Peanut Butter Brown Ale

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Torchiest

Torchiest

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I'm going to be brewing a brown ale in a couple weeks, and I plan on adding peanut butter to the boil. I've been playing around with the recipe, and I think I've settled on one, but I'm not 100% on the specialty grains and the hops. I was thinking I'd want to go easy on the flavor and aroma hop additions, in order to avoid too much conflict with the peanut butter, but I'm not sure. If anyone has tried this, pointers would be appreciated.

6.00 lb Pale Liquid Extract (8.0 SRM) Extract 70.6 %
1.00 lb Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain 11.8 %
1.00 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 80L (80.0 SRM) Grain 11.8 %
0.50 lb Chocolate Malt (350.0 SRM) Grain 5.9 %
0.75 oz Target [11.00%] (20 min) Hops 16.3 IBU
0.25 oz Target [11.00%] (0 min) (Aroma Hop-Steep) Hops -
16.00 oz Dried Peanut Butter (Boil 30.0 min) Misc
 
Torchiest said:
I'm going to be brewing a brown ale in a couple weeks, and I plan on adding peanut butter to the boil. I've been playing around with the recipe, and I think I've settled on one, but I'm not 100% on the specialty grains and the hops. I was thinking I'd want to go easy on the flavor and aroma hop additions, in order to avoid too much conflict with the peanut butter, but I'm not sure. If anyone has tried this, pointers would be appreciated.

6.00 lb Pale Liquid Extract (8.0 SRM) Extract 70.6 %
1.00 lb Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain 11.8 %
1.00 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 80L (80.0 SRM) Grain 11.8 %
0.50 lb Chocolate Malt (350.0 SRM) Grain 5.9 %
0.75 oz Target [11.00%] (20 min) Hops 16.3 IBU
0.25 oz Target [11.00%] (0 min) (Aroma Hop-Steep) Hops -
16.00 oz Dried Peanut Butter (Boil 30.0 min) Misc
Click to expand...

Sounds interesting.. the hop additions you have there sound to me like they'll give significant flavor and aroma, if it were me I might increase the time the hops were boiled, and decrease the amount to match the bitterness you want. That dark crystal sounds like it would compliment the peanut butter well. How are you going to deal with the pnut butter oil? Or is a no head beer just a cost you're going to bear? :)
 
Yeah, I'm a bit concerned about the short hop boil. I was considering going with EKG or Fuggles, and going 40-60 minutes. Target in my oatmeal stout was awesome though. As for the peanut oil, I've been slowing pouring off the oil from a jar of peanut butter I've had for about a month and half now. Every few days I open it up and pour off the settled oil. I'm making progress, and I think I'm going to try wrapping it in cheesecloth or something to sponge off the rest of the oil in a week or two. I'm sure there will still be some oil in it when it comes time to brew, but I've been able to spoon out the oil on top of a boil with cocoa powder before, so I think I can do that again. That's also why I'm using carapils and crystal, to try and get more head retention.
 
What are you hoping to get from the peanut butter?

I'm guessing peanut flavour.
If that's the case why not use ground peanuts but leave the butter out.
I'm not sure I'd want a peanut flavoured beer.
 
Peanuts still have the oil in them. Natural peanut butter is just ground peanuts anyway, and I can't really think of an easier way to get the oil out besides just draining it slowly over time.
 
I don't know if it would make a difference, but many "natural" peanut butter would work? They don't have the stabilizers and such in them, and the oil tends to separate to the top of the jar. This is the type of peanut butter I buy, and if one doesn't stir the oil in real well, the peanut butter near the bottom of the jar tends to be rather dry and crumbly.
 
Yeah, that's what I've got. The oil keeps settling to the top, and I pour the layer of it off every few days. I've probably poured off a tablespoon or so of oil at this point.
 
The other alternative is de-fatted peanut meal. Some healthfood stores carry it.
 
I made a Peanut Butter Porter at the beginning of the year and it has been, hands-down, the most re-brew request I have ever had.
I used the all-natural PB, and dumped out the oil. Be prepared to rack a few times (or extremely careful at bottling) as the oil will float to the top.
You will have NO head on the beer. It dissipates in an instant. But it smells awesome and tastes like a nut brown ale. Reminds me of roasted peanuts at Fenway.

Here is my recipe (extract):
5lbs. Pale Liquid Malt
1 lb. Crystal 60L
8oz Black Patent
10oz Chocolate Malt
4oz Roasted Barley
6oz de-oiled PB
London Ale Yeast
2oz Fuggle
- 1oz Fugs + 4oz PB @ 60min
- 1/2oz Fugs + 2oz PB @ 30min
- 1/2oz Fugs @ 15min

I'm debating using a chocolate liqueur next time and go for that whole reeses thing... unless you can ferment Fluff....
 
I changed my hop schedule to:

1oz EKG 60mins 15.7 IBU
1oz Fuggles 10mins

That recipe looks pretty stout, no pun intended. I keep hearing horror stories about black patent having an ashy taste, and to use it in only small small amounts. I bet the London Ale yeast would be great for my recipe though. I hadn't picked out a yeast yet, but that seems like the perfect choice.
 

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