Bourbon Pecan Pie Ale

[KingBrianI]

I'm trying to develop a beer that is as close to pecan pie in a bottle as is possible. I've read many of the other threads on pecan beer and it seems like even though Lazy Magnolia seems to have good success mashing the pecans, everyone who tried that technique seemed to think the pecan flavor was lacking. So I'm going a completely different route. I'm soaking the fresh-roasted pecans in some Maker's Mark for about a month and adding that to secondary. I actually got that soaking tonight. I dry-roasted about a pound of the pecan pieces at 350 for probably 15-20 minutes. They were very fragrant and starting to hiss a little. I then promptly dumped them into a mason jar half-filled with Maker's Mark. That hissed a sputtered a bit and made a wonderful aroma. I then topped them off with some more Maker's Mark and closed it up. After about a month I'm going to filter out the pecans and add a half a vanilla bean to the bourbon, and after a few more days add that to the beer in secondary. I'm still throwing around ideas for the grain bill though. Here's what I have so far.

OG 1.054
IBU 20
SRM 18

8 lbs. maris otter
1 lbs british crystal 45
0.75 lbs torrified wheat
0.25 lbs aromatic
0.25 lbs carafa III (dehusked)

northern brewer hops at 90 minutes to 20 IBU

ferment with wy1968 cold in hopes of maintaing a bit of diacetyl for a butterscotchy character.

The maris otter should give me a light toastiness and rich maltiness to take care of the crust flavor. The wheat should help out there along with increasing the body and head retention (which may be somewhat hurt by the pecan oils). The crystal 45 should give a nice sweet caramel flavor without imparting any dark fruit/raisin. The aromatic should give the whole thing a bit more depth and richness and the carafa III is there for color and perhaps will round out the aroma a bit. I'm going back and forth on adding a bit of molasses to the boil. I'm leaning towards no right now. The 1968 is great for creating a malty beer and if not allowed to warm it will also lend a bit of butterscotch flavor that should work well to simulate the gooey inside of the pie. So what do you guys think? Is there anything else I'm missing that would help this thing taste like pie in a bottle?

 

[Dr_Gordon_Freeman]

this sounds absolutely delicious.

 

[KingBrianI]

this sounds absolutely delicious.

I'm glad you think so. I hope it turns out as good as I'm imagining it. There were some pecans that didn't fit in the mason jar so I'm snacking on them right now and they're wonderful. The developed a bit of sweetness when roasted and their flavor really came out. I hope these flavors make it to the final beer!

 

[erock2112]

keep us posted, for sure.

 

[Dr_Gordon_Freeman]

are you worried about the oil from the pecans spoiling the brew? (oil kills head retention right?) The other thread on pecan ale that I read mentioned drying them in paper bags/towels to soak up the oil.

 

[KingBrianI]

are you worried about the oil from the pecans spoiling the brew? (oil kills head retention right?) The other thread on pecan ale that I read mentioned drying them in paper bags/towels to soak up the oil.

It does worry me a bit but even if the beer had no head retention at all I wouldn't consider it "spoiled". When I dumped the hot pecan pieces into the bourbon a bunch of oil immediately floated to the top. So hopefully once I filter out the pecans, I'll be able to separate the oil off the top and eliminate it. Even if a little does get in the beer though, it won't be the end of the world. This beer is for a competition though, so it would be nice if it had good head retention.

The competition is actually for southern experimental beers or local agriculture beers. My first thought was to make a red velvet ale! But after not being able to figure out how the heck I would get the cream cheese frosting flavor, I decided pecan pie beer was better.

 

[eggbeater59]

subscribed. definitely interested in hearing how this turns out. this would be a fun little treat to have on the side, if successful. best of luck to ye!

 

[leghorn]

My MIL make an incredible chocolate bourbon pecan pie at Thanksgiving - have you put any thought into adding some chocolate?

 

[KingBrianI]

My MIL make an incredible chocolate bourbon pecan pie at Thanksgiving - have you put any thought into adding some chocolate?

That sounds really good but for this competition I want to go really traditional. If it turns out well, I may have to make it again in the future with some chocolate and darker malts.

 

[KingBrianI]

Holy!! I took a gravity sample of this to see how it's coming and it tasted really good, but maybe not quite sweet enough. It even had a lot of the crust and caramelly flavors of a pecan pie. So I decided to see what it would taste like once I added some of the bourbon-pecan extract and a little vanilla. So I dipped a fork into the bourbon and stirred it with the gravity sample, then I dipped a fork into a little vanilla extract and mixed it in with the gravity sample. The result was crazy! It seriously tasted just like the crust part of a pecan pie where a little of the mix got up on it and got really caramelized and sticky during baking. It was uncanny. I'm totally stoked. I'm racking the beer to secondary today onto some gelatin. I should be getting the vanilla beans I ordered from beanilla this coming week so I'll add a half of one of those beans to the bourbon I just separated from the pecans and let it extract for about a week before adding it to taste to secondary. I'm really happy with the way this is coming out. Before tasting it with the bourbon/pecan/vanilla, I was thinking about adding some lactose to sweeten it up, but after tasting it all together, it was perfect!

 

[Guidry]

Subscribed and am awaiting the finished opinion. Might have to give this one a shot for a fall brew, but I will have to substitute with Jack Daniels.

 

[jessup]

i really like this idea too! def keep us posted on the finished product because i can totally see myself replicating this recipe. cudos:cross:

 

[kinkothecarp]

ugh. this sounds strange. and good. is there any other commercial pecan beers?

 

[KingBrianI]

ugh. this sounds strange. and good. is there any other commercial pecan beers?

Lazy Magnolia makes Southern Pecan, Abita makes Pecan Harvest and a couple of others I've not heard of show up on Beer Advocate. I've had the Southern Pecan and the pecan is noticable but very subtle. It's a really good beer though. From the taste I had of mine with a little of the pecan liquor mixed in, the pecan is much more upfront in this beer.

 

[BrewNinja1]

Man, this made me want some pie really bad. Subscribing so I can find out the end result!

 

[Guidry]

Bumping to find out if there is any news on this brew

 

[KingBrianI]

I bottled it a week or two ago. I'll proabably chill a bottle to test this weekend. I'll give a flavor update then. At bottling the vanilla was a little strong and the pecan a little subdued, so hopefully they switch strengths a little bit during carbing/conditioning/aging.

 

[cyraxx]

Lazy Magnolia makes Southern Pecan, Abita makes Pecan Harvest and a couple of others I've not heard of show up on Beer Advocate. I've had the Southern Pecan and the pecan is noticable but very subtle. It's a really good beer though. From the taste I had of mine with a little of the pecan liquor mixed in, the pecan is much more upfront in this beer.

Also, 512 Whiskey Barrel Aged Double Pecan Porter is supposed to be delicious. I haven't had the pleasure of trying that, however.

Looking back, from your gravity samples, do you wish you would have added any molasses or brown sugar? With the bourbon-vanilla-pecan extract, how similar was the flavor to the actual pie?

 

[KingBrianI]

Also, 512 Whiskey Barrel Aged Double Pecan Porter is supposed to be delicious. I haven't had the pleasure of trying that, however.

Looking back, from your gravity samples, do you wish you would have added any molasses or brown sugar? With the bourbon-vanilla-pecan extract, how similar was the flavor to the actual pie?

I'll have a better idea of whether or not I should have added molasses once I taste the final product, but from the sample, I don't think it needed it at all. At bottling, the vanilla aroma and flavor were a little strong, and the pecan aroma and flavor were less than I would have liked. I'll know more about how that balance is when I taste a carbed and chilled bottle. Hopefully the vanilla mellows a little as it ages, and maybe the pecan will come out a little. It wasn't as similar tasting to the real pie as the sample where I mixed a little vanilla extract and pecan bourbon in the glass though. The bourbon was very subdued. We'll see if it comes out a little more with the bottle I'll test this weekend.

 

[danweasel]

This inspires me. I Think I am going to make a pecan pie and put it in my blender with a fifth of Jim Beam. It will be like a meal replacement shake for men!

Actually I just wanted to subscribe.

 

[SevenFields]

How much pecans & Bourbon did you use?

 

[KingBrianI]

How much pecans & Bourbon did you use?

I put some of the bourbon in a quart mason jar, added as many toasted pecan pieces as would fit, then topped up with more bourbon. So a bunch of both basically. The only problem is that the damn pecans stole a lot of the bourbon. After straining out the bourbon and skimming off the oil, I only had about a cup of the bourbon left. I think if I did it again, I would only half fill the jar with pecan pieces. That way there is more bourbon per unit of pecan so maybe I'd get a better extraction and I wouldn't have as much bourbon stolen. I'd also probably let it go about 2 months before taking the bourbon off the pecans.

I didn't let the pecans go to waste though, I made up a batch of caramel sauce and mixed it with half the pecans. Makes a nice, but very rich, ice cream topper.

 

[KingBrianI]

Well, I chilled one and cracked it open.... The news isn't good. It currently doesn't resemble pecan pie in the least. Hopefully it will get better with age. I do have a few concerns:

1. It's overcarbed. I have this problem sometimes with 1968 when bottling. It appears to have finished attenuating only to kick back up when bottled. I think it is so flocculant that it stalls in the fermenter and the act of bottling kicks up enough yeast that it starts up again.

2. It may have been oxidized when bottling. I was using a new autosiphon (because I broke the old one in a fit of rage when it was sucking bubbles through the gasket). This one did it even worse. ****ing goddamn autosiphons. I was able to quickly sanitize a cup, collect some of the beer, and pour it into the autosiphon so it would be sucked in instead of air, but I think the damage was done. I'm holding out hope that it just needs some more conditioning though.

So it is more dry now than it was. And a high carbonation only enhances that perception. That is anti-pecan pie.

I'm tasting what I'm attributing to oxidation though maybe it is just how this beer tastes before being conditioned properly. It IS still very young.

The vanilla that was a little overpowering at bottling? Well it's vanished. Oh, so has any trace of pecan flavor. There is a bit of a smoky aftertaste I'm attributing to the bourbon, but no "bourbon" flavor to speak of.

I'm disappointed. Maybe it will turn around with a little age. I hope so. As it is, it's not bad. It's actually a little "dubbelish". But it's not pecan pie ale. Not right now. I'll give it a couple more weeks and try it again.

Sorry for the bad news.

 

[KingBrianI]

Oh, the good news:

Head retention is excellent!:cross:

So much for the oils destroying it.

 

[djspray]

So the next question for all who are following...who's gonna take this experience and run with it. If I didn't have my next two batches of grains sitting in my kitchen...

 

[jessup]

Oh, the good news: Head retention is excellent!:cross: So much for the oils destroying it.

with this said i might try this one with a slightly different approach. i don't know what that approach will be, but i there are so many options to choose from to give the flavors we're shooting for - toasted pecans, pecan extract?, the aforementioned molasses, homemade candy sugar w/ dark karo, vanilla beans, maybe edinburgh yeast, and something to give the crust flavor.....in radical brewing there's a gingerbread ale which gives a specific balance of spices for the pie crust taste. perhaps i can re-wet my barrel w bourbon and oak age it to get add'l vanilla and bourbon flavors right from the barrel

 

[HawkDriver]

This looks like a project worth working on... I'm definitely in love with the idea of this beer! I like beer, pecan pie, bourbon, bourbon pecan pie... What could be better?

I wonder if maybe another way to approach this in the face of the flavor issues above is taking a look at what goes in a good pecan pie? I may be forced to conduct some "statistical sampling" of pies, for research purposes of course.

The other question is what style of beer would be good as the base? Starting with the pecan ales was a great idea, but it may have overlooked some other ways to approach this project. Perhaps something nutty like a northern brown ale, or something smooth like a cream ale?

I'll be sure to add beer varieties to the pie "study" and maybe find a good pairing in the process.

 

[ACESFULL]

Any other ideas on how to make this better. I was thinking about doing something like this as well for the winter. Maybe a warmer/spice beer. Would love any ideas on how to get the pecan flavor out of the nuts with the rest.

 

[beaverbrewing]

I own a small nano-brewery, Beaver Brewing Company, in Western PA and I have just released a Pecan Pie Nut Brown and it is becoming one of the most popular beers at the brewery. Glad to see that people are trying new and exciting beers! I like to offer help when I can, and brewing with Nuts can be a bit nuts so I figured I'd lend a few observations I had with my Pecan beer and hopefully it will help everyone on the thread out...Good luck and keep brewing unique beers!

A technique for brewing with Pecans that I found helpful was not only the roasting of them, but putting those roasted pecans in a paper bag for a day or two to extract all the oils. You will end up with a nearly wet bag very soon. I used 1 pound of Pecan Meal for every 5 gallons of beer.

I also found that pecan meal (almost dust like crushed pecans) give off more flavor and are easier to extract the oils from. (And they are cheaper)

If you plan on using Brown Sugar (like I did), use it sparingly.

If you are a kegging homebrewer consider bottling it....the Cinnamon may make your line taste/smell like cinnamon.

I used a minimal amount of hops, but found that Perle worked nicely with the pecans.

And Use Caramel Malt! Gives it a nice caramel look/flavor.

 

[KingBrianI]

beaverbrewing, I only just saw your response. Thanks for the information! Crushing the pecans into a meal is definitely something I will try next time as well - it makes a lot of sense that the larger surface area will allow for a better extraction of flavor. The beer I made had so much potential, too bad the yeast restarted in the bottle. If it had been kegged, I could have avoided all the problems.

 

[Jeeptrash]

Anyone ever brew this recipe again or anything similar to it? Digging for some information on brewing with pecans myself.