So I Have All These Blueberries....

[BikeNBrew]

Okay, it's blueberry season here in Michigan, and I just bought a 10# box of 'em. Thinking of a blueberry mead and a blueberry beer. For the beer, thinking a residually semi-sweet wheat beer, sorta like Oberon maybe with the berries. I think a little sweetness will help maintain the character of the blueberries. Any ideas? Favorite recipes? I have not yet made the move to all grain, so extract-based thoughts most appreciated.

[vance71975]

Okay, it's blueberry season here in Michigan, and I just bought a 10# box of 'em. Thinking of a blueberry mead and a blueberry beer. For the beer, thinking a residually semi-sweet wheat beer, sorta like Oberon maybe with the berries. I think a little sweetness will help maintain the character of the blueberries. Any ideas? Favorite recipes? I have not yet made the move to all grain, so extract-based thoughts most appreciated.

Well i can throw my idea at ya.

Blueberry Wheat Stout

5lbs Wheat malt extract

1/4lb chocolate malt

1/2lb Crystal malt 80L

1/2lb Honey Malt

1/2lb Black Patent Malt

Steep Grains 30-60 mins at 140 degrees Then draw off Liquid and add to boil.

Add your fav hops per your choice of schedule

Pitch your fav ale yeast and ferment as normal for an ale(or lager yeast if you have the set up for lagering).

Mash Blueberry's(all 10 lbs) to a pulp(or run through a blender,i prefer blender) Pasteurize by holding at 180 degrees for 10 -15 mins. Cool and Rack ale over them after 5 days in primary fermentation.Let it ferment till its done.

That is a Simple idea feel free to change up any grains u don't like or completely disregard.lol

[Beer Martin]

Use wheat malt extract 5-6 lbs
(or use 3 lbs of wheat malt extract and 3 lbs pilsner malt extract)
Steep in some crystal malts 0.5-1 lb
I'd also make a little unmalted wheat minimash if you have the capabilities. ~1 lb

Use something like Styrian Golding Hops @ 60 min for a little bitterness 0.5-0.75 oz

I'd personally go with a witbier yeast. I wouldn't want too much of a banana ester profile to go with the blue berries. So avoid hefewiezen yeasts and other Belgians strains.

A clean American yeast might be ok, but the slight spicy/tart phenolics from wit yeast just really go well in wheat beer.

You could even throw in some of the traditional wit spices, but I'm not sure with the blueberries how value added they would be.

I'd probably still use the orange peel at flame out. 1-3 fresh oranges worth of zest (or buy the stuff from the shops).

Do what you want, but this is the way I would go.

Oh yeah, and put in ~5lbs of blue berries after about 7 days when transferring to secondary. I wouldn't add them right away. The yeast might have trouble with the complex malt sugars after eating the simple sugars in the berries, but it probably wouldn't matter.

Might even want to cut down the malt and do a ~4% beer rather than 5-6%. It would be a bit more light and refreshing.
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[BikeNBrew]

Good thoughts, guys- thanks. Martin, you are a little more on track with what I was thinking- more of a pale beer but I guess this one will end up purple...As for yeast, I will probably harvest and raise up a nice crop from a six-pack of Oberon. Had good luck with that in the past. Vance, your idea is interesting, but getting a little crazy with the black patent maybe. I have been thinking about stouts too. Oh yeah, I have a lot of Fuggles left over from last year's crop, and I need to use them up. So keep that in mind.

I don't usually brew in the summer, what with other projects and heating up the house. But this spring I scored a brand new turkey fryer at a garage sale for $15. And it is big enough to hold my brewpot! So I need to try that baby out. Thanks for the ideas and keep them coming!

[vance71975]

Good thoughts, guys- thanks. Martin, you are a little more on track with what I was thinking- more of a pale beer but I guess this one will end up purple...As for yeast, I will probably harvest and raise up a nice crop from a six-pack of Oberon. Had good luck with that in the past. Vance, your idea is interesting, but getting a little crazy with the black patent maybe. I have been thinking about stouts too. Oh yeah, I have a lot of Fuggles left over from last year's crop, and I need to use them up. So keep that in mind.

I don't usually brew in the summer, what with other projects and heating up the house. But this spring I scored a brand new turkey fryer at a garage sale for $15. And it is big enough to hold my brewpot! So I need to try that baby out. Thanks for the ideas and keep them coming!

so what did u end up doing with the blueberry's?

[BikeNBrew]

so what did u end up doing with the blueberry's?

Nothing yet- I haven't had time to brew. I spread them out on cookie sheets and individually froze them, then bagged 'em in the freezer. Still thinking about it- I may have time to brew next week, but I have a ton of work right now between my regular job and side jobs. Using some of the money to get into kegging my staple brews. After twenty years, still bottling...well, out of that only about eight years of active brewing.