How much vanilla for a vanilla porter?

dylan8405 · 11-21-2008, 07:15 PM

Hey gang,

I've got a porter going in a primary right now and it's going to be ready for racking to a secondary in about a week or so.

I want to make it a vanilla porter and I need to know how much vanilla extract to add. I'm going to use real extract. I want a pretty strong vanilla flavor.

Here's my recipe for my porter, if that helps. Thanks!

0.25 pounds roasted barley
0.25 pounds chocolate malt
0.75 pounds 120L Crystal Malt
6.6 pounds amber malt extract

2 oz. Willamette Hops for 60 min
1 pound of corn sugar for 15 min (boost that ABV baby!)
1 oz Kent Golding hops for 3 min

Chilled wort to 75 degrees and pitched White Labs California Ale

So...how much vanilla extract to give it a strong vanilla flavor?

Thanks,

Dylan

mw20 · 11-21-2008, 09:06 PM

I've got a vanilla porter in primary now too. I'm gonna use vanilla beans instead of extract. After I go to secondary, I'm gonna add vanilla a little at at time,let it sit a few days, and taste it till I get it where I want it.

noremorse1 · 11-21-2008, 09:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dylan8405

Hey gang,

So...how much vanilla extract to give it a strong vanilla flavor?

Thanks,

Dylan

Just enough but not too much.

You are welcome,
Jason

Stark · 11-21-2008, 10:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dylan8405

So...how much vanilla extract to give it a strong vanilla flavor?

Thanks,

Dylan

Although I am still tinkering with my Vanilla Porter, people seemed to prefer when I use Real Extract as opposed to the 3 Beans as I have done previously. If your looking for a Strong taste of Vanilla, I would say 4-6 oz's. I would try 2 oz's in with your Secondary (why are you racking to a secondary on a dark beer? No foul, just has my curiosity perked.) then 2 more oz's at racking to bottle or keg. Should give you just enough Vanilla to know it's there. But, if you want that BIG, HOLY CRAP, NILLAWAFERS ON CRACK, kinda of Vanilla taste, go for 6 ounces.

Edit: I am assuming this is a 5 Gallon Batch based on your ingredients, adjust if smaller or larger batch size.
- Dan

carnevoodoo · 11-21-2008, 10:12 PM

I strongly prefer vanilla beans. In secondary for a few days. Watch the flavor, as it will intensify over a few days.

dylan8405 · 11-22-2008, 04:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stark

Although I am still tinkering with my Vanilla Porter, people seemed to prefer when I use Real Extract as opposed to the 3 Beans as I have done previously. If your looking for a Strong taste of Vanilla, I would say 4-6 oz's. I would try 2 oz's in with your Secondary (why are you racking to a secondary on a dark beer? No foul, just has my curiosity perked.) then 2 more oz's at racking to bottle or keg. Should give you just enough Vanilla to know it's there. But, if you want that BIG, HOLY CRAP, NILLAWAFERS ON CRACK, kinda of Vanilla taste, go for 6 ounces.

Edit: I am assuming this is a 5 Gallon Batch based on your ingredients, adjust if smaller or larger batch size.
- Dan

Yep, 5 gallon batch. I am looking more for the "Nillawafer on Crack" flavor, but I don't want to go too overboard, so I'll use 5 ounces.

I'll rack to a secondary because my brew shop always suggest racking for a week at a minimum to help the flavors out for any beer. I'm not woried about clarity, but I think that it'll just help mellow out the beer.

I think that I'll do 2 ounces in the secondary and then 3 ounces at bottling. It might actually be cheaper to buy vanilla beans than 5 ounces of real extract. Is the flavor better with the beans than the extract? I'm not trying to win the county fair blue ribbon here, I just want to have some vanilla porter, which is hard to find at a reasonable price in stores (even here in Portland, Oregon - beer capital of the USA).

Thanks for the advice!

dylan8405 · 11-22-2008, 04:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by carnevoodoo

I strongly prefer vanilla beans. In secondary for a few days. Watch the flavor, as it will intensify over a few days.

Is the flavor better with the beans than with extract?

littlehop · 11-22-2008, 07:00 PM

If you really like vanilla go for it, but even a capfull of extract in five gallons is noticable and it doesnt fade much with time. You can always add both beans and extract, it may add depth to the flavor. Bottling does make it harder because you cant adjust it with more as you go so taste it at every addition. Good luck, this is one of my favorite beers.

recipe
1#chocolate malt
1#munich malt
1#carapils
1.5#crystal130
9#two row
9#pale malt

total 22.5 #
1.8oz amirillo bitter
1.3oz mt hood flavor
.5oz amirillo

mash @154 60 min.
s.g. 1.070
s-04 british ale yeast

at kegging add 1 capful kirkland sig. vanilla extract
also added 1/4 cup whole coffee beans in an infusion ball to keg for 24 hours then removed

Vanilla flavor is in the background but definatly noticable as is the coffee, both are easily identified by someone who doesnt know its in there. Enjoy !

King of Cascade · 11-22-2008, 07:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dylan8405

Hey gang,

I've got a porter going in a primary right now and it's going to be ready for racking to a secondary in about a week or so.

I want to make it a vanilla porter and I need to know how much vanilla extract to add. I'm going to use real extract. I want a pretty strong vanilla flavor.

Here's my recipe for my porter, if that helps. Thanks!

0.25 pounds roasted barley
0.25 pounds chocolate malt
0.75 pounds 120L Crystal Malt
6.6 pounds amber malt extract

2 oz. Willamette Hops for 60 min
1 pound of corn sugar for 15 min (boost that ABV baby!)
1 oz Kent Golding hops for 3 min

Chilled wort to 75 degrees and pitched White Labs California Ale

So...how much vanilla extract to give it a strong vanilla flavor?

Thanks,

Dylan

Dylan.....are you kegging or bottling. I'm asking because you could always add more to a keg if you need it. if bottling add to taste in the bottling bucket. I like using the extract because I like the control you get from extract.

dylan8405 · 11-22-2008, 08:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by King of Cascade

Dylan.....are you kegging or bottling. I'm asking because you could always add more to a keg if you need it. if bottling add to taste in the bottling bucket. I like using the extract because I like the control you get from extract.

I am bottling. I don't have any equipment at all for kegging.