Raspberry Wheat Ale - Using real fruit in home brewing.

I just made a Red Raspberry Wheat Ale. The question always seems to be - how do you use real fruit in the recipe. Should I just use a fruit extract? Fruit extracts are OK, but I had to try using real fruit.

The opinions of home brewers seem to be all over the place on how to use real fruit. After reading on the subject, I decided to use frozen red raspberries. I simply racked to a secondary after about 10 days of primary fermentation. I used my plastic bucket from my original starter kit and placed the frozen strawberries on the bottom. I racked the beer on top of the berries and let it sit another 10 days. Here's what I got.

I did not know what to expect when I lifted that lid. I had read that using real fruit was messy, hard to rack, etc. When I pulled that lid off, the smell of red raspberries was amazing. All the raspberries were now white and floating on the top. My golden wheat color had turned to this light red color. Racking was very easy with no mess. All the berries were floating on top, so no clogs in racking cane. I racked to a 5 gallon glass carboy for another 7 days for clearing, but this beer really didn't need much clearing. Now for the taste and recipe

My base recipe was for a very light wheat beer using malt extract with grains . We used 1/2 lb. of 20L crystal malt, and 6 lb Wheat Malt extract syrup and 1/4 oz Hallertau hops 60 minutes before end of boil. We came in with on OG of 1.048 and a FG of 1.010. I tasted before racking onto the berries, and this would be a great lawnmower beer. The recipe called for 12 oz of frozen raspberries, but I decided to use 36 oz.

I could not wait to taste, so I popped one open only 3 days after bottling. It had not carbonated yet, but the raspberry taste was out of this world. For me, it was too much raspberry. The next time I make this, it will be with the 12 oz of berries version. I like my fruit beers to taste like the base beer with a hint of fruit flavor. If you like a strong fruit flavor, you have to try this recipe.

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Growing hops in the garden : How to grow beer hops

We just planted our hops this weekend. This is our first try. We found this information to be very helpful with the process.


Location for Growing Hops
Select an area with plenty of sun. Hops need at least 6-8 hours of sun a day, so the South facing side of your home or an exposed site is a good location. Hop vines (called bines) can grow to over 25 feet and weigh over 20 pounds, so vertical space for a trellis is important as well.
Hops prefer well-aerated soil that is rich in nutrients and has good drainage. If you are going to plant several varieties, keep them well separated in your garden. Hop roots will spread quickly and take over the garden unless you separate them and trim the roots each season.

Hop Planting and Care
Hops should be planted in the Spring, late enough to avoid a frost. Fertilize liberally before planting. Plant your hops in a mound and aerate the ground by turning it over several times to aid drainage, enhance growth and prevent disease. Place the rhizomes about 4 inches deep, and make your mound of soil about a foot high to aid drainage. Place the root side of the rhizome down. Cover the mound with some straw or light mulch to inhibit the weeds.
The hop bines grow vertically and require some kind of trellis. Your trellis could some heavy rope or twine going from ground level to your roof, or a few poles securely mounted in the ground. If using rope, select rough twine-like rope so the bines can grab onto it. Keep in mind that the hop bines can be 25+ feet long and weigh 20+ pounds. The trellis should be strong and secure.

Hops also enjoy lots of water and sunlight. In the dry climates or the heat of summer, they may need to be watered daily. Once the hops begins to grow, select the best bines and wrap them around your trellis to train them. You will need to train the hops for a few days, but eventually they will begin growing in a clockwise direction from east to west around your trellis. Train the best shoots and trim the rest off.

Harvesting and Drying your Hops
Your hops will continue to grow throughout the summer, and will be ready to harvest by late summer. The harvest in the first year may not be huge, and in fact it could be very small - hops don’t reach peak yield in the first year.

To determine when to harvest, you need to examine the cones. Mature hop cones will be dry to the touch, springy, have a very strong aromatic hop odor, and leave yellow lupulin powder on your fingers. Check the cones every day or two, and when you think they are ripe, pick one and open it. It should be filled with thick yellow-gold lupulin powder if it is fully ripened.
The hops may not all ripen at once, but you need to harvest each as it ripens. Dry the hops out in a warm dry spot in your house, and keep them away from sunlight. Sunlight can seriously damage picked hops. A paper bag is a good place to store them while drying. The hops should dry out in a week or two. After that, place them in a sealed bag and store the hop cones in your freezer. Remove as much oxygen as possible from the bag to avoid oxidization.
Maintenance of Your Hops

Cut the bines back to 3 feet or so after harvesting. The winter frost will kill off the bines, after which you can cut them back further and cover them until Spring. When Spring comes, take a spade and cut around the rhizome to trim the roots back to about a foot. Trimming the roots will prevent the hops from consuming your entire garden, as they tend to spread rapidly. Add some fertilizer, fresh mulch and a new trellis and you will be ready to grow hops for a fresh new season.

Reference
BYO Magazine: “Hop Growing”, March-April 2008, Vol 12, No 2