Brooklyn Brew Shop’s Cherry Hill Wheat with Chokecherry Substitute
Monday evening (October 12th), I commenced with the most recent project in my attempts at homebrewing.
It started out as “Cherry Hill Wheat,” from Brooklyn Brew Shop: http://brooklynbrewshop.com/beer-mak...hill-wheat-mix
For reference, here are the brewing instructions for this 1-gallon, all-grain mix: http://brooklynbrewshop.com/directio...structions.pdf
My original plan had been to make this with Flathead Cherries grown here in Montana, but unfortunately the crop that we got this year wasn't the best, so none of those cherries ever made it to me.
I was just about to go to the store and simply pick up a bag of cherries to use; however, while picking chokecherries with my son for syrup and wine, it occurred to me that these might work quite well with a wheat beer. Beyond that, the marriage of chokecherry and wheat in a beer would very nicely reflect my North Dakotan and Montanan heritage.
Those of you know have experience with chokecherries know that the extracted juice makes wonderful syrup with a unique flavor, quite different from the astringent quality that chokecherries have when eaten "straight off the tree." Taking that into account, I decided that this would be an experiment worth trying.
The brew went largely without incident, following the instructions as outlined above. As far as the chokecherries are concerned, there were some unknowns, as this is a bit of a departure from the instructions, with unique challenges that required thinking outside the box a little. The instructions advise adding 1 cup of pitted "regular" cherries with 2 minutes left in the boil; however, those with experience know that pitting chokecherries is kind of like herding cats - it just can't really be done in any practical way. With that in mind, I devised a plan that I hoped would be successful.
I took the chokecherries out of the freezer (a generous cup of whole chokecherries in a small ZipLock-type bag), put them in a small saucepan with half a cup of the same water I was using for brewing, and set them on the stove at low heat. Once the chokecherries were thawed and the water had heated a bit, they started to swell almost to the point of bursting. At this point, I shut off the heat and gently worked them over with a hand-held potato masher for a few minutes, then set them aside. Periodically throughout the brew, as I was able to, I took a few minutes to continue to mash the chokecherries further - always as gently as possible, so as not to crust the pits. I then added this mixture to my wort at the final 2 minutes of the boil. I caught a tiny sample of my "chokecherry mash" liquid as I was working them with the potato masher; the taste was wonderful: sweet, just a bit tart, with that beautiful chokecherry richness that has people collecting them by the bucketful at the end of summer.
This particular beer employs Fuggle hops, which are probably my favourite. This is an old, English hop that is primarily known for its aroma characteristics, which are earthy, woody and - for me - reminiscent of the grey, foggy morning when I picked these chokecherries with my youngest son during a drive in the mountains south of town. It was late summer, but the weather spoke of a cool, wet autumn day, and the leaves on the chokecherry bushes had already turned red and gold. If that image had a smell, it would - in my mind - be Fuggle hops.
The rest of the brew was uneventful; after the boil, I cooled the wort to below 70 degrees, then strained out the hops and macerated chokecherries and pitched the yeast. The beer is currently fermenting in our bedroom closet, where the temperatures are the most stable and "controllable." I checked on it Tuesday morning and this morning, and things seem to be going very well. Fermentation activity is a bit slow, but it is definitely happening. Tonight or possibly tomorrow, I will replace the blow-off tube with an airlock, and then leave it alone for about three weeks.
I am really looking forward to trying this creation, which incorporates an ingredient that is truly near and dear to me. In combination with the wheat beer, I think that the chokecherries are going to produce a great Montana-themed ale that will really be something special.
More as it happens, etc. &c….
Ron
Monday evening (October 12th), I commenced with the most recent project in my attempts at homebrewing.
It started out as “Cherry Hill Wheat,” from Brooklyn Brew Shop: http://brooklynbrewshop.com/beer-mak...hill-wheat-mix
For reference, here are the brewing instructions for this 1-gallon, all-grain mix: http://brooklynbrewshop.com/directio...structions.pdf
My original plan had been to make this with Flathead Cherries grown here in Montana, but unfortunately the crop that we got this year wasn't the best, so none of those cherries ever made it to me.
I was just about to go to the store and simply pick up a bag of cherries to use; however, while picking chokecherries with my son for syrup and wine, it occurred to me that these might work quite well with a wheat beer. Beyond that, the marriage of chokecherry and wheat in a beer would very nicely reflect my North Dakotan and Montanan heritage.
Those of you know have experience with chokecherries know that the extracted juice makes wonderful syrup with a unique flavor, quite different from the astringent quality that chokecherries have when eaten "straight off the tree." Taking that into account, I decided that this would be an experiment worth trying.
The brew went largely without incident, following the instructions as outlined above. As far as the chokecherries are concerned, there were some unknowns, as this is a bit of a departure from the instructions, with unique challenges that required thinking outside the box a little. The instructions advise adding 1 cup of pitted "regular" cherries with 2 minutes left in the boil; however, those with experience know that pitting chokecherries is kind of like herding cats - it just can't really be done in any practical way. With that in mind, I devised a plan that I hoped would be successful.
I took the chokecherries out of the freezer (a generous cup of whole chokecherries in a small ZipLock-type bag), put them in a small saucepan with half a cup of the same water I was using for brewing, and set them on the stove at low heat. Once the chokecherries were thawed and the water had heated a bit, they started to swell almost to the point of bursting. At this point, I shut off the heat and gently worked them over with a hand-held potato masher for a few minutes, then set them aside. Periodically throughout the brew, as I was able to, I took a few minutes to continue to mash the chokecherries further - always as gently as possible, so as not to crust the pits. I then added this mixture to my wort at the final 2 minutes of the boil. I caught a tiny sample of my "chokecherry mash" liquid as I was working them with the potato masher; the taste was wonderful: sweet, just a bit tart, with that beautiful chokecherry richness that has people collecting them by the bucketful at the end of summer.
This particular beer employs Fuggle hops, which are probably my favourite. This is an old, English hop that is primarily known for its aroma characteristics, which are earthy, woody and - for me - reminiscent of the grey, foggy morning when I picked these chokecherries with my youngest son during a drive in the mountains south of town. It was late summer, but the weather spoke of a cool, wet autumn day, and the leaves on the chokecherry bushes had already turned red and gold. If that image had a smell, it would - in my mind - be Fuggle hops.
The rest of the brew was uneventful; after the boil, I cooled the wort to below 70 degrees, then strained out the hops and macerated chokecherries and pitched the yeast. The beer is currently fermenting in our bedroom closet, where the temperatures are the most stable and "controllable." I checked on it Tuesday morning and this morning, and things seem to be going very well. Fermentation activity is a bit slow, but it is definitely happening. Tonight or possibly tomorrow, I will replace the blow-off tube with an airlock, and then leave it alone for about three weeks.
I am really looking forward to trying this creation, which incorporates an ingredient that is truly near and dear to me. In combination with the wheat beer, I think that the chokecherries are going to produce a great Montana-themed ale that will really be something special.
More as it happens, etc. &c….
Ron
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