req: Blue Paw Bberry Wheat recipe from BYO July / Aug 06

[TimL]

Hi all- my buddy just got back from Maine and threw down a challenge for me to brew up a Blueberry Wheat similiar to Sea Dog's Blue Paw Wheat Ale.

BYO published a recipe in their Replicator column last summer. I'm primarily wondering on what yeast they use (American or German) and how much blueberry.

Any help will result in a bomber of resulting beer shipped to you, if you wish.

[Thirsty Mallard]

Here is the article (I included the recipe for anyone else who may want to brew it!)

Sea Dog Brewing Company

Blue Paw Wheat Ale

(5 Gallons/ 19L. extract with grain)

OG = 1.050 FG = 1.012

IBUs = 20 SRM = 6 (with slight blue tint)

ABV = 5.0 %
Ingredients

6.6 lbs. (3.0 kg) Muntons unhopped wheat malt extract (50% wheat)

12 oz. (.34 kg) 2 row pale malt

4 oz. (.11 kg) wheat malt

2 oz. (57g) Munich malt

½ Tsp. yeast nutrient (25 min.)

4 AAU Hallertau hop pellets (60 min.)

(1 oz./28 g of 4.0% alpha acid)

2.5 AAU Willamette hop pellets (25 min.)

(.5 oz /14 g of 5.0% alpha acid)

White Labs WLP 005 (English Ale) or Wyeast 1187 (Ringwood ale) yeast

2 oz. (57ml) concentrated liquid blueberry extract

.75 cup (150g) of corn sugar for priming

Step by Step

Steep the 3 crushed grains in 3 gallons (11.4L) of water at 155º F (68ºC) for 30 minutes. Remove grains from the wort, add the liquid extract and bring to a boil. Add the first addition of Hallertau hops and boil for 60 minutes. During the boil, use this time to thoroughly sanitize a fermenter. Add the second addition of Willamette hops and yeast nutrient for the last 25 minutes of the boil. Now add the wort to 2 gallons (7.6L) of cold water in a sanitized fermenter and top off with cold water up to 5 gallons (22.7L).

Cool the wort to 75º F (24º C). Pitch your yeast and aerate the wort heavily. Allow the beer to cool over the next few hours to 66º F (19º C) and hold at this temperature until the beer has finished fermenting. Transfer to a carboy and add the berry extract while stirring very slowly. This is to avoid aerating the beer. Condition for 1 week and then bottle or keg. Allow to carbonate for 2 weeks and enjoy!

All grain option:

This is a single step infusion mash. Replace the malt syrup with 6.5 lbs. (3 kg) 2 row pale malt. Increase the wheat malt to 3.5 lbs. (1.6 kg) and the Munich malt to 4 ozs. (.11 kg). Mix the 3 crushed grains with 3.2 gallons (12 L) of 168° (76° C) water to stabilize at 152º F (67º C) for 60 minutes. Sparge slowly with 175º F (79º C) water. Collect approximately 6 gallons (27.3 L) of wort runoff to boil for 60 minutes. Reduce the first addition (60 minute) of Hallertau hops to 4.0 AAU (.75 oz./21 g) due to the higher utilization factor for a full wort boil. The remainder of this recipe is the same as the extract recipe. Note: to help prevent a stuck run off add 4 ozs. (.11 kg) rice hulls to the bottom of your mash tun prior to adding grains and water.

[CaribouBill]

Hey....
I am currently sitting in Caribou, ME and frequently have this beer on tap at home. It is delicious in a black and blue (SeaDog and Guinness).

The recipe posted sounds about right, but being from Maine I would have to recommend Wymanns Wild Maine Blueberries. You may be able to get them frozen.

I am actually brewing a Maine Blueberry this weekend (if I can haul my butt out to pick the fresh berries)....I'll post the recipe when I have completed it.

[beer_bear]

What kind of conversion would anyone recommend if I had to use frozen berries?

[J.Brew]

What kind of conversion would anyone recommend if I had to use frozen berries?

It's tough to compare extract to fresh fruit in the brewing process so a conversion would be tough. I brew a blueberry wheat and use about 2 to 5 lbs. of fresh berries in the secondary or during cold conditioning, depending on what I am looking for and then supliment with blueberry extract for fine tuning if necessary.
And just for my two cents on the subject....I've had Sea Dog's blueberry and it doesn't hold a paw up to Marin Brewing Company's blueberry ale. They're located in the north bay in California and are under the same ownership as Moylan's. Hands down the best blueberry beer I've had. if you get a chance i recomened it.

[beer_bear]

The only problem I'm having now is locating blueberry extract. I'm still on the hunt but so far all I can find is the health food stores having it in capsule form. I know that there has to be some out there. I am about ready to use just the juice that I find at Wild Oats and just up the amount to see what happens. I would add it to the second carbouy right before I transfer to my keg. I hope that this is right. I don't need to get this brewed until Dec 28th or so. That's when my friends are coming in to brew with me. I'll keep looking until then. Thanks for the help.

[J.Brew]

Here you go boss...
http://store.thebeveragepeople.com/pgi-PRODUCTSPEC?FL25

It's my LHBS. I'd definetely add to the finished beer just before bottling/kegging. Remember Co2 will scrub out just a fraction of the flavor in my experience but always err on the side of too little...too much is a bitch. Kool-Aid beer anyone?