I am going to be brewing a “Chocolate Peanut Stout” soon. Has any one tried to brew with peanut butter at all??
My biggest concerns are a negative effect on head retention because of the peanut oil and salt. I bought organic no salt peanut butter, but that doesn’t take care of the oil.
I originally planned to add this at the end of the boil to ensure it mixed well, but someone told me that all the flavor will be eaten up in the primary fermentation. But if I add this for only the secondary fermentation than I fear the flavor won’t take well. Does anyone have any good opinion or advice on when or how to add it??
I’ve never done anything like this but would a little carafoam help with head retention. I can just imagine the mess your secondary is going to be like.
I know you bought the PB already, but maybe a non-oil peanut extract would work.
+1! That’s about the best way to control the peanut butter flavor, IMO. All kinds of proven ways to add chocolate flavor. Sounds like a “Reese’s Peanut Butter Stout” ;D
I’ve been considering making a PB for some time. I was going to use dry de-natured peanut butter powder to address the oil/ head retention issue. Haven’t tried it yet, though. Good luck!
I don’t know how they did it, but one of the members of the Bloatarian Brewing League in Cincinnati was serving a peanut butter and jelly beer at club night in Cincy a few years back. I don’t know whether they used peanuts, peanut butter, or some sort of extract, but you might try to track down a recipe through their website: www.bloatarian.org
I’ve been messing around with cooking hops in hot oil for brewing (crazy - yeah I know) and have found that lecithin can counteract the head robbing properties of oils. My last experiment had 6 Tbsp of cooking oil go into the mash along with 2 Tbsp of Lecithin (liquid). This beer ended up with a fabulous head
This may be the result of oils sticking to the particles/cellulose present in the mash rather than the presence or absence of lecithin. A few years ago the lab I worked in was looking at the quantity of oil transferred from coffee beans to finished coffee and we found that virtually all of the oil was sticking to the cellulose (paper) coffee filters. This was not the case with French Press, as there was no cellulose filter. The fibers bond with the molecules of oil due to relative charge, and this may happen with the husks present in the mash as well. Lecithin may aid the process as well. I wouldn’t be surprised if most of the oils present in the mash stay in the mash.
Our club did a “Strange Brew” contest not long ago where we each drew “strange” ingredients (e.g., Jolly Rancher candies, marshmallow fluff, breakfast cereal, black pepper, licorice, oysters, etc.) from a hat, then had to make a beer with whatever ingredient we drew. The brewer who drew peanut butter found a powdered peanut butter product that was very low in oil. His beer had decent head retention. The peanut butter flavor was present, but not very strong.
FWIW, there were around 18 entries. 1st place was Robust Porter with Licorice, 2nd was Black Pepper IPA, and 3rd was Jolly Rancher American Wheat.
I think this is a fantastic idea. I’ve been thinking about this every time I sit at a major league ball park and am chomping on peanuts and drinking the local “house” pilsner. Old Style at Wrigley with the salted peanuts… In my exploration, I have seen references to making/using de-oiled pb in the boil. I have also see references of a brew pub using a brand name PB - jiff or the like, and dumping it into the boil. I’m looking for my notes on proportions, as well as links and will post once I find. Here is one thread I have been watching - for a stout - http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f12/peanut-butter-porter-w-powdered-peanut-butter-61538.
I want to do a pilsner or a pale ale with the PB to capture that ball park feel.
