Progressive priming?

[Mountain]

Hi,

I made a raspberry beer yesterday(after a visit to the parents who have a freezer full of raspberries.)

I've made a couple of fruit beers before, which have both turned out remarkably well.

I'm wanting a high ABV for this one for Christmas. The OG was 1.062.

However, I've been reading about the progressive addition of fermentables to achieve a higher ABV. i.e. adding small amounts over time to keep the fermentation going.

Anyone done this or have any ideas?

Cheers

Martin

[sam c]

sorry cant answer your question but have one for you.

i reccently made a small amount of raspberry beer.i made a cream ale and when bottling i racked off 5 litres into a dj ontop of 250g raspberry's (frozen and then de-frosted) as a little experiment. im now thinking that wont provide much raspberry flavour.how many do you add to say a 23 litre brew?

[Mountain]

Loads more than that. You need more than you'd think!

At least 2-3kilos for 23.

I've tried several ways with fruit, but adding about 20 mins from the end of the boil with some pectase has worked the best. If you add any sooner you lose the fruit flavour and aroma. Strain into primary.....makes a right mess.

Another thing to bear in mind is going a little light with the hops as fruit can add bitterness.

A mate of mine is doing some blackberry at the minute, I think he's added about 3kilos

I used about 3.5kilo for my Cherry wheat(a load reduced at Morrisons) and it just gets better with age. Not too fruity to make you forget it's a beer, but enough background cherry.

Hope this helps...I'm certainly no expert, but I've had some good results-especially with cherry and peach. Past the sell by date is ideal...at least they are ripe:)

[trucker5774]

Hi Mountain, I'm doing a strawberry and also a honey today. Would be good if you could post the recipe. I intend to "stew" the fruit and add to the secondary. My usual guide is 100g of fruit to 1 litre of wort as a minimum. Yes, later additions like this will up the gavity as they ferment. As for progressive priming....I have opened bottles after 3 or 4 weeks and made additions of sugar, fruit and honey. They have primed up again and taken on the flavour................and of course upped the ABV a little.

[Mountain]

No probs.

OG 1.062
FG 1.015 ish?
IBU 39
ABV 6.1 %
SRM 12

Specifics
Boil Volume 2 gallons
Batch Size 2 gallons

% Weight Weight Grain Gravity Points Color
90.6 % 2.2kg Maris Otter 68.4 6.0
3.8 % 100g Crystal 2.5 10.5
5.7 % 150g Amber 3.4 5.3

Raspberries 2.5kg

Pectase 1 heaped tsp

33.3 % 8g Liberty
33.3 % 8g Northdown
33.3 % 8g Willamette

2hr mash at 66C

60min boil

All hops added after 30 mins

Raspberries added after 40 mins.

Pectase added at 50mins.

Safale 04 yeast.

I did the "stewing" method with the Cherry and it worked fine.
However, it's looking like the boil may work better. The wort was a very deep blood red(still is) and when cooled down the raspberry aroma was still very intense. The raspberry pulp left behind after straining was grey, so most of the 'goodness' was extracted. I don't know if the pectase played a part but it seemed to work.

It's still bubbling like crazy. My intention is to add small amounts of dry malt extract and possibly a little light muscavado sugar on a daily basis, when the bubbling slows.

I'll then syphon to secondary, leave a few days, prime and bottle.

I'm wanting something very strong and fruity for Christmas.

Hope it works out OK, but if you don't try.......

[sam c]

thanks for your reply.

i kinda knew i didn't have enough in there but i didn't want to fork out on a load of raspberies however i might in the future so i will add that recipe to the ever on going list

cheers

[Mountain]

The trouble is all berries cost a fortune at the supermarkets. 3kgs at a supermarket .......

Fortunately my mother has picked a shed load of raspberries and blackberries. There are also sloes growing nearby too. She has more than she knows what to do with. Lucky for me.

[ADDLED]

There are also sloes growing nearby too. She has more than she knows what to do with. Lucky for me.

Oh, the memories of the sloe gin i made 2 years ago
Get your butt to the supermarket for cheap Gin immediately! I picked a kilo of random sloes today whilst walking the dog, its well worth getting your hands torn to shreds for the pleasure sloe gin gives.

[Mountain]

Too right. Several bottles of sloe gin for the winter

[Mountain]

WoooooHoooo it worked

My Raspberry experiment has been a great success.
-
After about a week the gravity was down to 1.014, so I started feeding the beer. 30g of either light DME or light muscavado sugar on alternate days. The fermentation continued and got down to 1.012, at which point the the fermentation had all but stopped.
-
Now, 3 days ago I added just 2g of Champagne yeast and 100g of DME. 2 days later and down to 1.012 again. Added just 30g priming sugar tonight and bottled at 1.012 in nice Duvel bottles.
-
I had a taste and drank a glass! A nice raspberry flavour with citrus/floral overtones, and enough bitterness to offset the fruitiness.
-
The finished and carbonated is on course to being a very good one.

[salnajjar]

I've not tried them myself, so I can make no comments, but... when I was doing my research for fruit to make a fruit wit beer, the cheapest source I found was the funkin fruit purees http://www.funkin.eu/funkinprofessional.

According to the website blurb it's pure fruit... I also have a discount code if someone wants to be the first to try and tell us how it goes...

[ADDLED]

I've not tried them myself, so I can make no comments, but... when I was doing my research for fruit to make a fruit wit beer, the cheapest source I found was the funkin fruit purees http://www.funkin.eu/funkinprofessional.

According to the website blurb it's pure fruit... I also have a discount code if someone wants to be the first to try and tell us how it goes...

Aaah, theyre like the pro mixers for cocktails and wotnot. I bet they cost a few beans.

[Mountain]

I now have an urge to 'invent' a lychee wheat beer!!!!