Helles Belles (pistachio helles)

Helles Belles

(5 gallons/19 L, partial mash)
OG = 1.053  FG = 1.013
IBU = 26  SRM = 5  ABV = 5.3%

Ingredients
3 lbs. (1.4 kg) Pilsner malt
0.5 lb. (0.23 kg) Vienna malt
0.5 lb. (0.23 kg) Carapils malt
3 lbs. (1.4 kg) extra light dried malt extract
1 lb. (0.45 kg) Munich dried malt extract
8 AAU Tettnanger hop pellets (45 min.) (2 oz./57 g at 4% alpha acid)
2 cups shelled whole, unsalted pistachios
4 oz. (120 mL) grain alcohol or vodka
Wyeast 2308 (Munich Lager) or White Labs WLP838 (Southern German Lager) yeast
3/4 cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step
A few weeks before you brew, finely crush pistachios and soak in vodka in a tightly sealed jar. Heat 1.5 gal. (5.7 L) water to 167 °F (75 °C), and add crushed grains to water in pot. Mash should settle near 156 °F (69 °C). Hold 60 min at this temperature. Remove grains and place in a colander. Wash grains with 2 gal. (7.6 L) of water at 168 °F (76 °C). Add dried malt extract to the kettle while off heat and stir until it is all dissolved. Bring wort to a boil and boil 30 min, then add the hops.

Boil 45 min. more for a total boil of 75 min. Remove from heat and cool. Top off in fermenter to 5.25 gal. (20 L) with water. A 68 °F (20 °C), pitch yeast slurry and cool overnight to 50 °F (10 °C). Ferment near 50 °F (10 °C) for 10 days, then rack to secondary if you prefer. Add half of the liquid from the pistachio jar (strain particles out, returning them to the jar) and chill to 38 °F (3 °C). Lager at this temperature for six weeks. Prime with corn sugar or keg the beer and add the remaining pistachio tincture (straining out particles) and bottle.

Brewing Notes:

All-grain brewers: Instead of the dried malt extract, mash with 8 lbs. (3.6 kg) Pilsner, 1.5 lbs. (0.68 kg) Munich, and 1.5 lbs. (0.68 kg) Vienna malts in 4 gal. (15.2 L) water (same temperatures, same time) and sparge with 4 gal. (15.1 L) water. Plan boil to condense to 5.25 gal. (20 L) and hop as above.

Extract with grains version: Omit the Pilsner and Vienna malts. Steep the Carapils malt in 3 gallons (11 L) in kettle until water reaches 170 °F (77 °C), then remove. Use 5 lbs. (2.23 kg) extra light dried malt extract and the same amount of Munich dried malt extract. Follow hopping and boiling schedule as above.

And sure, you could use any nuts you like in this recipe.