Harvey's Blue Beer

Classification: fruit beer, blueberry beer, all-grain

Source: Ron and Sharon Montefusco, (biohazrd@graceba.net), HBD Issue #2110, 7/17/96

Blueberry beer is a tradition in our household, we pick the berries, and craft the beer every summer.
Beware, the addition of the fruit will send the gravity into orbit so don't juke up the malt unless you want a barley blue beer. Fruit will increase the bitter finish so go light on the bittering hops.

Produces a beer with a blue head and hue and a distinctive blueberry flavor. Varies from season to season because of the quality and sweetness of the berries. This is my wife's favorite brew.

Ingredients:

5 1/2 lbs Hugh Baird Pale Malt
1/2 lb Crystal Malt
1 lb Wheat Malt
1/2 lb Corn Sugar
4 Cups Blueberries
1/2 oz Willamet Hops (boil)
1/4 oz Saaz Hops (10 minutes)
Yeast of your choice, Wyeast 1056 or Coopers Dry is preferred by us

Procedure:

Mash in 9 qts 140 F. water, raise to 152 F and convert for 90 minutes. Mash out 5 minutes at 168 F. Sparge with 5 gal. of 168 F acidified sparge water. Boil 60 min to 90 min or until volume adequately reduced. Mash berries with potato masher in bowl with corn sugar untill a pulpy mess. Add to hot wort when it has cooled to about 180 F and cover and let sit around 20 minutes, then chill as normal (we use an imersion chiller, berry bits could clog a counterflow) and ferment.