Substitute for chestnuts in chestnut brown ale

[Bevilaquafoto]

I was all set to brew a batch of chestnut brown ale this weekend, but my timing is very poor as chestnuts are WAY out of season. Does anyone know if there is another nut that would be good to use? I know some nuts are too fatty and will cause problems in the fermentation. I was also thinking about trying coffee as an interesting variation on Brooklyn Brew Shop's recipe. Anyone have any thoughts? I am new to beer making, and am new to this forum. Any guidance would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Leggoma]

How about Hazelnuts? I was curious about making a nut brown with hazelnuts.

 

[Bevilaquafoto]

I was thinking about that. Would you suggest toasting them, and crushing them up a bit, or do i just use whole, raw nuts?

 

[Leggoma]

I wouldn't be able to tell you. I've never brewed with any extra additives (fruit, nuts, wood, etc) as of yet. I'd was imagining crushing up the whole nuts and using the shells and all. I guess it depends on how "earthy" you want it.

 

[Bevilaquafoto]

Thank you! Will give hazelnuts a try. It seems like a good option.

 

[yorkbrew]

How about Hazelnuts? I was curious about making a nut brown with hazelnuts.

Are you trying to replicate a commercial brew like Rogue's Hazelnut Brown Ale? If so leave out the nuts and add hazelnut extract. I don't know how much you would add though.

 

[Bevilaquafoto]

I have a Brooklyn Brew Shop pre-packaged mash to make Chestnut Brown Ale. Given that I can't find chestnuts to add to the mash, I was looking for a substitute. Hazelnut extract sounds interesting also. I will have to google that to find it. The Brew Shop recipe suggests using whole roasted chestnuts in the mash.

 

[dreamon]

last year I used toasted hazelnuts when I could not get chestnuts. It came out well. This year we have tons of chestnuts that I actually need to use up thanks to a neighbors productive tree.