Planning a Raspberry Wheat

[MagnusTS]

I started my raspberry wheat this morning, but got slightly disappointing efficiency, well down on what I'd predicted using BrewFather. It would have ended up 5 points down on OG. Luckily, I brew short and add top up water to the FV, so I just had to do some quick calculations and reduce the amount of top up water. Don't know if I've done something wrong or if it's the grain. Oh well, it'll probably all turn out OK, just slightly less of it.

 

[Edison]

I’m sure it will turn out great. I still get some unreliable estimates from BeerSmith, i think my raspberry was lower than expected, but it just makes it more drinkable and disappears faster in my experience!

 

[Slid]

Have done 3 Raspberry Wheat Beers this year and am very pleased with this style. First was with Belgian Wit yeast and feel this was the best. Other two with Bavarian Wheat Yeast and not quite so sharp a taste. All sort of a 60:40 Barley to wheat and then maybe some oats to make the mash and sparge even more of a chore.

100g Fruit per Litre is the formula and that can come out as pricey as a Hophead IPA. For mine, go raspberry for the summer and leave the C hops to the uninitiated.

There tend to be blackberries on offer around here, though the dry spring and wet summer may make these less abundant this year. The idea of a 1kg blackberry and 1.5kg raspberry could be a sort of Dunkel Wheat Beer?

 

[Edison]

I was thinking of doing this recipe again but with twice the amount of cherries instead. This is the first beer I've brewed in 5 years my wife wants to drink!

 

[MagnusTS]

Have done 3 Raspberry Wheat Beers this year and am very pleased with this style. First was with Belgian Wit yeast and feel this was the best. Other two with Bavarian Wheat Yeast and not quite so sharp a taste. All sort of a 60:40 Barley to wheat and then maybe some oats to make the mash and sparge even more of a chore.

100g Fruit per Litre is the formula and that can come out as pricey as a Hophead IPA. For mine, go raspberry for the summer and leave the C hops to the uninitiated.

There tend to be blackberries on offer around here, though the dry spring and wet summer may make these less abundant this year. The idea of a 1kg blackberry and 1.5kg raspberry could be a sort of Dunkel Wheat Beer?

100g fruit per litre is a nice round number, thanks for that.

Blackberry and raspberry sounds great.

I've just finished picking my blackcurrants, and was wondering if I should brew up another hefeweizen straight away and add 800g of blackcurrants. Could end up with a hefeweizen for every season.

 

[Cheshire Cat]

Anyone made a mango wheatbeer?

 

[MagnusTS]

Anyone made a mango wheatbeer?

Mango wheat beer sounds tasty !!

 

[MagnusTS]

Cold crashing my raspberry wheat beer at the moment.
The raspberry mush is not sinking, and is still a floating layer.
Maybe I should have put it in a muslin bag.

What do you reckon? Scoop the raspberry layer off the top?
Or give it longer at 4C to settle out?

 

[Northern_Brewer]

Some commercial krieks go up to 400g/l, but they are using their weird local cherry which is all stone with not much flesh. For stuff like raspberries then I would have thought 100-150g/l is plenty, but you need to look after them. Too often raspberry beers come out "jammy" without the fresh tartness of real raspberries - the Titanic raspberry wheat is one that gets it right, if you're looking for a commercial benchmark.

For me the best match for blackberries is blackberry mild, but I wouldn't say no to a dunkelweizen.

 

[alsch890]

I’m sure it will turn out great. I still get some unreliable estimates from BeerSmith, i think my raspberry was lower than expected, but it just makes it more drinkable and disappears faster in my experience!

Have you cracked the first bottle yet? Interested to hear how this one turns out!

 

[Edison]

Tastes lovely, really refreshing in the hot weather. Good medium/high carbonation, came out at 4.5% abv so not too heavy. Raspberry is very present and fresh tasting, not jammy as were added raw and not pasteurised/cooked.
Could have added more i think, may try this recipe with twice the amount of frozen sweet cherries just for comparison.
Poured without the yeast it is crisp and slightly sharp, but not sour as such. With the yeast added you get more obvious fruit, smooth creaminess without being 'thick' and a subtle wheatbeer pepper/banana in the background without overpowering the delicate fruit.
I prefer with the yeast mixed in as its more full-on but still way more refreshing than the picture would suggest. I can highly recommend this recipe!

<edit> My only negative is the head doesn't stick around very long which I'm putting down to the oats. I may leave these out next time and add more wheat instead.

 

[alsch890]

wow, I think it looks very refreshing. Adding this to my list for next summer!

 

[MagnusTS]

This is mine. I'm very pleased with how this one came out, very tasty. No problems with thick fluffy head, but I am drinking it from a pint glass with an etched bottom.

It is very refreshing, mine is also about 4.5%, but doesn't taste it. 1st taste is fresh raspberry, then aftertaste is wheat beer. My only minor complaint is that I don't get much banana or clove from the CML hefeweizen yeast. Maybe, my palate just not good enough.

I'll definitely do this one again.

 

[MagnusTS]

Tastes lovely, really refreshing in the hot weather. Good medium/high carbonation, came out at 4.5% abv so not too heavy. Raspberry is very present and fresh tasting, not jammy as were added raw and not pasteurised/cooked.
Could have added more i think, may try this recipe with twice the amount of frozen sweet cherries just for comparison.
Poured without the yeast it is crisp and slightly sharp, but not sour as such. With the yeast added you get more obvious fruit, smooth creaminess without being 'thick' and a subtle wheatbeer pepper/banana in the background without overpowering the delicate fruit.
I prefer with the yeast mixed in as its more full-on but still way more refreshing than the picture would suggest. I can highly recommend this recipe!

<edit> My only negative is the head doesn't stick around very long which I'm putting down to the oats. I may leave these out next time and add more wheat instead.

Nice!! Top photo looks much clearer than mine.

 

[DekH]

I will be bottling my fruit wheat beers over the next few days I done a 19 litre batch split into four with Raspberry, Strawberry, Blackcurrant and Blueberry and a mixture of all four fruits. 500 grams of fruit was used for Strawberry and Raspberry. 600 grams for Blackcurrant 40% and Blueberry 60%, Blueberry dont transfer as strong so hence slightly more in the mix. The mixed fruit was roughly 700 grams. The total cost in fruit for me was nothing as it all came from my allotment.

How these will turn who knows but they have a great colour to them in the fermentation chamber

 

[alsch890]

Hi, just thought I'd update this thread to say I've finally got round to brewing this today. This thread inspired me last year but the weather has only just turned up...
I'm going with pilsner and wheat malt at 45% each, then about 6% oats and 4% carared. Bittering with Sládek to about 20ibu and then a small Saaz charge @5mins. Using K-97 yeast and have 1.5kg (exactly 100g per litre) of frozen raspberries which I will add after primary fermentation. Looking forward to see how this turns out.

Cheers!

 

[krispn]

Ha funny I just made mine agin and had it sitting on the raspberries this last weekend. Kegged up and it’s very refreshing in this weather. Hope it turns out tasty!

 

[alsch890]

Going to put the raspberries in tomorrow I think. Will it work to put them in a couple of hop bags?

 

[Horners]

Going to put the raspberries in tomorrow I think. Will it work to put them in a couple of hop bags?

I just banged mine straight in the FV and gave it all a good cold crash prior to packaging. Fruit all dropped out.

 

[alsch890]

Hi there, sorry for resurrecting and hijacking this thread but I realised I am now coming to the end of the primary and havent really thought this through. Now I have been googling and reading about blanching, pasteurising, santising the fruit etc. Initially I was just going to thaw it and dump it loose in the FV. Then I thought about using a hop bag and now I am considering whether to sanitise it in someway?

@Horners when you say you banged yours in do you mean no treating the fruit first as well, just open the FV and pour the berries in? I am inclined to just do that but I don't want to ruin a brew through laziness.