[curtcrock]

I picked 8 pounds of blackberries last weekend and plan on brewing with them this weekend.  I would appreciate any info/experiences that  y’all might have as it relates to styles that would marry well with blackberries.

 I was thinking of a Northern English Brown.  Also, I was intrigued by the Golden Strong with raspberries that was discussed on the last Sunday Session.

 I imagine big-ass hoppy beers are out of the question.  Also, it’s for the holidays, so beers that need to age over 2 months are out.

Thanks for your input!

Curt

[beersk]

I think they could work in a stout.  The Golden Strong with blackberries sounds intriguing as well.  Give it a shot.

[morticaixavier]

I have a gallon of hefeweizen I am going to put some blackberries in this week. Should be nice, maybe. Long Trail in Vermont has a black Beary wheat that a lot of people like.

[ckpash88]

So I too have black berries but I bought frozen lol.

My question is this I let my beer ferment in the primary first with out the berries then I racked the beer over 4 pounds in the secondary. How will I know when is done? Will the berries settle to the bottom? Was putting them in the secondary correct?

[morticaixavier]

So I too have black berries but I bought frozen lol.

My question is this I let my beer ferment in the primary first with out the berries then I racked the beer over 4 pounds in the secondary. How will I know when is done? Will the berries settle to the bottom? Was putting them in the secondary correct?

you should get a secondary fermentation from the sugars in the blackberries so when that subsides you are ready to go. secondary is a fine place to put fruit.

[firedog23]

Not to hijack the thread but will a secondary fermentation make for a clearer beer in the end by removing the heavier sediment?  Just trying to figure a few things out.

[denny]

Not to hijack the thread but will a secondary fermentation make for a clearer beer in the end by removing the heavier sediment?  Just trying to figure a few things out.

Not necessarily.  A long primary can do the same thing.  Many (most?) people no longer use a secondary for normal batches.

[firedog23]

What is a long primary?

[morticaixavier]

What is a long primary?

376.897 years

or three or four weeks

[firedog23]

And here I was doing it for 400 years!

[morticaixavier]

And here I was doing it for 400 years!

oh you gotta watch that! that's too long!

[firedog23]

And here I was trying not to hijack this thing.  So we were talking blackberries? 

I was thinking of using these for a porter.  With out overpowering the beer, how much would be recommended for a 5 gallon batch?

[curtcrock]

Quick update:

I decided to go with a Blackberry Brown Ale.

After 3 days of fermentation in the primary, I transferred the beer (5 gallons) into a secondary (bucket) on top of the fresh blackberries.  I decided to go with six pounds.  Everything seems to be going well but I have not tasted it yet.  I'll post an update after I sample it this weekend.

One thing I may do next time is put the fruit in a large meshed hop bag to avoid transferring solids when I rack the beer.  At this point I'm not sure how I am going to avoid clogging when I rack the beer.  Some of the berries sank to the bottom and some floated to the top.  Any thoughts?

Good health,

Curt

[denny]

And here I was trying not to hijack this thing.  So we were talking blackberries? 

I was thinking of using these for a porter.  With out overpowering the beer, how much would be recommended for a 5 gallon batch?

The ROT is to use 1 lb./gal.  For something subtle like blackberries or blueberries in a porter, you might want to up that a bit.  I made a blueberry porter once with that ratio and you could hardly tell there were blueberries in it.