In April I moved from extract brewing to all grain, and the beer I made was this Blueberry Wheat Ale. It’s based on Northern Brewer’s American Wheat Beer kit, with 2 ounces of Blueberry Extract added.
But I goofed.
Being my first attempt at all grain I don’t mind that it didn’t come out as planned, as long as I learn from it. Here are my mistakes, in case they help you as well:
- Due to a brew pot which was too small, I only boiled 4 gallons of wort. I then topped it off with water to get to 5 gallons (being used to doing this from extract brewing) and then after that I took the specific gravity and found it too high. I immediately realized how I had just diluted the wort. I recently ordered this 8 Gal Brewing Kettle for the next brew day, which should be in another couple weeks.
- I sparged too quickly. I don’t remember how long it took, but between letting it run too fast and the issue above I ended up with just a 1.25% ABV when bottled. I’m going to slow that down and pull 5.5-6 gallons in around 40-60 minutes for the next batch.
The flavor of the beer is also a little off. It’s drinkable, but weak. I’m definitely looking forward to making this beer again to see how it should really taste, but I think the next one will be a Pumpkin Ale. The pumpkin beer season is coming and I want that one to be ready!
So here we have my weekly photo – the Blueberry Wheat Ale. Some frozen blueberries were added to the glass before the pour.
Weekly Photo – Blueberry Wheat Ale
