Does anyone have a really nutty tasting bitter or brown ale recipe?

[Catoshy]

My first ever homebrew was a brown ale BIAB that had a really nutty flavor that I liked, but I haven't made a beer since that matched it in it's nutty glory.
Side question from a beginner -
How I get good head retention? I have been having trouble recently with this, with both an ale and a lager, although I think it may be trouble getting mash temps to stay high enough.

 

[AlexKay]

Head retention … avoid adjuncts, add some wheat malt, add roast malt, increase hopping rate, and shoot for lower ABV.

Some might recommend Carapils, but this doesn’t work in my experience (and according to at least one published study I’m aware of.)

Additives can help, but for homebrewing the only thing I’d recommend would be 2 ppm zinc at packaging (earlier and the yeast will eat it, which will be good for the yeast but won’t help foam any.)

And make sure your glassware is scrupulously clean.

 

[lumpher]

If you want to increase the nutty taste in a nut brown ale, increase the victory malt aka biscuit. If it says .25 biscuit/victory, go to .5

 

[Catoshy]

Head retention … avoid adjuncts, add some wheat malt, add roast malt, increase hopping rate, and shoot for lower ABV.

Some might recommend Carapils, but this doesn’t work in my experience (and according to at least one published study I’m aware of.)

Additives can help, but for homebrewing the only thing I’d recommend would be 2 ppm zinc at packaging (earlier and the yeast will eat it, which will be good for the yeast but won’t help foam any.)

And make sure your glassware is scrupulously clean.

Yes, my last ale was a barleywine with some 20% maize-corn by weight + a pound of molasses. It was awesome, but the head barely wanted to even form.

 

[KepowOb]

Yes, my last ale was a barleywine with some 20% maize-corn by weight + a pound of molasses. It was awesome, but the head barely wanted to even form.

Higher abv, like you'll have with a barley wine, will also have an impact of head retention.

In sure there are tricks to help, but at least in my own experience, I can never get any head retention on bigger beers, but my regular 5-6% ones are always fine.

 

[tracer bullet]

I love victory / biscuit (not identical but similar) and haven't gotten "nutty" from it yet, but I haven't gone past about 5%. Golden Naked Oats have gotten me closer I think, they are kind of granola-bar flavored (i.e the original Nature Valley ones in the green wrappers), but I'm at like 10% GNO and it's still not "nutty". I've tried some different yeasts, but nothing there yet - different flavors form them for sure, but nothing I'd call nutty, including from 1469 Wyeast that they describe as being nutty (I did get the peachy "stone fruit esters" though, and didn't care for them in this beer). Oh, and of course Maris Otter in all trials.

On the flip side I can definitely say don't put in too much chocolate malt, you'll just overpower anything else and turn it into a porter.

So, anyhow, I'm in the same boat with you. Would love to figure out a way to actually get nutty flavors. I have a feeling it's not really possible, to actually make beer taste nutty without an extract. Brown ales are still delicious, so there's that.

 

[lumpher]

I guess some taste the nutty taste in victory and biscuit, and some don't. You can try it and see if you get the flavor you want. Yes, its possible to get the nutty flavor without extract for some; maybe not others. Try a Samuel Smiths Nut Brown or similar and see if you taste it.

 

[beren]

Pretty sure nut brown ale refers to the color not so much the taste. And that confuses people… And also depends on what you think of when you think of what does not taste like? Chestnut? Peanut? Almonds? That said I think it’s a light combination of toasty/Biscuit/chocolate

 

[ghpeel]

Higher abv, like you'll have with a barley wine, will also have an impact of head retention.

In sure there are tricks to help, but at least in my own experience, I can never get any head retention on bigger beers, but my regular 5-6% ones are always fine.

HEY aren't you the CSS/frontend guru on Youtube?

 

[Catoshy]

HEY aren't you the CSS/frontend guru on Youtube?

No, Sorry! Different person, though I am learning some C++ as hobby

 

[KepowOb]

HEY aren't you the CSS/frontend guru on Youtube?

Haha, yeah that's me

 

[xgecemx]

Hey friend! Chasing down that perfect nutty brown ale flavor can be super tricky, but so rewarding when you nail it. I feel you on trying to recreate a stellar batch from the past - brewing can be an enigmatic art sometimes!

For really amping up the nuttiness, I'd definitely go heavy on the biscuit and victory malts - maybe even push to 15% of the total grain bill if you're feeling nutty enough. And just a touch of black malt could be the secret sauce to add that lovely subtle roastiness.

As for the head retention issues, it's so frustrating when your beautiful foam fizzles out! Dialing in your protein rest temp and making sure to really rouse up a solid hot break during the boil are good starts. And don't be shy with the carbonation - start at 2.5 volumes and go higher if needed.

Let me know how your next batch turns out! I love talking recipe ideas and troubleshooting. You'll nail down that perfect nutty brown eventually, just takes a few rounds of tweaking. Chin up and happy brewing my friend!

 

[beren]

Check out the nutcastle alerecipe it’s delicious

 

[MaxStout]

Look for clones of Samuel Smith's Nut Brown. As others mentioned, Victory may provide the key. If you use dark roasts, use dehusked Carafa, to minimize astringency that could overpower the nuttiness you desire. Even the base malt can make a diff--go with MO or Golden Promise.

 

[G_robertus]

My first ever homebrew was a brown ale BIAB that had a really nutty flavor that I liked, but I haven't made a beer since that matched it in it's nutty glory.
Side question from a beginner -
How I get good head retention? I have been having trouble recently with this, with both an ale and a lager, although I think it may be trouble getting mash temps to stay high enough.

Don't you have the recipe of your first brew? If you used a kit the recipe/ingredients are probably listed somewhere online. You can examine the recipe and perhaps find out how you can recreate that flavour.

 

[40yr@HB]

My first ever homebrew was a brown ale BIAB that had a really nutty flavor that I liked, but I haven't made a beer since that matched it in it's nutty glory.
Side question from a beginner -
How I get good head retention? I have been having trouble recently with this, with both an ale and a lager, although I think it may be trouble getting mash temps to stay high enough.

2.5% ea of 120 and Chocolate malt for nutty.
Abt 1/4# ea in a 5-6gal batch.