or when fermentation is complete. Rack to a third fermenter avoiding any sediment. Let it sit for a few days to condition then cold crash for a few weeks to clear.
Blackberry Wheat Ale 5 + G. net
6 # Briess Brewers malt
4 # Briess White Wheat malt
.5 oz Northern Brewer pellets 9.8% AA
6 # Frozen Blackberries – thawed
Mash 3.5 G. Adjusted water at 168 °F in tun add grains to 156 °F
75 min. rest or until Iodine test OK
2 Gal. water added @ 170°F rest 5 min.
Sparge continuous 3.25 G. water
Boil 60 min.
Hops First addition .25 oz. N Brewer first wort
Second .25 oz. N Brewer @ 15 min.
O.G. 1.050 Adjusted w/ berries 1.053 F.G. 1.006 18 IBU’s
Rest 5 min.-chill to fermenter-oxygenate Pitch @ 64 °F
Yeast Wyeast 1010 American Wheat Ale
Ferment @ 64 °F
Blackberries 4 pints water @ 155°F to smashed berries to release seeds
Heat to 140 °F Strain and cool juice to 64 °F yields about 84 oz. juice
Rack to Secondary on top of juice
yield 5.75 G.
Rack to 3° __________________________________________________
Cold crash _________________________________________________
Keg ______
Notes ______________________________________________________