Another NOOB with more dumb questions

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by match1112, Aug 18, 2012.

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  1. match1112

    match1112 Initiate (0) Mar 2, 2011 Illinois

    On the verge of making the big leap from brewing pre-made kits available at the store to trying my first original recipe (probably done somewhere before). I was enspired the other day while drinking an American Dark Wheat beer and eating a Nutella and raspberry jam sandwich. I know raspberry and peanut butter stouts are done all the time but I wanna dry a dark wheat beer. Anyway here is the recipe I'm working on. Gonna call it P.B.&J. on Wheat.

    5lbs. Domestic 2-row barley
    4lbs. wheat
    1lb. dark wheat
    8oz. carapils
    2oz. hops
    priming sugar
    yeast

    Not sure exactly what to use but here are some of my favorite hops that I think will work.
    Fuggle, Crystal, Hallertau, Pacific Gem, Amarillo, New Zealand Hallertauer.

    I also don't want to do the usual pb&j, thinkin outside the box. Lookin for something with less fat and oil content than peanuts. Some combinations of nuts and fruit that seem to pair well according to google that seem interesting to me are as follows.

    Almonds with cranberry and orange.
    Almonds with blueberry
    Pecans with lemon and apricot
    Pecans with lemon and ginger
    Pecans with apples and cinnamon
    Pecans and peaches

    So basically looking for any advice, criticism, thoughts, questions or concerns. Thinking that before I add the nuts and fruit this is gonna be a very sweet malt bomb to begin with. How do I balance it out? Any suggestions on what type of wheats to use, types of hops, type of yeast. Any and all help is appreciated. I'm going out to run errands for awhile so I wont be back on to answer any replies for awhile. Really don't want my first to be a failure!

    Cheers!
    Matt
     
    #1 match1112, Aug 18, 2012
  2. AlCaponeJunior

    AlCaponeJunior Grand Pooh-Bah (3,452) May 21, 2010 Texas
    Society Pooh-Bah

    pecans with peaches or either of the almond choices seem tasty to me.

    cinnamon with any kind of nuts sounds utterly foul, but then I rarely like anything cinnamon in beverages*

    seems like an ambitious project, I'll be wanting to hear how the final product comes out

    *with the exception of Horchata :grinning:
     
    #2 AlCaponeJunior, Aug 18, 2012
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  3. axeman9182

    axeman9182 Initiate (0) Aug 5, 2009 New Jersey

    If you truly don't want your first to be a failure, I'd recommend scaling back a bit and maybe just brewing a dark wheat beer. Or, if you must experiment, do a split batch and treat half of the beer with fruits and nuts. If you just go ahead as is and the beer doesn't turn out great, it could be very challenging to troubleshoot exactly went wrong and fix it for next time. Are you easily going to be able to tell if the problem is with the base beer, the flavor additions, or that each is fine on its own but the flavors just don't mesh? Having prior experience with the base beer or being able to drink the two side by side will make evaluating your brew that much easier.
     
    #3 axeman9182, Aug 18, 2012
    azorie and match1112 like this.
  4. Hands22

    Hands22 Initiate (0) Oct 14, 2011 Florida

    With a grist that contains almost 50% wheat, I'd think about adding a pound of rice hulls to help prevent a stuck mash. I'd also keep the hops to just a buttering addition to let the nuts and fruit be the focus of the beer. As to your pb&j flavors, almonds and blueberries sounds like it could be an interesting combination.
     
    #4 Hands22, Aug 18, 2012
    match1112 likes this.
  5. Hands22

    Hands22 Initiate (0) Oct 14, 2011 Florida

    Obviously meant bittering, not buttering. Damn autocorrect!
     
    #5 Hands22, Aug 18, 2012
  6. match1112

    match1112 Initiate (0) Mar 2, 2011 Illinois



    I was considering brewing a five gallon batch then leaving one or two gallons of the base beer alone and having several gallon jugs on hand to divide the remaining into, each with a different fruit, to see which I like the most.
     
    #6 match1112, Aug 18, 2012
  7. match1112

    match1112 Initiate (0) Mar 2, 2011 Illinois

    That's what I was thinking also. Just enough to help cut thru the sweetness but not too much to over power.
     
    #7 match1112, Aug 18, 2012
  8. match1112

    match1112 Initiate (0) Mar 2, 2011 Illinois


    Pecans with peaches does sound tasty!
     
    #8 match1112, Aug 18, 2012
  9. azorie

    azorie Pooh-Bah (2,471) Mar 18, 2006 Florida
    Pooh-Bah

    brew a 1 gallon run first to test out crazy new recipes i say, but hey go for it.
     
    #9 azorie, Aug 18, 2012
    match1112 likes this.
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