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Wild Blackberry ale

Posted: Mon Oct 18, 2010 7:35 pm
by Michal
I had a go at making one earlier this year and it made a really good, well ballanced fruit beer.

That's about the only pictre I could find
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So this time.... I have changed it completely :mrgreen:

3500g Vienna Malt
1000g Lager Malt
400g Cara Amber
400g Cara Red
300g Cara Pils
200g Flaked Barley

4.5 kg Frozen Blackberries, boiled separately for 2 min (2gallons of water added)

Hops:
Bramling Cross 7.27% 53g 60min
Bramling Cross 7.27% 25g 15min
Bramling Cross 7.27% 25g 10min
Bramling Cross 7.27% 25g 5min
Bramling Cross 7.27% 25g 2min

Batch size 6 gallons
OG:1050

Frozen blackberries
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Liquidising
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I crush and add 3 campden tablets, last time I didn't and had a thin white film at the top of my beer in bottles which I suspect might have been wild yeast?
It didn't affect the taste in any way, but hopefully will be avioded this time
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give it a good stir
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It looks more like smoothie at this stage, but so it did last time
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After 24h nice krausen
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Now I must be patient [-o<

Re: Wild Blackberry ale

Posted: Mon Oct 18, 2010 10:49 pm
by Eric
I hope to aspire to doing a brew like that. For me it isn't patience, that I have, courage I lack.

Re: Wild Blackberry ale

Posted: Tue Oct 19, 2010 8:08 am
by Michal
I don't think there's much that can go wrong here (fingers crossed)

Worst case scenario

1. It wouldn't clear, which I am sure given time it will
2. It will come out pink.... I looked at the wort in a different light and it had this pinkish colour

Pink beer that I don't want :mrgreen:

Re: Wild Blackberry ale

Posted: Sat Oct 23, 2010 2:55 pm
by Jon474
Michal
How has this gone? Looks really interesting...so much so that I am off to pick blackberries tomorrow!
Jon

Re: Wild Blackberry ale

Posted: Sat Oct 23, 2010 8:57 pm
by Michal
Hi Jon,

So far so good. It's down to 1015 and maybe it is too early but I will transfer it to secondary tomorrow because I need the bucket for another brew.

That's what it is at the moment
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I am tempted to say that I should have added more cara or something to make it sweeter. It is dry and blackberries are very prominent.
But then surely it will change a lot in the next few weeks.

Picking blackberries in October? Isn't it too late? :mrgreen:

Re: Wild Blackberry ale

Posted: Sat Oct 23, 2010 9:26 pm
by Andy
4.5 kg of blackberries is A LOT of blackberries :D

Re: Wild Blackberry ale

Posted: Sat Oct 23, 2010 9:41 pm
by Michal
It is not a lot,that's 652 blackberries exactly...

No I didn't actually count them :mrgreen:

I think I have read somewhere, that's roughly the amount of cherries that breweries in belgium add to their krieks.
But then I suppose cherries is a completely different story...

Re: Wild Blackberry ale

Posted: Sun Oct 24, 2010 9:54 am
by Jon474
Yes, it's far too late. I was being a bit optimistic, I think.

Oh well, there's always Tesco.

Still like the idea though.

Jon