Texas Y'all-my Praline extract w/ steeping grains

[Brewbirds]

I thought I'd trow this up for those who like to do stuff for the SWMBOs. Pecan pralines are a big thing around here as pecans are a big economic crop in the "southren" states.
My sister is a bourbon drinker and not so much beer so I am trying to create some unique recipes for her since she gave me the Mr. Beer kit that created Brewbirds.
I started designing this beer by searching the specialty grains first because I needed the toffee/ caramel flavor or the idea would never work. My LHBS only just started carrying Marris Otter extract (Christ872 I can get it now ) and I really wanted to try it. So I had caramel down and needed the pecan, vanilla flavors that say praline. I am using/adding some bourbon to sanitize plus steep the vanilla beans and late addition pecans, treating them like a dry hop. If any one is interested in making this please feel free to ask questions. If the pros on here see flaws please feel obligated to point them out before I brew it.


BeerSmith 2 Recipe Printout - http://www.beersmith.com
Recipe: Pecan Praline Winter Warmer
Brewer: Brewbirds
Asst Brewer: BB2
Style: Specialty Beer
TYPE: Extract
Taste: (30.0)

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Boil Size: 1.62 gal
Post Boil Volume: 1.01 gal
Batch Size (fermenter): 2.67 gal
Bottling Volume: 2.48 gal
Estimated OG: 1.066 SG
Estimated Color: 29.4 SRM
Estimated IBU: 35.3 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 84.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 0.0 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
11.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM) Grain 1 12.8 %
10.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L (40.0 SRM) Grain 2 11.6 %
9.0 oz Oats, Golden Naked Malted (10.0 SRM) Grain 3 10.5 %
7.0 oz Special B Malt (180.0 SRM) Grain 4 8.1 %
1.0 oz Black (Debittered) Malt (500.0 SRM) Grain 5 1.2 %
0.50 oz Goldings, East Kent [4.80 %] - Boil 60.0 Hop 6 18.4 IBUs
0.50 oz Goldings, East Kent [4.80 %] - Boil 45.0 Hop 7 16.9 IBUs
0.50 tsp Yeast Nutrient (Boil 10.0 mins) Other 8 -
3 lbs Marris Otter Liquid Extract [Boil for 15 Extract 9 55.8 %


Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Light Body, No Mash Out
Total Grain Weight: 5 lbs 6.0 oz
----------------------------

Sparge: Remove grains, and prepare to boil wort
Notes:
------
AHS -Crystal 40 is often called Carastan® is a medium-amber British crystal malt that will impart a rich, caramel-sweet aroma and full flavor. A great grain to use when a

recipe asks for a British crystal malt. It will also impart intense color to the beer.
30-37 L

Steep Grains in 3 qts for 30 min. at 160F. Dunk Sparge in 1.12 qts at 170F to achieved boil volume and pre boil gravity.

Roast 16 ounces of crush pecans in 350F oven for 5-10 min. or until brown let cool and add 12 ounces in with steeping grains.

Cut 2 Vanilla beans in 1/2 inch peices and soak with 4 ounces roasted, crushed pecans in enough bourbon to cover, let stand for at least three days. Add to fermenter 5

days before bottling.

Pitch one pack of S-04 yeast.

Created with BeerSmith 2 - http://www.beersmith.com
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[Brewbirds]

Okay all you Yankees and Leftcoasters I have only been getting on here a few minutes at a time for the last few days and forgot to check on this one.

Y'all are all scardy cats for looking and not posting. we ain't afraid of nothin' in Texas. Though we may not admit that we brew desert beer in public.

So it is all brewed up and I will be toasting you all on a dark winters night while I'm toasty warm without a fireplace in the near future.

Oh and nothing from my pastry chef buddy Bob?


FWIW I got the pecan part from a BYO article by the Brewing Network Guy (Spencer?)

[TimeTraveler]

OK, I think its nuts!

I've not steeped nuts or used Marris Otter, so I really have no idea how it might turn out. Let us know how it tastes. It sounds interesting.

[Rebel_B]

I don't recall ever eating pralines, so I don't know what I'm missing. Let us know how that turns out

[Inkleg]

Hey Michele, sorry. Like you I only get a few chances during the week. Hadn't seen this till now. I think this may win your sister over to the dark side.

The recipe looks great. When I use vanilla I'll split the bean length wise, scrape it down good, cut it into small pieces and then put everything in the liquor. Can't say it changes anything from just cutting them. Just the way I had read to do it.

Y'all let us know how it turns out. I do love pecans.

[tomtravelino]

How did this turn out? It sounds like it would be a very tasty brew for the winter.

[Brewbirds]

It is still in the fermentor. It won't be ready until winter but that was the plan. Something to sip on after supper to help your socks keep your toes warm.

[ssorck]

Interesting addition with the pralines - any idea what the nuts will actually do in the fermentor?

[Brewbirds]

The BYO article called it "dry seeding". I am looking for flavor and aroma by steeping a pecan and vanilla tea with the bourbon. I am also hoping there won't be a lot of tannin but there was no mention of that in the article.

Austin Home brew has a pecan brown ale recipe that does the same thing. I cut the amount they use in half for an LBK size batch.

We bought a growler of locally brewed (512 Brewery) Pecan Porter that was quite good. They don't give out recipes but they do state that they use Texas grown pecans.

One note for anyone using roasted pecans in a brew is that the grain absorption was higher than we expected so they did suck up some moisture.

[Brewbirds]

Here is an update for those interested.

I just bottled this one and am tasting that last little bit always left behind which I have no complaints about.

If this goes through carbonation and conditioning without some disaster happening I will be one happy camper.

This flat sample is great!!! BB2 said "If you were trying to make a beer that tastes like a praline you hit the nail on the head".

I can taste and smell everything I put in it with only the vanilla beans being slightly stronger than the pecan and toffee flavor. The bourbon flavor is subtle but recognizable and not overpowering which I worried about. It is sweet but not to sweet.

It is a little cloudy which I think might be a protein haze from the pecans. Also I racked this to a slimline for the cold crash and against my better judgement (read: BB2 made me do it )
I dropped the cheese cloth sack with the pecan and vanilla beans in where I should have just added the bourbon. When I started siphoning the beer I got a "cloud" of tan from the sack.
There was enough of this new trub in the bottom of the slimline after cold crashing to worry me about to much haze so I put some sterilized cheesecloth on the tube and auto siphoned into a second slimline and bottled immediately.

I only got 15 of my 12 ounce bottles after first filling the 750 ml that is for my sister but I figure that since it was a pretty easy extract recipe I can always make it again.

It will be awhile before I post about the first real taste but I'll try to remember to add any notes about what I might change/tweak.

That is all!

[BlackDuck]

Glad to hear it's coming along well. This recipe is really cool. Good imagination. Barring any infections, the final product should be awesome if the taster is that good! How long do you think this will need to condition to get all those flavors blended well?

[Brewbirds]

Thanks BlackDuck. I hope it turns out well.

My understanding is that pure extract recipes take longer to condition because the extracts have more unfermentable sugars as a result of how they are made (?) so I'm not sure how long it will take to condition.

In my situation, since I mainly brewed this with my sister in mind, she expects to be in town in early November so I made these to wrap as a present and send home with with her but not to open until Christmas.

So extended conditioning is built in which I hope will not hurt any of them ( none are hoppy beers). I was just going to taste our remaining bottles and tell her to wait or it was ready to drink.

The four beers we made for her are totally new territory for us so I hope they all please her because even though she got us into this with a MB kit she isn't very impressed about anything beer.

We have been working on some labels for the 4 bottles that describe the beer styles that each was based on just to show her how much variety there is.