Trying a Pecan Brew

Hey everyone, I would like all you brewers out there to tell me what you think of this pecan recipe. I'm going to brew it today . Happy New Year!

5 gals water

Steep from the start until 165 degrees
1 lbs Honey Malt 20L
1/2 lbs Crystal 150L
1/2 lbs Carapils
1/2 lbs chopped Pecans (See below for Pecan preparation)
Remove grain bag and let drain

Add 6 lbs DME Pilsen Light

Bring to a boil and add hops:
1/2 oz Magnum @ 60 mins
1/4 oz Magnum @ 15 mins
1 Whirlfloc Tablet @ 15 mins
1 oz Tettnang @ 5 mins.

Cool wort to 70 Degrees and transfer to fermenter

Pitch yeast Safale S-04

Transfer to secondary fermenter after 4-5 days and ferment for 2 weeks@ 68 degrees.

Bottle and hopefully all is good.

Pecans are a pain to get rid of their oils. I chopped them and roasted 4 times for 10 mins at 350 degrees and placed equally in 3 lunch brown paper bags at each roasting to soak up the oil. I roasted 1 more time for 15 mins at 300 degrees and again placed in lunch bags.

Did you forget to write in the DME?

What style is this (roughly, ignoring the pecans)? Just curious. What are the IBUs you expect?

Oh crap Duh I forgot the 6 lbs of DME. See what happens on New Years morning, the brain is still in 2013.

Expect 42 IBU
OG 1.055
FG 1.018

One pound of honey malt is a lot in my opinion. I think the beer could become cloying with that much. With the other pound of crystal malt, this will be very sweet! I'd drop the honey malt to 8 oz max.

I'm not really sure about the pecans...never added nuts into a beer before.

Hops look ok, I think I'd get rid of the second magnum addition as it's not really known for its flavor additions, but rather it's clean bitterness.

Sounds interesting.

DocScott said:

One pound of honey malt is a lot in my opinion. I think the beer could become cloying with that much. With the other pound of crystal malt, this will be very sweet! I'd drop the honey malt to 8 oz max.

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Actually I did an Imperial "Pecan Pie" Stout with 2 lbs of Honey Malt, 2 lbs of Crystal 60L and 1 lb of Crystal 120L. It fermented from 1.090 down to 1.020 and wasn't cloyingly sweet. I even had 8 oz of Malto-Dextrin in the boil and 4 oz of Lactose at bottling. If anything I needed more sweetness to make the beer like a pecan pie.

That being said you might fair a little differently with a lower OG.

I'm getting ready now to brew it, the only thing that scares me is I am still getting a little oil from the pecans even though I have roasted them 5 times. I hope it works.

BroncoBeer said:

I'm getting ready now to brew it, the only thing that scares me is I am still getting a little oil from the pecans even though I have roasted them 5 times. I hope it works.

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I'm by NO means an expert, but I've always read any kind of oil in a beer is a bad thing. Oils tend to go rancid, and doesn't mix, obviously, with the beer. I know you've roasted the pecans to remove oil, but I'd guess its unlikely you got all of it. I'd caution you to find another method to find the pecan flavor you're after? Perhaps an alcohol-based extract in secondary? Like I said, in a beginner myself. Just my $.02.

MWM777 said:

I'm by NO means an expert, but I've always read any kind of oil in a beer is a bad thing. Oils tend to go rancid, and doesn't mix, obviously, with the beer. I know you've roasted the pecans to remove oil, but I'd guess its unlikely you got all of it. I'd caution you to find another method to find the pecan flavor you're after? Perhaps an alcohol-based extract in secondary? Like I said, in a beginner myself. Just my $.02.

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Yes I've heard the same thing, I've toyed with the idea of soaking pecans in a quart jar with Vodka and introducing the liquid only in the secondary. That will be my second try if first try here flops.

BroncoBeer said:

Yes I've heard the same thing, I've toyed with the idea of soaking pecans in a quart jar with Vodka and introducing the liquid only in the secondary. That will be my second try if first try here flops.

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From reading several other threads regarding a pecan beer (when I was designing mine) both processes were used. I know that Clown Shoes uses roasted pecans in the secondary in their Genghis Pecan beer. I chose the cheater's route and went with a pecan extract at bottling from Austin Homebrew Supply. I'm happy with the results.

Travestian said:

From reading several other threads regarding a pecan beer (when I was designing mine) both processes were used. I know that Clown Shoes uses roasted pecans in the secondary in their Genghis Pecan beer. I chose the cheater's route and went with a pecan extract at bottling from Austin Homebrew Supply. I'm happy with the results.

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I'm learning it's impossible to get all the oil out of the pecans, I'm hoping that there isn't enough oil left in them to ruin the brew. I roasted them again (6th time now) at 300 degrees with paper towels under them. I roasted for 12 mins and more oil was present, so back in the paper bags they went and in 3 hrs I will start. Suggestions??

What about an extract instead? Safe, and you'll get the same flavors. I've done a hazelnut brown ale this way.

MWM777 said:

What about an extract instead? Safe, and you'll get the same flavors. I've done a hazelnut brown ale this way.

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Because I have three big beautiful Pecan Trees at my house that needs use.

I recently did a nut roll brown ale with a tincture of ground walnuts in vodka. The vodka pulls the oils from the nuts and results in a spot on sweet nut flavor after a month. But the process is pulling the oils which killed the beer head. The flavor was right and the beer is carbonated, but very little head. The oils don't mix but the flavor is dispersed. I used about an ounce per gallon.

I didn't have any off flavors over time from this method.

BroncoBeer said:

Because I have three big beautiful Pecan Trees at my house that needs use.

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I love pecan pie.........

How did this go yesterday?

BroncoBeer said:

Suggestions??

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Take a look at this thread to see if it lends any help with the pecans. I've had Gingers Pecan Porter, and it's awesome.

Whut said:

Take a look at this thread to see if it lends any help with the pecans. I've had Gingers Pecan Porter, and it's awesome.

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I just found my next brew... Right after the other 3 I just bought ingredients for

Travestian said:

How did this go yesterday?

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I'm not sure yet. Granted this is only my second brew so I sure am green. I had a cloudy yellowish stuff suspended in the wort, it appeared to be particles of some sort clumped together. When I transferred to the fermenter it did settle. My targeted OG was 1.055 but it was 1.060. But the fermentation is going like crazy.

The floaties were probably what is called cold break material. Coagulating proteins. All is normal!

Weezy said:

The floaties were probably what is called cold break material. Coagulating proteins. All is normal!

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After researching I think you're right. I feel better now

here's the tincture. I filtered it through a coffee filter in a funnel:



It looks like the baking idea, if hot enough, will essentially burn off the oils. Probably the best option, as long as you want some roast flavor too. After reading some more, there's another step to be done on the tincture process. Freeze it! The oils, which do float, will freeze and can be scraped off the top.

Weezy said:

here's the tincture. I filtered it through a coffee filter in a funnel:

It looks like the baking idea, if hot enough, will essentially burn off the oils. Probably the best option, as long as you want some roast flavor too. After reading some more, there's another step to be done on the tincture process. Freeze it! The oils, which do float, will freeze and can be scraped off the top.

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If I like this batch I will try this next time. Thanks

OK I racked the brew into the secondary. The Aroma and taste is really nice. The Gravity at time of racking was 1.016. My target was 1.018. I'll live with that. I will check again in two weeks.

OK I bottled my Pecan American Ale. I had the first bottle tonight. It was incredible. I will not tweak this recipe at all. I'm a very happy camper right now

BroncoBeer said:

OK I bottled my Pecan American Ale. I had the first bottle tonight. It was incredible. I will not tweak this recipe at all. I'm a very happy camper right now

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How was the head retention? Any worries about not enough pecan flavor? Please give detailed tasting notes. I'm anxious to find out!!

Travestian said:

How was the head retention? Any worries about not enough pecan flavor? Please give detailed tasting notes. I'm anxious to find out!!

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I was worried about the head retention as well. The added carapils retained a beautiful frothy head. At first taste the beer has a wonderful bitterness (40 IBU) followed by a sweetness of the pecans. Clarity was perfect. Like I said I wont change a thing to this recipe.

I am roasting pecans for a brew at the moment and just finish the 3rd 15 minute roast and I haven't gotten very much oil out of them so far and they seem to be getting pretty dark I don't want to burn them


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Whut said:

Take a look at this thread to see if it lends any help with the pecans. I've had Gingers Pecan Porter, and it's awesome.

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I've also had Ginger's brew, and made a pecan porter which I nearly copied to a T from his recipe. It's great!

No oil extraction or tincture making required. I crushed and roasted shelled pecans in the oven until I could start smelling them roast. It didn't take much roasting at all. Great flavor and perfect head.