Vanilla/bourbon porter...hops question

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jennieD

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I am interested in brewing a porter with vanilla bean and bourbon added either after a week or so in primary, or in secondary. I got a recipe from the LHBS for a "Colonial Porter". My question is, do you guys think I should substitute the Cascade hops with something with less "citrusy" notes? I feel like it wouldn't work well with the vanilla/bourbon flavors. Any advice on brewing this beer? Here's the recipe:

Specialty Grains
.5 lbs Chocolate Malt
.5 lbs Crystal 120L
.5 lbs Roasted Barley
.5 lbs Black Malt

Extract
2.25 quarts Pale
.5 quarts Amber

Bittering
1oz Northern Brewer
.5oz Cascade

Finishing
.5oz Cascade
Irish Moss

Windsor Yeast


Thanks! :mug:
 
What is the time schedule for the hops? For a porter you really don't want any hop flavor. It all should be for bittering and not much at that. If this is a five gallon batch, you may want to just drop the cascades altogether. If you want more bittering , use a clean low AA hop like crystal or willamette.
 
Do a search for Denny's bourbon vanilla porter. At this point, I'm thinking it is the most brewed vanilla porter on the planet. See what he uses for hops, and compare.
 
Liberty would proved a mild and clean aroma, with a slightly spicy character, that may complement your vanilla. Liberty is recommended for fruit beer styles that aren't supposed to be "hoppy" and they will let the natural flavors of the fruit shine through.

Something more classic of a porter would be some EK Goldings, or Fuggles. Any mild hop that wont make it overly bitter will work.
 

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