Awwwwww NUTS!

[paulmaybee]

I'm wondering if anyone has brewed with nuts and what technique you used (I'm looking at you @jamie_savoie).  I understand the oil in the nuts will reduce the head retention, but what if I "dry" them off in paper towel or a paper bag after roasting them.  Also, is there a way to compensate with the grain bill to add a bit of head retention back in?  Is anyone else brewing with nuts?

[jamie_savoie]

I never used nuts but I once made a mole stout with pure cacao and the oil totally killed the head.  No water how good it is, a beer with no head sucks! Lol
Jamil's BCS, for his chocolate hazelnut porter he recommend extract and use 0.5 oz (15ml) at kegging.  He also recommend to use half of that first and taste it before adding the rest

[robcoombs]

I've never brewed with nuts either but you could try increasing the amount of carapils or cara-foam in the recipe. I generally have half a pound of either in most recipes I brew. You could try increasing to a full pound. Like I said I've never brewed with nuts so I'm not sure if that would help but it's how I would increase head retention with any other recipe.

[paulmaybee]

What about making a tincture (w. vodka)?  Would I have to skim oil off the top, or should I just give up and just buy some tincture..?  I'd rather not, but I'd rather not have shitty beer either.  Thanks for the input.

[Roger]

I was gonna make a hazelnut porter a while back but scrapped the idea after doing  a chocolate stout I found the head was nonexistent. Tasted fine but was lacking a bit. So with nuts you'd have even more oil than cocoa so the issue of no head would likely be more with the amount of oil in nuts. If your looking for nut flavours than you might want to use extracts. I think you might have an issue with a tincture also. The alcohol would likely dissolve the oils and you might have the same issue. You might be able to freeze the tincture and remove the thickened oil that way but I'm only speculating. All I know for sure is oil = no head.

[Kyle]

If you do brew with nuts, please make sure any samples brought to meetings are clearly marked as such.... attendees may have allergies.

[Al-Loves-Wine]

Depending on the nut, you could soak them in water a press out the milk the same idea almond milk is made. Then just add the milk to a secondary. Not sure how much that would affect head retention.

[blisster]

This one was made with cocoa nibs soaked in vodka and poured in the secondary... The recipe contains 7.5% carafoam for head retention:



No idea how much nuts would differ from cocoa nibs though. It would be interesting to split a batch into several smaller secondary fermenters and try adding with different methods to see how each one reacts.

[paulmaybee]

If you do brew with nuts, please make sure any samples brought to meetings are clearly marked as such.... attendees may have allergies.

Yes, of course I will!    Although, I seem to have been talked out of it anyway.

[pliny]

This one was made with cocoa nibs soaked in vodka and poured in the secondary... The recipe contains 7.5% carafoam for head retention:



No idea how much nuts would differ from cocoa nibs though. It would be interesting to split a batch into several smaller secondary fermenters and try adding with different methods to see how each one reacts.

Nice looking beer.
Just curious, had you crushed the cocoa nibs a bit before putting them in the fermenter? Like a coarse grind or anything?

[blisster]

Thanks... The beer and the cocoa look way better than they taste, lol

They came quite well crushed already, I put them in like they were.