Blueberry Rhubarb Kolsch

Seems like we're becoming a fruit beer homebrewery. The last three beers have incorporated fruit and this next one will feature fruit prominently. They have all come about by accident.

The Bumpkin (I guess pumpkin is a vegetable and not a fruit) happened because I never really cared for pumpkin beers and it seemed as though most pumpkin beers aren't even brewed with pumpkin. Turns out that it ended up being one of our better beers last year and we're planning on doing it again this fall. Brewing in a pumpkin kicked ass and I now like a handful of pumpkin beers. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXSwWQgy9Ds

The GingerNaut contained enough ginger to be considered a ginger beer or a ginger ale. Technically ginger is a root or a rhizome. Rhizomes are known for containing strong flavors. Hops plants are grown from rhizomes, hmm. Since it is a root it is considered to be a vegetable. Maybe we're becoming a vegetable brewery. This beer ended up being one of my favorites. It's a dry stout that finished like you've just eaten a ginger snap or a gingerbread cookie. People that don't like stouts or ginger should avoid this one at all costs.
http://youtu.be/R7GjpVURCPA

Next came the Green Tomato - Carrot Belgian. Green tomatoes are fruits but carrots are vegetables. This recipe read like a v-8 lable but it drinks like a Belgian golden. Turns out carrots and green tomatoes make for very cloudy beers. I love this one the most as of late. I think it's because it turned out completely different than anything I had expected. It tastes fruity but the tomatoes added a wonderful sour note. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNf3QDxI670&context=C3e61f2fADOEgsToPDskLmW2UJI2CYpfjcpOTjO68i

Now comes the beer we are planning on brewing this Monday. It all started when Richard Miley threw rhubarb into a cask of Hopsecutioner at Charlie Meers going away dinner. The tartness seemed to really mellow the hop bitterness and I was amazed at how much the rhubarb managed to shine through. The first thing that comes to my mind when I think of rhubarb is strawberry rhubarb pie. That would be the obvious recipe.

Richard ended up with a sizeable amount of rhubarb recently so we conspired to use it in a recipe. He also had a sizeable amount of local blueberries. *We used blueberries to make a porter over a year ago and I really liked the result. The only problem is that the blueberries hid behind the chocolate and coffee notes. Since then I have wanted to use blueberry's for another recipe with a lighter malt bill. This would allow the color and flavor to present itself better.

I started brewing Kolsches after last years Germany trip. It's a great base recipe for..., well the skies the limit. Oddly enough the Kolsch recipe has also been the local favorite. There can be a slight match head quality but it's always welcome and very subtle. So we are going to take this great base recipe and ramp it up with rhubarb and blueberries. I expect great things. The color should be crazy and the tartness form the rhubarb ought to play well with the bleuberries.

We'll post the results after Monday's brew session. This will be ready to drink by the spring and a light refreshing fruited beer sounds perfect for spring weather.

Cheers,
Cloudy