Recent content by formula2fast

So I ended up doing 5 beans as that is my usual amount for my higher alcohol beers and I had a few extra from my last brew session. The beans a good quality Tahitian beans that were still moist, fragrant, and soft. I also missed my numbers and came in at 1.100 OG, so it will be about 10%...

5 gallon batches. It is a 10% beer, so it needs more to come through. I have used 5 beans in a 6% porter as well and it was just right, not overpowered. I taste along the way and pull it off once the flavor is where I want it, and most of the time that is right around the 3 week mark. I...

So I finally brewed this last week and am getting ready to transfer to secondary with the vanilla beans and cinnamon. Has anyone ever done cinnamon in the secondary? I was thinking of putting the cinnamon stick into the secondary, but am now thinking that maybe I should use 2, and maybe soak...

Not really sure what is going on with vanilla, but it is super expensive everywhere. I just did one vanilla brew and am about to add vanilla to another this week and have a heafty amount of cash tied up just in vanilla beans. I spend days looking for it online and in grocery stores, specialty...

I add coconut to the mash, the boil, and secondary. I also put in some coconut water during the boil and it comes out with amazing coconut flavor. I don't keg, so I can't comment on that, but I use a lot of coconut and it takes up a lot of space in my secondary. I usually leave it there for...

I have never detected an almond flavor in horchata, but I can't say I ever knew it was there, so I may have silently ignored it. I may have to do more taste testing at my local taco shop to see if it is a flavor I can pick out.

I will post results in a few months once I get to taste it. I hope it comes out as good as I am imagining.

Thanks for the feedback guys. I will try your suggestions, although not sure about using the rice syrup solids. If it is not going to really contribute anything to the flavor or texture, I am not sure I want to add it in, although it would make it a bit more "authentic":)

I have some vanilla beans that I need to use up and am playing around with an imperial stout that would have similar flavors of horchata. I want it to be a bit thick and not super roasty as I want the sweetness to play well with the vanilla and cinnamon. Here is what I am thinking for a 6...

I have not made any changes to this recipe because every time I brew it, it comes out awesome. It is a pain in the ass to brew (the coconut part at least) and expensive, but it is very worth it. I use organic unsweetened flakes that I buy from Whole foods or Fruitful Yield (a natural/health...

If the beans are "smoochy", I would say you are good, but as ECUPirate07 said, you can always add, but not take away.

When beans are fresh, they are plump and moist. As they age, they dry out and get a bit hard. I have let fresh beans sit in the sealed package for a few months and they get hard and have some brown liquid that seeps out of them. I have not used the brewers best ones, but I do not think they...

I think the freshness of your beans comes into account as well. I always use super fresh beans so the flavor is a bit more pronounced. I have had some beans that were not fresh before and they were dried out and did not contribute as much flavor as fresher beans. I have not had vanilla fall...

I always use 5 whole beans, split, scraped, and soaked in either bourbon or rum (depending on the beer I am making) and it is always the perfect amount for my 7% all the way up to my 14% brews. I also add everything into the beer at secondary.

I always add the wood to the secondary, but save the bourbon they were soaking in and then add it to taste at bottling. The bourbon the wood was soaking in will have a very sharp wood flavor and can be too much in many beers. I did add all the booze once and it tasted like drinking a table...