Boysenberry Crème Blonde Ale

Boysenberry Crème Blonde Ale

(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain) 
OG = 1.065  FG = 1.024
IBU = 15  SRM = 5   ABV = 5%

This fruit beer straddles the line between decadent and quaffable. The OG and SRM are for the base beer. The FG and ABV include the impact of the fruit addition. 

Ingredients
4.9 lbs. (2.2 kg) Golden Promise pale ale malt 
4 lbs. (1.8 kg) 2-row brewer’s malt
0.5 lb. (0.23 kg) light Munich malt (6 °L)
0.5 lb. (0.23 kg) pale wheat malt
2 lbs. (0.9 kg) lactose (30 min.)
4.3 AAU Cascade hops (60 min.) (0.6 oz./17 g at 7.2% alpha acids)
5 lbs. (2.3 kg) frozen boysenberries
1 Madagascar vanilla bean
1⁄2 tsp. yeast nutrient (10 min.)
White Labs WLP002 (English Ale), Wyeast 1968 (London ESB Ale), or LalBrew London ESB Ale yeast 
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step
Mill the grains and dough-in, targeting a mash of ~1.5 quarts of water per pound of grain (3.1 L/kg) and a temperature of 150 °F (66 °C). Hold the mash at 150 °F (66 °C) for 60 minutes. Mash out or begin recirculation, then sparge with enough water to yield a total volume of 5 gallons (19 L) of post-boil wort.

Boil for 60 minutes, adding hops, lactose, and yeast nutrient at indicated times remaining. Chill the wort to 66 °F (19 °C) and transfer to a sanitized fermenter. Oxygenate thoroughly.

Pitch yeast and ferment at 66 °F (19 °C) until gravity has stabilized, or nearly so. Thaw and crush the boysenberries. Split and chop the vanilla bean. Rack beer into a secondary fermenter, on top of the boysenberries and vanilla bean. Alternatively, add the boysenberries and chopped vanilla bean to the primary fermenter, avoiding splashing.

Ferment for about a week at 70 °F (21 °C), or until the sugars in the fruit are fermented out.

Package and carbonate the beer to 2.5 volumes of CO₂.  

Boysenberry Crème Blonde Ale

(5 gallons/19 L, partial mash)
OG = 1.065  FG = 1.024
IBU = 15  SRM = 5   ABV = 5%

Ingredients
4.8 lbs. (2.2 kg) extra light dried malt extract
0.5 lb. (0.23 kg) light Munich malt (6 °L)
0.5 lb. (0.23 kg) pale wheat malt
2 lbs. (0.9 kg) lactose (30 min.)
4.3 AAU Cascade hops (60 min.) (0.6 oz./17 g at 7.2% alpha acids)
5 lbs. (2.3 kg) frozen boysenberries
1 Madagascar vanilla bean
1⁄2 tsp. yeast nutrient (10 min.)
White Labs WLP002 (English Ale), Wyeast 1968 (London ESB Ale), or LalBrew London ESB Ale yeast 
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step
Mill the grains and conduct a partial mash with about 2 quarts (1.9 L) of water and a mash temperature of 150 °F (66 °C). Hold the mash at 150 °F (66 °C) for 60 minutes. Wash the grains with 2 qts. (2 L) of hot water, then add enough water to yield a total volume of 5 gallons (19 L) of post-boil wort.

Raise to a boil, remove the kettle from the heat, and stir in the dried malt extract. Return to a boil. Boil for 60 minutes. Follow the remainder of the all-grain recipe.

Tips For Success:
•If boysenberries are not available, raspberries are a good substitute.

•If controlling mash chemistry, target a pH of about 5.4.

•Because of the large amount of lactose, expect the specific gravity to be near 1.027 when it’s time to add the boysenberries and vanilla. 

•Spritz the vanilla bean with Star San solution before splitting and chopping.