Fruit Wheat Beer

[Vizen2]

Fellow brewers, after some sage advice.
I’m about to cold crash my Mangove Jack’s Bavarian Wheat after which I am looking to bottle half then put the remainder over a fruit, frozen cherries or raspberries. It’s a 23 litre kit and wanted to know how much fruit I should use and for how long before bottling, also should I reduce my batch priming sugar in view of the fruit’s sugar content when it comes to bottling?

Thanks in advance.

 

[chthon]

I brewed one before the summer, same like you did, wheat beer with Bavarian wheat. I used 1 kg raspberries on 5 l of wort, and let it ferment out for four extra weeks.

Use the amount of priming sugar needed for the CO2 that you want, I used sugar for 2.2 volumes of CO2, and I did not get more than wanted.

One thing, do not add sweetener. I used stevia, not too much, but I noticed that after a month or two the tartness of the raspberries actually disappeared. What I have now tastes a little bit too much like stevia.

 

[Alex.mc]

I added about 2 kg of wild blackberries to about 19 litres of Wiess. It continued to ferment on for some time, I'm assuming because of the different fermentation rate of the fruit sugars? The resulting beer is quite low ABV at 3.8% and dry, but it has a fantastic aroma, and a lingering aftertaste of blackberry. I wasn't sure about it to begin with, but I really like it now. Fermenting with fruit is a whole different ballgame, but a very interesting one. Hope it turns out good for you.

 

[Vizen2]

Just pulled the pin, 10 litres over 1.4 kgs of frozen raspberries, in the airing cupboard, until SWMBO descovers it, hoping to leave for at least 2 weeks. Remaining 13 litres cold crashing, batch prime and bottle next week
Thanks for the advice gents.
Watch this space.

 

[Vizen2]

Well 2 weeks later things don’t look so good. Some of the raspberries have floated to the top and appear to have a whiteish mould, doesn’t smell too bad. I’ve popped it in a mini pressure keg with 135g of priming sugar. I took a SG reading and it had dropped by 0.002. The sample I took looks a little dodgy, small flecks in it. I’ve added a couple of photos, any thoughts, will it survive, will it be safe?

 

[Honk]

I reckon it will be safe as long as it smells ok. When I brewed with (frozen) raspberries I blanched them in boiling water, they also floated on the top and went white but not like in your photo.

Maybe siphon out from underneath and drink quickly.

 

[Alex.mc]

I would go with it and let it ride out to full term. I've been reading up on things like Yeast, sour beers and hops and so on for pre-bed reading(missus thinks I'm nuts), and it seems when fruit is introduced, a lot of the normal stuff you see can be quite different. As for sour beers, they can look like a nasty autopsy scene when fermenting, moving on to a pretty unpleasant beer after 1 year, to the most beautiful, elegant, complex, smooth drinking sour after 3-4 years!

Don't drain it now, it might be great!

 

[Vizen2]

Cheers, guys, I’ll leave it alone until next year and see what time can do, ive heard it can be a great healer

 

[Vizen2]

First failure, must be about my 10th brew and the first to go down the drain. I mini legged it and tried a glass last night. Due to the issues above I was always worried it might be off, didn’t look too bad but tasted very very watery, not like a fruit wheat at all so down the sink it went. Onwards and upwards, getting the kit together to do all grain, we’ll see. Thanks again for the input and happy new year brewing.