A different sort of Holiday ale. An American wheat ale brewed with whole cranberries, the zest and juice of naval oranges, crystallized ginger and toasted oats. Malts include German pilsner, wheat malt, and biscuit malt. I'll be spicing this ale with Hibiscus flowers for color and depth. With a sprinkle of whole leaf glacier hops at the beginning of boil for balance.
When I added the cranberries to the kettle they began to pop like a semi automatic toy rifle. This is my first time using cranberries in brewing. Started with whole fresh berries that I added to the freezer to break down the cell wall of the berry. Then let thaw and added to kettle with five minutes left in boil. Very interested to see how the tartness of the cranberries comes through.
I'd be interested to hear how this comes out/came out. Every time I've brewed with cranberries I've gotten and INCREDIBLE amount of astringency beyond what I would expect from just.. y'know... bitter cranberriness. It's possible I'm just using too much cranberry, but I don't use that much as it is!
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