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With the bumper crop of blackberries, I did some picking over the last few weeks, and this is what I brewed last Thursday -

4.3 kg Pale Ale Malt
600 g Munich Malt
550 g Medium Crystal
400 g Flaked Oats
300 g Amber Malt
200 g Chocolate Malt
200 g Roasted Barley
100 g CaraMunich I

Using up some bin ends!

Mash at 68 C for 90 minutes.
Batch sparge

Boil additions (60 mins):
30 g of NZ Pacifica (60 Min From End)
30 g of NZ Pacifica (30 Min From End)
30 g of NZ Pacifica & 4 g of Irish Moss (15 Min From End)
1kg thawed blackberries added to boil 5 mins from end.

Yeast: Safale 04, rehydrated

Grain bill


Mash


First runnings


Hot break


Blackberries waiting


Bottling last brew at same time!


Post boil


Trub


Into FV


Yeast pitched and ready for temp controlled fridge


Came out a really dark & rich colour, wort tasted good too. OG at 1.060
After fermentation the intention is to boil up remaining 3.5kgs frozen blackberries, stick em in a nylon bag, then into secondary FV for 2 weeks.

I should credit some inspiration from CestrIan's recipe -
viewtopic.php?f=24&t=48945&hilit=Blackb ... ut#p514654

Looks like a fine brew-day

Cheers

Cheers Ozzy, went pretty smoothly, only hiccups were a little spillage (v sticky) and I had the counter flow chiller inlet tap on hot for a while! Doh!

Oh god, yes.

Thanks for the nod pads. I've made blackberry stout twice now - once adding the fruit at the end of the boil and the other time adding it in secondary. The flavours are more intense from secondary.

One thing I can say is that it is best drunk young. After a month or two it starts to go a bit funky.

No probs CestrIan, thanks for the inspiration!
Noted about drinking it young - think me and my buddies can manage that!

After a week, it had dropped to 1005°. I've added a further 3.5kgs of blackberries boiled up and put into nylon bag, then into secondary FV where I'm planning to leave them for 2 weeks. Messy process!
Shot of transferring -

Overall, not a great result - the taste of blackberries is in there, but the brew is really sour. Just about drinkable, but you'd not want more than 1 bottle at a time!

Hi Pads,

Such a shame as your brewday looked great! I've just made a blackberry stout about 3 days ago and haven't added any blackberries to the secondary yet. What do you think made it sour and what would you recommend I do make sure I don't get that? Sorry to leach off your sour result, but now i'm worried I'm going to get the same.

Cheers

Hi Snakepie,
I think it was probably a combination of not fully ripe blackberries (I stupidly didn't taste after boiling them up to sterilise) and overkill of putting 3.5kg!

Hope that helps, leach away!

pads72 wrote:...Just about drinkable, but you'd not want more than 1 bottle at a time!

I'll take that dare.

Cheers pal, going to add some more blackberries tomorrow night so will tase beforehand and add less than 3.5k.! Good tips.

Cheers

Just by way of update, I've found adding a lemonade top to the poured stout makes a pretty drinkable brew! Nothing wasted.

How'd you get on Snakepie? Drinking it yet?