How to Make Blackberry Beer

Blackberry is one of the few fruits that can make a so-called "fruit beer." This popular choice has a sugar content that is high enough to make blackberries easy to ferment, and the strong flavor is retained throughout the fermentation process. The following recipe is for a blackberry wheat beer.

Things You'll Need

• 6.6 lbs Irks wheat extract
• 3 1/2 qts frozen blackberries
• 1 to 2 lbs Amber dry malt extract
• 2 cups Carapil malt
• 1 cup corn sugar for priming
• 1 1/2 oz Hallatter hops
• 1/2 oz Saaz hops
• 1 tsp Irish moss
• Wyeast #3056 and starter

Instructions

1. Submerge the malt in 2 1/2 gallons of cold water and heat until the mixture is almost boiling. Take out the malt just before it comes to a boil and add the wheat extract and dry malt extract.

2. Add the Hallatter hops and boil for 25 minutes. Add the Irish moss and boil for another 30 minutes. Add the Saaz hops and boil for two more minutes.

3. Place the pot in cold water and place the blackberries in the water. Remove the hop bags and crush the blackberries with a spoon as they thaw. When the wort has cooled to 70 degrees, place it in the primary fermentation vessel and top off with water to 6 gallons.

4. Put in the yeast and starter and cool the wort to 60 degrees after fermentation begins. After five to seven days of fermentation, transfer the beer to the secondary fermentation vessel and ferment for another week or two. Add gelatin or polyclar for clarity five to seven days before bottling, if desired.

5. Add the corn sugar and bottle. Wait at least two weeks before drinking.

Resources

• Learn more about making fruit beer.