Raspberry Ale Recipe

[Insight]

Citric acid should be added at bottling time. Drain yourself off 3 x 100ml samples to start. Try them au naturale, and then with increasing levels of acid blend. You'll know when you get it right. Scale it up and then dose the whole batch with 70% of the acid...sample, then add 10% more, sample, 10% more etc. Remember you can't take the acid out! Then keg as normal, or mix in your priming sugar and bottle.

I wouldn't use 2 hopped extract kits. You want really low bitterness in a fruit beer. According to the link below the Canadian Blonde and the Bavarian Lager are both 21 IBUs, so using 2 kits gets you in the 42 IBU range - way too high. I'd be using one kit and a can of unhopped Light Malt Extract (LME).
http://www.homebrewers.com/product/1366/.html

10% crystal works out at about 380g if you use 3.4kg extracts. Hope this helps, and good luck!

 

[Lukes]

Just a few questions following the above hints (please forgive me as i am new to brewing)

1) Insight mentioned flabby taste and the addition of citric acid... I think i understand the idea of a "flabby" raspberry taste, so when do you put citric acid in? do you add it directly to the fermenter? or into the finished beer? the latter seems like an odd proposition in terms of serving, and i am not sure of the effects of added citric acid in the secondary...

Also, this is a bit of a noobish question, regarding Lukes comments above, how much would 10% crystal be? I am planning to use two cans of Coopers Blonde extract (i think this has been confirmed as an ok starting place from the above comments in terms of a "base beer"), so that would be a bout 3.4 kg of extract - does this mean i should think about using around 340 g of crystal grain???? or 10% of the total volume of beer? or is 10% the type of crystal? or what?????
O and another thing, is there any way to find out the IBU in a tin of extract?
Thanks again for all the advice

I add approx 10% to the base grain recipe thru trial and error but this would not be gospel for cans.
I haven't made a can one but I am sure someone here has done it.
Try it and if it's a bit too sweet cut it back on the next one.
Fruit beers are fun as they have such a wide scope.
The last fruit beer I made was only about 15 IBU and only Wheat 40% and Pills 60% + the light crystal and 1 & 1/2 kg of frozen backyard berries.

- Luke

 

[Steve]

After being inspired by this thread and Ross adding a banana to a wheat ive decided my next brew is going to be a raspbanana wheat. Banana in the boil in the last 10 mins, brewed with WB06, 1.5 kilos frozen raspberrys in seconday. Can you get bags of frozen raspberrys in woolies etc?
Cheers
Steve

 

[Cracka]

I've done a raspberry & also a mulberry beer before. IMHO go the mulberry. :icon_drool2:

 

[bconnery]

After being inspired by this thread and Ross adding a banana to a wheat ive decided my next brew is going to be a raspbanana wheat. Banana in the boil in the last 10 mins, brewed with WB06, 1.5 kilos frozen raspberrys in seconday. Can you get bags of frozen raspberrys in woolies etc?
Cheers
Steve

You can indeed Steve. That's where I got mine from...
They aren't that cheap. I got mine on special...
They have various sorts of fruits, rasberries, mixed berries etc.
"Gourmet "something or other is the name of the brand....

 

[Steve]

You can indeed Steve. That's where I got mine from...
They aren't that cheap. I got mine on special...
They have various sorts of fruits, rasberries, mixed berries etc.
"Gourmet "something or other is the name of the brand....

cheers bc

 

[petesbrew]

I add approx 10% to the base grain recipe thru trial and error but this would not be gospel for cans.
I haven't made a can one but I am sure someone here has done it.
Try it and if it's a bit too sweet cut it back on the next one.
Fruit beers are fun as they have such a wide scope.
The last fruit beer I made was only about 15 IBU and only Wheat 40% and Pills 60% + the light crystal and 1 & 1/2 kg of frozen backyard berries.

View attachment 17579
- Luke

the beer & berries look great Lukes!

 

[Lukes]

This beer is popular with the ladies and my mum even has one every now and then with a dash of soda water.

It's just at the end of the season so you can still get them fairly cheap.
I saw some punnet's for 50 cents each the other day at the fruit and veg market.
The frozen packs from the supermarket are great but are quite expensive as SWMBO buys them for muffins.
Remember too mash (potato style) or puree them to get all the sugars out.
& post some picks of fluffy pink beer.

- Luke

 

[Steve]

Remember too mash (potato style) or puree them to get all the sugars out.
& post some picks of fluffy pink beer.

- Luke

So... buy bag(s) of frozen raspberrys from woolies. Let them defrost day or so before racking to 2ndary. Mash or puree and pour in gloop into 2ndary and rack on top?

 

[petesbrew]

& post some picks of fluffy pink beer.

- Luke

Here you go, Lukes
Looking at it has made me add it to my To-Brew list again.

 

[Lukes]

Yep.
& let ferment out.
A raspbanana wheat should be a interesting drop.

 

[petesbrew]

I did a Rasberry wheat a while back using the wb06 and Tettnang hops. It was an all grain. I racked 18 litres of wort that had been fermenting for three days over 1 1/2 kilos of just thawed frozen rasberries. Left it until fermentation stopped and let it settle a little longer and kegged it off. Good rasberry nose, great colour and a lovely fruity and slightly tart taste - very refreshing and very drinkable. The alc was 4.3%

I would suggest using 2 Coopers Wheat beer cans with the wb06 and not more then 2 kilos of frozen rasberries.

edit: spelling

What about that peach ale you did, Merc? Any plans to release it again?

 

[macron1]

Just to follow up on this slightly aging thread...

my "base" beer (1x Coopers Blonde extract + 1 kg light DME + 10% crystal stuff) was racked onto 2 kg of mashed frozen raspberries last night after the beer had had 7 days in the primary. The o.g. was 1.046, and this had fallen to 1.011 by the time i had racked. I re-did the gravity after racking and it was still 1.011 - should this have gone up a little due to the sugar in the raspberries? the beer already had a nice pinkish hue & raspberry tinge but little berry aroma.

also, a few references are made above to letting the beer "ferment out" once it is racked on to the berries - what exactly is meant by this & how do i know that it has fermented out (other than the obvious bubbling - i am awear this is no way to determine the end of fermentation)? i assume this just means a steady gravity reading over a couple of days, however given the gravity was the same before and after racking onto the berries i am unsure how i will determine this - apparently it is already steady but there is sugar for the ferment in the berries. maybe this needs time to diffuse or something?

finally, i was considering leaving the beer on the berries for two weeks then racking again - any thoughts on this strategy? more/less time in contact w the fruit etc?

Cheers & thanks again for the advice.

 

[kook]

I have a witbier in primary at the moment. I plan to rack 20L worth of this on top of 3kg of frozen raspberries once it reaches terminal gravity. Intend on leaving that for 2-3 weeks to ferment out then racking to a keg.

Will report back with feedback once I've done it

 

[sah]

Just to follow up on this slightly aging thread...

my "base" beer (1x Coopers Blonde extract + 1 kg light DME + 10% crystal stuff) was racked onto 2 kg of mashed frozen raspberries last night after the beer had had 7 days in the primary. The o.g. was 1.046, and this had fallen to 1.011 by the time i had racked. I re-did the gravity after racking and it was still 1.011 - should this have gone up a little due to the sugar in the raspberries? the beer already had a nice pinkish hue & raspberry tinge but little berry aroma.

also, a few references are made above to letting the beer "ferment out" once it is racked on to the berries - what exactly is meant by this & how do i know that it has fermented out (other than the obvious bubbling - i am awear this is no way to determine the end of fermentation)? i assume this just means a steady gravity reading over a couple of days, however given the gravity was the same before and after racking onto the berries i am unsure how i will determine this - apparently it is already steady but there is sugar for the ferment in the berries. maybe this needs time to diffuse or something?

finally, i was considering leaving the beer on the berries for two weeks then racking again - any thoughts on this strategy? more/less time in contact w the fruit etc?

Cheers & thanks again for the advice.

Hi Macron,

You've answered your first couple of questions.

Ferment out means a steady gravity reading at a level close to or below what you were expecting for final gravity.

The sugars in the berries will take time to diffuse into the beer don't fear there.

If you don't want chunky bits you may have to rack again depending on what your options are. For example if you are going to keg you could consider dropping the temperature down low (<5C) and then siphoning from the top of the fermenter. You be the judge, if it looks clear enough for you liking go with it.

regards,
Scott

 

[Kai]

I'd love to try a glass of that when it's done, kook

 

[Airgead]

Folks

If you are in Sydney and looking for a good source of frozen berries (rasberries included) try frozberries (http://www.frozberries.com.au) (no affiliation etc etc). I use them all the time. A 1kg bag or broken rasberries is about $7 which is much better value than woolies (I think they are around $7 for 250g). They are up in Hornsby and don't deliver in less than industrial quantities (30kg) so unless someone wants to arrange a bulk buy you will have to drop in in person. If you are too far away, I live just around the corner and tend to drop in every month or so for icecream making supplies so if you need some, drop me a PM and maybe I can pick it up on my next visit and send it on to you.

Cheers
Dave

 

[macron1]

...

A 1kg bag or broken rasberries is about $7

...

O man, i paid like $28 for 2 kg from Coles ($13.95 a kg i think they were)!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[petesbrew]

Airgead, youre a legend.
I'll be interested in joining a bulk buy for some frozen raspberries. 2kg worth (or 3kg if we need to bring up numbers).
No rush, so if others add their names I reckon we can sort something out.

Cheers,
Pete

 

[the_fuzz]

Airgead, youre a legend.
I'll be interested in joining a bulk buy for some frozen raspberries. 2kg worth (or 3kg if we need to bring up numbers).
No rush, so if others add their names I reckon we can sort something out.

Cheers,
Pete

I'm the same, I would go 3-4Kgs as I would assume I could just leave a couple of Kgs in the freezer for later