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Author Topic: Raspberry beer flavoring extract  (Read 6919 times)

Offline Hop Bomber Brewing

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Raspberry beer flavoring extract
« on: December 20, 2009, 04:34:25 pm »
Has anyone used the Crosby and Baker Raspberry Beer Flavoring in their ingredient list. I thought I would try it out and was hoping for some feedback or suggestions.

Offline majorvices

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Re: Raspberry beer flavoring extract
« Reply #1 on: December 21, 2009, 10:00:15 am »
Haven't used it but have always heard to go with real fruit over the xtract. Supposedly the Oregon Fruit puree is the way to go. Add it to the secondary - general rule of thump is 1-2lbs of fruit per gallon.

Offline ndcube

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Re: Raspberry beer flavoring extract
« Reply #2 on: December 21, 2009, 01:38:44 pm »
This doesn't answer your question but Brewferm Raspberry Framboos extract makes a good raspberry beer.  Kind of pricy but it keeps the wife happy.

Offline Hop Bomber Brewing

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Re: Raspberry beer flavoring extract
« Reply #3 on: December 24, 2009, 04:32:49 pm »
That is my intetion to keep the wife happy, I will try the Crosby and Baker and post the results. Then try the Brewferm Raspberry Framboos and compare the two, with the wifes permission of course. ;)

Offline yugamrap

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Re: Raspberry beer flavoring extract
« Reply #4 on: January 04, 2010, 07:46:14 am »
Haven't used it but have always heard to go with real fruit over the xtract. Supposedly the Oregon Fruit puree is the way to go. Add it to the secondary - general rule of thump is 1-2lbs of fruit per gallon.
I've used the Oregon Fruit puree with pleasing results in a Raspberry American Wheat recipe.  I used a whole 49 oz can of puree in a 6 gallon batch.  After the primary calmed down, I racked the beer onto the puree in a carboy for 1 week of secondary.  Be aware that, if you use the fruit puree, the color of the beer will change substantially.  With the raspberry puree, the beer was fairly pinkish in color.  I added some biscuit and honey malt to the recipe, and the beer had a bit of a raspberry pastry flavor - the biscuit and honey malt gave it a hint of pie crust.   
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Offline dean

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Re: Raspberry beer flavoring extract
« Reply #5 on: January 05, 2010, 10:15:29 am »
I've used flavored gelatin when kegging, you'd be surprised how well they work and they help clear the beer.  Don't add a full pouch of it though, its too much imo. 

Offline Hop Bomber Brewing

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Re: Raspberry beer flavoring extract
« Reply #6 on: January 09, 2010, 06:07:18 pm »
So when you are refering to gelitan are you talking about a package of raspberry Jello, as in Bill Cosby Jello?

Offline dean

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Re: Raspberry beer flavoring extract
« Reply #7 on: January 14, 2010, 10:03:54 am »
So when you are refering to gelitan are you talking about a package of raspberry Jello, as in Bill Cosby Jello?

Yes.

Offline dbeechum

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Re: Raspberry beer flavoring extract
« Reply #8 on: January 14, 2010, 10:45:03 am »
MY other suggestion for raspberry flavoring, particularly if you want a little sweetness to go with it is good ole raspberry liqueur. Right in to the keg it works like a charm.
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Offline Hop Bomber Brewing

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Re: Raspberry beer flavoring extract
« Reply #9 on: April 05, 2010, 07:44:00 pm »
OK the Crosby and Baker turned out pretty good, it changes its flavor from very fruity to a bit of a "fake" raspberry taste in about 4 weeks after tapping. Then it mellows out and is quite tasty after about ten weeks. Going to try the raspberry liquor in the next keg. How much do you add to a five gallon batch?

Offline nicneufeld

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Re: Raspberry beer flavoring extract
« Reply #10 on: April 06, 2010, 10:07:58 am »
In my experience, this time with sour cherries, I found that juice concentrate works better than real fruit.  10lbs of tart cherries (which was expensive, from the grocery store!) gave a slight color and not a whole lot of flavor to a 5 gallon batch of mead.  I was quite disappointed.  But a dose of sour cherry juice concentrate had a marked effect!

My only qualm with extracts is that sometimes they add aroma but not much flavor.  Had that problem with apricot extract in a beer, and I've noted it in commercial beers using extract.  They kind of smell distinct in whatever fruit flavor they have, but there's no flavor, just a kind of disembodied aroma.  It seems all of my best fruit flavored meads and ciders and beers have used juice (in the case of extremely strong juices like blackcurrant) or juice concentrates.  But my experience isn't broad enough to call that anything beyond coincidence, and I'm not aware of a good raspberry juice for that purpose.

Good luck with the beer though, hope the wife likes it!  Liqueur sounds like a good idea.  I'd probably skirt the highest end stuff (such as German himbeergeist, etc), you really want something with a lot of raspberry flavor, not a subtle liqueur made for appreciating on its own.