Okay, I know this is a weird one but here goes…
My mom is participating in a breast cancer event and one of the things they try and do is keep everything about the event pink, including the food. So naturally she asked if I could make a pink beer. I thought of doing something with raspberries, maybe the raspberry wheat kit through NB, but my question is do the raspberries actually turn the beer pink (or red… close enough). I really don’t want to use food coloring if I can avoid it…
You’re on the right track with Raspberries.
There is a brewpub in Manayunk, in/near Philadelphia. http://www.manayunkbrewery.com/
They make a beer called Schuylkill Punch.
It’s NOT ruby; it’s pink. I doubt there is artificial color in it, because they wouldn’t choose that shade.
Personally, I thought the beer was just OK, but it is very accessable for those who are used lighter flavors like CoorMillerBud.
They did a one-off, they called Schuylkill Funk using the same recipe, but used Brett, instead of the regular yeast. THAT I loved, but don’t do that for a charity crowd.
I added natural cranberry juice concentrate to a wheat. In the correct proportion (that recquired some experimentation) it made a nice drinkable beer that was definitely a pink, but very natural color.
The concentrate came from Whole Foods, They also had pomegranite and cherry.
The nice thing was that it could be added after fermentation, and did not need any additional secondary aging. There is a very small amount of sugar but not very much at all. I suppose if bottling you might need to accomodate for that.
If I were to do it again I would include some 10L or 20L in the recipe to increase sweetness and highlight the fruit more, without too much color. I would have added lactose afterward but was afraid someone might not tolerate that well.
Blueberries even though they’re called blueberries will give a nice reddish color to beer.
McMenamins makes a “Ruby Ale” that uses raspberries and the color is not quite pink… but definitely on the right track.
Raspberries will work, but I think cranberry will get you even closer to a true pink.
A few beets could add A LOT of color, and maybe some fermentable sugar.
Magic Hat does a Beet beer, but it’s apparently pretty polarizing. People like it or hate it. It might be possible to just use enough that it acts as a natural food coloring without making the beet too beet-ish.
I know you dont want to but food coloring man will be quick and painless…and will actually be breast cancer pink
Last year I did a 1/2 batch of a cream ale(2.5G) with 2lb of Raspberries added to secondary.(I used frozen raspberries)
And, you bet, she’s pink. It’s actually quite pretty. It was not my favorite flavor, but it was a big hit with the female persuasion.
So, my vote is Raspberry! Add to something light- cream ale, wheat ale, maybe kolsch.
Hibiscus Flowers will make your beer pink, and will do so while pleasantly adding a floral aroma.
Thanks for all of the great ideas… I think the final verdict is going to be a raspberry wheat. I’m hoping for a lite, American style wheat fermented over the raspberry puree; something everyone will enjoy. The raspberry should give it at least a pinkish hue… and if not, then at least it will be pink in spirit.
