Nutfarm II Sweet Stout

This recipe from Christian Debenedetti of Wolves & People Farmhouse Brewery uses fresh hazelnuts from the Oregon farm where the brewery is located. Hazelnuts, also known as filberts, add a rich character to beer, especially when toasted.

ALL-GRAIN

Batch size: 5 gallons (19 liters)

Brewhouse efficiency: 80% OG: 1.071

FG: 1.015

IBUS: 31

ABV: 7.4% MALT/GRAIN BILL

5.9 lb (2.68 kg) Bohemian Pilsner 2.8 lb (1.27) Caramunich II

3.5 oz (99 g) chocolate malt

10.6 oz (300 g) flaked rye

12.8 oz (354 g) rice hulls

6.7 oz (190 g) lactose (milk sugar) 11.9 oz (337 g) white wheat

11.9 oz (337 g) Carared

9.5 oz (269 g) rolled oats

11.9 oz (337 g) red wheat

2.1 oz (60 g) Black Patent

HOPS AND ADDITIONS SCHEDULE

0.68 oz (19 g) Nugget pellets [AA: 14%] at 60 minutes 3.9 oz (110 g) brown sugar at 10 minutes

5 lb (2.3 kg) hazelnuts (see below)

YEAST

Fermentis Safale US-05 American Ale Yeast

DIRECTIONS

Roast the hazelnuts in a 200°F (93°C) oven until they become a maroon, red-wine color. If the toasted nuts don’t shed their skins easily, rub them clean.

Mash the grains at 151°F (66°C) for 30 minutes. Vorlauf until your runnings are clear, then run off into the kettle. Sparge the grains and top up as necessary to obtain 6 gallons (23 l) of wort—or more, depending on your evaporation rate. Boil for 60 minutes following the hops and additions schedule.

After the boil, chill the wort to slightly below fermentation temperature, about 72°F (22°C). Aerate the wort and pitch the yeast.

Ferment at 72°F (22°C) until the completion of primary fermentation. Rack the beer onto the toasted hazelnuts in secondary. Use your palate to decide how long to leave the beer on the nuts 7 to 10 days should be sufficient. Then bottle- or keg-condition with dextrose.

BREWER’S NOTES

The trick is getting the hazelnuts in and out of secondary. A wide-mouth fermentor is helpful. Note that pigs like the spent hazelnuts.