Denny Conn's Bourbon Vanilla Imperial Porter

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DRoyLenz

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Hey All -

Over the next couple of days, I'll be brewing up this recipe, and I know a lot of people on here have brewed it before. I'll be using the kit from Brewmaster's Warehouse Bernerbrau Denny Conn's Bourbon Vanilla Imperial Porter and I was wondering what kind of bourbon you guys have used, and what you have thought of it.

As far as whiskey goes, I'm a Jack Daniel's man, but I know this will not compliment the flavors of the porter well at all. I'm thinking Maker's Mark or Knob Creek would taste nice, perhaps even Jim Beam.

Thoughts?
 
Hey All -

Over the next couple of days, I'll be brewing up this recipe, and I know a lot of people on here have brewed it before. I'll be using the kit from Brewmaster's Warehouse Bernerbrau Denny Conn's Bourbon Vanilla Imperial Porter and I was wondering what kind of bourbon you guys have used, and what you have thought of it.

As far as whiskey goes, I'm a Jack Daniel's man, but I know this will not compliment the flavors of the porter well at all. I'm thinking Maker's Mark or Knob Creek would taste nice, perhaps even Jim Beam.

Thoughts?


Makers mark is what I usually use for porters, but I've also used southern comfort in a stout which came out nice.
 
I'll second the Maker's Mark. Did my 1st batch with Jack Daniels and didn't really like it. Makers Mark just finishes better for me.
 
Makers.. especially with the vanilla since Makers is a more vanilla-y bourbon. I don't know how the peach notes in soco would impact the flavor profile. I did a vanilla bourbon porter with makers and it was fantastic! my favorite brew yet.
 
Ya know, it really doesn't matter all that much, other than you don't want rotgut. I use Jim Beam Black because it's decent and has a reasonable price point. I really suggest you not waste expensive bourbon for this. Neither the bourbon nor vanilla flavors should stick out. They should be integrated with the flavor of the beer. If you can pick out what bourbon was used, I'd say you used too much!
 
i used knob creek and its fantastic...used a play off jamils recipe though
- i used one bean at the last seconds of the boil and then one in secondary
 
Ya know, it really doesn't matter all that much, other than you don't want rotgut. I use Jim Beam Black because it's decent and has a reasonable price point. I really suggest you not waste expensive bourbon for this. Neither the bourbon nor vanilla flavors should stick out. They should be integrated with the flavor of the beer. If you can pick out what bourbon was used, I'd say you used too much!

Denny -

Thank you for your input, I'm glad I can get advice direct from the horse's mouth. I'll probably do a price comp between Maker's and Jim Beam Black, and see what is more enticing. I'm siding towards Jim Beam Black, if for no other reason, than because I've never tried it, and would like to.

Thanks again, I'll be sure to post more questions as they come.

Oh yeah, I'm thinking of infusing my oak chips in the bourbon for a week+ prior to adding to the secondary. If anybody can vouch for another method, or any suggestions, I'm all ears.

:mug:
 
Denny -

Thank you for your input, I'm glad I can get advice direct from the horse's mouth. I'll probably do a price comp between Maker's and Jim Beam Black, and see what is more enticing. I'm siding towards Jim Beam Black, if for no other reason, than because I've never tried it, and would like to.

Thanks again, I'll be sure to post more questions as they come.

Oh yeah, I'm thinking of infusing my oak chips in the bourbon for a week+ prior to adding to the secondary. If anybody can vouch for another method, or any suggestions, I'm all ears.

:mug:

Yeah, I've been doing a lot of research on oak aging and this is what I've found.

Soak your oak chips or cubes in enough bourbon to cover them and sit into the fridge for a week +. Pull out oak and add directly into the fermenter reserving the liquor. Oak in the fermenter until you achieve the flavor you like. Most people say that 3+ months is best, but a lot of people don't want to overpower their brew and just do it until they like it. At time of bottling or kegging add you bourbon to taste. Remember what was said above, you just want the liquor to blend into the brew not be individually pronounced. Also, if you want to add vanilla extract, now would be the time to do so. I use extract b/c it's much cheaper (even the good stuff) and it's easier to fine tune to your liking than whole beans are.

J
 
Yeah, I've been doing a lot of research on oak aging and this is what I've found.

Soak your oak chips or cubes in enough bourbon to cover them and sit into the fridge for a week +. Pull out oak and add directly into the fermenter reserving the liquor. Oak in the fermenter until you achieve the flavor you like. Most people say that 3+ months is best, but a lot of people don't want to overpower their brew and just do it until they like it. At time of bottling or kegging add you bourbon to taste. Remember what was said above, you just want the liquor to blend into the brew not be individually pronounced. Also, if you want to add vanilla extract, now would be the time to do so. I use extract b/c it's much cheaper (even the good stuff) and it's easier to fine tune to your liking than whole beans are.

J

Thanks HalfPint, great post! I knew from the beginning that this may not be realistic, but I'm hoping to have this bottled and ready to drink by the middle of January, or maybe February, so I'm hoping I don't have to age the oak chips for 3 months. I know a Porter is a good beer to age for a few months, so we'll have to see how well it conditions.
 
I think oak cubes take several months. Oak chips left in for 3 months, I would think, would be overpowering. I did a brown ale w/ chips. 1 oz for 10 days was plenty.
 
I used Markers Mark in mine but I did cut back on the amount. The 2 beans I used were way over the top at first and took a year to mellow. I took a second place win with this at the Michigan state fair and the beer had been in the bottle for a year.
 
That's about what I pay for 2 really good ones at Trader Joe's. Besides, man, it's a hobby! How much is a bass fishing boat? :)

Flat bottom with a trolling motor? Probably about what I've spent on brewing this year.

Lol, J/k.

I know what you mean and it's worth the money imo, but I've found you can get the same flavor with tuned in with extract. Granted you're using high quality extract. You can't use the artificial crap.
 
I got some good vanilla beans cheap from Ebay once, you need to buy more than two though.

That said, I like the result from Nielsen- Massey vanilla extract just as well. It probably isn't any cheaper but it is easier.
 
I brewed this up on the first. I bought some Nielsen Massey vanilla beans to use they were like $10 that brings the total cost up to $35. Looking forward to this one
 
I swear by Nielsen Massey extracts but I did pick the Watkins vanilla up for another purpose in a pinch and it was good.

Good and cheap. I typically use about 2 oz in my brews give or take a bit b/c I don't like it very strong. I'm making a chocolate vanilla porter right now. It's Bee Cave Breweries Robust Porter that I racked onto 8 oz hersheys 100% cocoa powder. I'm thinking about making it vanilla, but I tasted a sample tonight and I'm not sure if it needs it!

How much of that Nielsen Massey vanilla extract do you like to use?
 
Well if you can get it I recommend Woodford Reserve - one of the best bourbons for the bang. Maker's Mark is sooooooo overrated. Knob creek would be tasty! When I made a vanilla porter (no oak) I used Buffalo Trace which is great for $20. Its a really oaky bourbon and its flavors complemented my porter beautifully.
 
The Spice House - Vanilla Beans, Madagascar "Bourbon Islands"

Interesting read about Vanilla Beans....

We have a couple Spice House locations here in the Chicagoland area. This is where I always go for spices. I would recommend ANYONE in Chicago check them out. They are very knowledgeable, you buy your spices VERY cheap, and a lot of the employees I've talked to knows quite a bit about beer and was able to recommend a few things for me.

$1.89 ain't bad....
 
The Spice House - Vanilla Beans, Madagascar "Bourbon Islands"

Interesting read about Vanilla Beans....

We have a couple Spice House locations here in the Chicagoland area. This is where I always go for spices. I would recommend ANYONE in Chicago check them out. They are very knowledgeable, you buy your spices VERY cheap, and a lot of the employees I've talked to knows quite a bit about beer and was able to recommend a few things for me.

$1.89 ain't bad....

Heck no $1.89 isn't bad. At my local grocery store they're like $9.00 for 2.
 
Just brewed up my first 2.5 gallon batch of this last night. It is smelling good, and tasting great. It has a delicious roasted malt character to it right now, and I can definitely see how the vanilla and bourbon are going to complement this.

I'll be brewing up the second batch tonight. Too bad this darned recipe takes so freaking long to condition, I have a hard enough time waiting the 6 weeks for an average brew, let alone the 2-3 months needed for this one.
 
Then don't wait 2-3 months. I don't. AFAIAC, this beer is best within the first month after brewing.

Denny, you always know the perfect thing to say ;).

This is good to hear, because I am already chomping at the bit, and I've only had it in the fermenter since Monday.
 
Iam doing this batch this weekend. It is my first HG brew and have a question about the pitching rate. I see that it calls for an 1800ml starter. I only have a 1000ml flask. I do have a 1/2 growler but I do not think that the stir bar I have ( the small one) is going to work with the growler and stir plate.

Option 1 is make a 1800ml starter use the stir bar and hope it works. I can just aerate the crap out of it via direct O2 injection before adding yeast.

Option2 Just make a 1000ml starter

Option3 Use a dry yeast. If I go this route is one packet enough or go for 2? Rehydrate or not?
 
Here's where I got my beans . . very nice quality and decent price . . .

http://www.beanilla.com/vanilla-beans-madagascar-vanilla-c-1_17.html

Dropped my bean in last night. I only did a 3.5gal batch (6.5gal carboys were busy). Personally you just can't compare extract to real beans. And at the prices beanilla charges there's no reason not to use the real thing.

Then don't wait 2-3 months. I don't. AFAIAC, this beer is best within the first month after brewing.

Music to my ears:rockin:
 
Iam doing this batch this weekend. It is my first HG brew and have a question about the pitching rate. I see that it calls for an 1800ml starter. I only have a 1000ml flask. I do have a 1/2 growler but I do not think that the stir bar I have ( the small one) is going to work with the growler and stir plate.

Option 1 is make a 1800ml starter use the stir bar and hope it works. I can just aerate the crap out of it via direct O2 injection before adding yeast.

Option2 Just make a 1000ml starter

Option3 Use a dry yeast. If I go this route is one packet enough or go for 2? Rehydrate or not?

I vote option 1. If the stir bar doesn't work, it'll just take a bit longer.
 
which liquid yeast? i would just use us05 or us04 or notty. one packet
 
Iam doing this batch this weekend. It is my first HG brew and have a question about the pitching rate. I see that it calls for an 1800ml starter. I only have a 1000ml flask. I do have a 1/2 growler but I do not think that the stir bar I have ( the small one) is going to work with the growler and stir plate.

Option 1 is make a 1800ml starter use the stir bar and hope it works. I can just aerate the crap out of it via direct O2 injection before adding yeast.

Option2 Just make a 1000ml starter

Option3 Use a dry yeast. If I go this route is one packet enough or go for 2? Rehydrate or not?

Assuming the stir bar doesn't work, Option 1 and 2 will yield about the same cell count. I can't find the chart now but a non-stirred starter requires about twice the volume to achieve the same cell count increase. The mrmalty.com calculator will tell you this (4.5L simple starter w/ oxygen or 2.25 L stir plate starter)

One suggestion is to use the growler and if the stir bar doesn't work just shake it as often as possible. This will give better results than just letting it sit.
 
One thing I've been interested in trying, but have not (and I haven't heard of anyone else doing it) is making 2 starters and combining them.

If you need 1800 mL, you could make a 900 mL starter, then when you're confident the consumable sugars are gone, put that in a sterilized container (perhaps that growler) then make another 900 mL starter. You would only need 1/2 of your yeast packet/vial for each starter. It would take longer, and I don't think you'd be ready by this weekend, but I think it should work just fine.

What I did for this brew (I don't have a stirplate) is I used a (roughly) 3000 mL starter. I took a large jug I have, made my starter in that, and then everytime I walked by it in the kitchen, I opened it up, expelled the CO2 in the headspace out of it, let it fill back up with O2, then shook the crap out of it. I probably did this 10-15 times over a 2.5 day time period. I got VERY aggressive fermentation after I pitched. I have not taken FG yet, however.
 
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