Dragon Fruit Berliner Weisse with Glitter

Halloween Beer
Halloween Beer

I figured I should post about my Halloween beer before it’s Thanksgiving. This beer took 3rd place in the Prairie Homebrewing Companions Hoppy Halloween competition in the “Halloween theme beer” category.

The blood of a unicorn will keep you alive, even if you are an inch from death, but at a terrible price. You have slain something pure and defenceless to save yourself, and you will have but a half-life, a cursed life, from the moment the blood touches your lips.

– Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone1

The basic recipe is Milk the Funk’s Berliner Weissbier with a handful of tricks.

Recipe

Stats

  • OG: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
  • FG: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
  • IBU (Tensith): 10.7
  • Batch Size: 6 Gallons
  • Boil Time: 105 Minutes

Fermentables

Ingredient Amount % When
Weyermann® Pilsner 8 lbs 70 Mash
Weyermann® Pale Wheat 3.5 lbs 30 Mash

Hops

Variety Alpha Amount IBU Form Time
Lemon Drop 5.5 % 2.00 oz. 10.7 Loose Pellet 60 min

Yeast

Strain Amount Starter
Vanilla Chamomile GoodBelly 4 packs N/A
Imperial Citrus 1 pack Nope

Steps

2018-09-26 – Mash day

  1. Collect 15 gallons carbon-filtered Longmont tap water
  2. Add all grains to a mesh bag and throw into kettle to create mash in with 11.3 gallons of strike water @ 152°F in kettle
  3. Mash temp 150°F
  4. Add 3mL of 88% lactic acid, 1.5 tsp of gypsum, 0.5 tsp CaCl2 – mash ph 5.83.
  5. Remove malt, boil 15 minutes
  6. Chill to 111°F
  7. Add 12mL 88% lactic acid and 4x vanilla chamomile GoodBelly shots to kettle, cover with plastic wrap, bungee cord a hot pad to it to keep >75°F for 4 days
Kettle wrapped with hotpad
Kettle wrapped with hotpad

2018-09-30 – boiling day

  1. After 4 days, boil for 90 minutes (because you did your calculations all wrong because you don’t do this very much and you need to boil-off A LOT!)
  2. Preboil pH: 3.54
  3. 10 minute: Add 1 tsp Wyeast Brewer’s Choice Nutrient
  4. 2 minute: Add 1 tablet whirlfloc
  5. Chill to 68°F with hydra
  6. Collect 5.5 Gallons wort
  7. Pitch with 1 pack Imperial Citrus (2018-08-09 mfg date)

2018-10-06 – fruiting day

  1. Add 6lbs partially thawed frozen tropical medley (strawberry, blueberry, mango), and 1lb frozen dragon fruit puree, this will drop temp to 57°F, panic briefly, shrug and walk away instead.

2018-10-21 – Yak shaving Bottling day

Finished bottle
Finished bottle
  1. Add 4x jars of CK Products Super Pearl Edible Luster dust to the keg
  2. Counter-pressure fill a few Bormioli Rocco Fiaschetta bottles.
  3. Be amazed:
Weeeeeeeeeeee

  1. http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Unicorn_blood↩