Adding blueberries for color only

[fnffishcore]

This weekend I'm planning on brewing my seasonal Baltimore Ravens themed beer. Over the last couple years I've been trying to yield a beer that is purple in color, and last year I got pretty damn close using a combination of reddish grains and blueberries. The one thing I wanted to improve upon this year though is to ferment out as much blueberry flavor as possible.

(Side note - I know I could make this easier by simply using food coloring, but I don't want to have to worry about staining kegs, lines, glassware, peoples' teeth, etc. Trying to keep it au naturel!)

I unfortunately lost all of my beer recipes after upgrading my phone and not backing up the database in iBrewMaster 2, so I'm going by memory here... But last year I pureed frozen blueberries and, I believe, added them to primary. I forget the exact amount and at what stage in primary. This year I was going to do the same but rather than puree, perhaps just mash the blueberries first. I'm also giving serious consideration to adding the blueberries during the boil at some point instead. I believe adding to boil would kill off the most flavor, and I'm fine with the risk of pectin haze.

So I'm just looking for opinions here, I guess. If I add to the boil, at what point? Should the frozen blueberries be pureed, mashed, thrown in whole? Again, I just want to extract as much color as possible, and as little flavor as possible. Thanks in advance!

 

[bfish]

I would go with blackberries or beet juice, both add much more color per volume.

 

[Kent88]

I think that kitchenaid mixers have an attachment where you put fruit in and the pulp comes out one spot and the skins come out another. Maybe do that and just try putting in blueberry skins? I've read that the skins give most of the color, and it would be low on moisture and fermentable sugar (keeping it from ending up like a weak dry wine). Not sure how much flavor they impart.

Wanted to make some crack about the ravens, but there is a thread elsewhere specifically for football smack talk. Besides, it isn't like you're a packers or 'aints* fan.

 

[Calder]

Mash them, and strain thru a course strainer and just add the skins.

 

[kh54s10]

I tried to make a blue beer. All that I could get was green! Started with a blue dye made by boiling down red cabbage. Food dye didn't help either.

Yellow and blue = green. Red and blue will get purple. I have to try that some time.

 

[fnffishcore]

Thanks for the replies everybody!

I would go with blackberries or beet juice, both add much more color per volume.

Blackberries are a great idea, I may have to reconsider blueberries. I'd just be nervous that the tart and bitterness would be present, but maybe not if I throw them in during the boil.

Wanted to make some crack about the ravens, but there is a thread elsewhere specifically for football smack talk. Besides, it isn't like you're a packers or 'aints* fan.

Haha, thanks for reconsidering. You are far better than the Redskins fans around here who like to trash the Ravens for some reason

Mash them, and strain thru a course strainer and just add the skins.

Hmmm, that's a good idea. I wonder if the skins would require more time in the boil or fermenter to fully extract color though?

 

[TandemTails]

You could also try throwing dried hibiscus in the mash or boil. The color is awesome but not much flavor comes through if you do it at the beginning of fermentation.

 

[fnffishcore]

You could also try throwing dried hibiscus in the mash or boil. The color is awesome but not much flavor comes through if you do it at the beginning of fermentation.

A while back I actually brewed Austin Homebrew's Pink IPA, which uses hibiscus to get the pink color. It was pretty but nowhere near the blue color I'd need. I don't know anything about plants though so maybe there's a blue/purple variation of hibiscus I could use.