I noticed a lot of the recipes people are using vanilla in are dark beers like porter and stout. Does anyone have any ideas for a lighter color beer?
There's a brewery in San Francisco that makes a _delicious_ vanilla cream ale. I've only got about six beers under my brewing belt, and my attempt at a vanilla cream ale is one of them. I used light oak spirals and vanilla beans, and soaked them in Velvet Falernum rather than vodka. (Unfortunately I think it fermented at too high a temp as it came out slightly odd -- but still totally tasty!)
For my Christmas gifts this year I'm making three beers, and two of them will be using vanilla beans (a spiced ale and a vanilla wheat).