Spice, Herb, or Vegetable Beer Bourbon Vanilla Porter (AG)

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ericebel04 said:
Yeah I know, but I took measurements twice and got the same results. The first time was right after I shook the whole fermenter to aerate.

I called my buddy and he told me to add some sugar. So I dissolved 2.5 lbs of sugar in a lil water, and dumped it in. (I already pitched the yeast the night before at about 8pm, then added sugar at 11am.)

I just took the gravity reading at 5pm, and its been bumped up to 1.080! And fermentation is going steady too. Smells delicious!

There's no way you can be at 1.036 after 8lbs of extract in a 5g batch. You were around 1.057. When you added the sugar you added around .022, which is confirmed by your 1.080 measurement. So your numbers are as expected now...
 
ericebel04 said:
Hmm, I wonder why I got that then... Maybe you're right, maybe it wasn't mixed up enough. Weird. I shook it pretty well...

Thanks for your calculations, I appreciate it!

If you took the reading with really hot wort it will read much lower. I believe most hydrometers are calibrated to 60 deg F. Not sure if that was your issue or not...
 
I bottled this in late July, and posted earlier that there was almost no carbonation at all.

Popped one open last night (just when I was losing hope) to a nicely carbonated beer. Very strong bourbon taste, but it is working!
 
I can't go through this whole thread, seriously... :) Should I use .5lb Chocolate or 1.25lb?

TIA,
Justin
 
Just racked onto vanilla beans today. Mine finished out at 1.014, I hope that's not too low. I just wanna confirm the amount of bourbon to add. Is 10 oz for 5 gallons going to have a strong presence in the final product? Any feed back on how much you guys added?
 
Just racked onto vanilla beans today. Mine finished out at 1.014, I hope that's not too low. I just wanna confirm the amount of bourbon to add. Is 10 oz for 5 gallons going to have a strong presence in the final product? Any feed back on how much you guys added?

I used 4oz for my batch because I went heavy on vanilla. I think the recommended amount was like 15oz or so right? So yours should be right in the middle.

Mine has a light bourbon smell and a light end-kick of bourbon when i sampled at bottling. Nothing crazy, just a bit of a light touch. I think you will be fine!
 
Okay guys, I have been searching this thread for awhile now.

I want to make a partial mash of this recipe, I have found a couple recipes, but i have also read tales of poor head retention.

Can someone throw me a bone here and write up what they have made successfully?

It would be nice to actually consolidate the recipes onto one reply..maybe I'll take the time and do that this week. In the mean time, I need to order my supplies from NB to brew this weekend. Help pleeeeeeeeeeeeease?
 
Found this Partial Mash from Denny himself on another thread:


Bourbon Vanilla Imperial Porter partial mash

A ProMash Recipe Report

Recipe Specifics
----------------

Batch Size (Gal): 5.00 Wort Size (Gal): 5.00
Total Grain (Lbs): 13.25
Anticipated OG: 1.087 Plato: 20.83
Anticipated SRM: 46.1
Anticipated IBU: 31.6
Brewhouse Efficiency: 73 %
Wort Boil Time: 70 Minutes

Pre-Boil Amounts
----------------

Evaporation Rate: 1.50 Gallons Per Hour
Pre-Boil Wort Size: 6.75 Gal
Pre-Boil Gravity: 1.064 SG 15.72 Plato


Grain/Extract/Sugar

% Amount Name Origin Potential SRM
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
37.7 5.00 lbs. Light Dry Malt Extract 1.046 7
18.9 2.50 lbs. Munich Malt (Durst) Germany 1.037 10
11.3 1.50 lbs. Brown Malt Great Britain 1.032 70
9.4 1.25 lbs. Chocolate Malt America 1.029 350
7.5 1.00 lbs. Crystal 120L America 1.033 120
7.5 1.00 lbs. Pale Malt(2-row) America 1.036 2
3.8 0.50 lbs. Cane Sugar 1.047 0
3.8 0.50 lbs. Crystal 40L America 1.034 40

Potential represented as SG per pound per gallon.


Hops

Amount Name Form Alpha IBU Boil Time
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
0.65 oz. Magnum-Domestic Whole 15.00 29.0 60 min.
0.40 oz. Goldings - E.K. Whole 6.00 2.6 10 min.


Extras

Amount Name Type Time
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
0.50 Unit(s)Whirlfloc Fining 5 Min.(boil)


Yeast
-----

WY1450, WY1056, or DCL Yeast US-56 Fermentis American Ale


Mash Schedule
-------------

Mash Name:

Total Grain Lbs: 7.75
Total Water Qts: 12.00 - Before Additional Infusions
Total Water Gal: 3.00 - Before Additional Infusions

Tun Thermal Mass: 0.13
Grain Temp: 65.00 F


Step Rest Start Stop Heat Infuse Infuse Infuse
Step Name Time Time Temp Temp Type Temp Amount Ratio
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
sacc 0 60 155 155 Infuse 170 12.00 1.55


Total Water Qts: 12.00 - After Additional Infusions
Total Water Gal: 3.00 - After Additional Infusions
Total Mash Volume Gal: 3.62 - After Additional Infusions

All temperature measurements are degrees Fahrenheit.
All infusion amounts are in Quarts.
All infusion ratios are Quarts/Lbs.

When fermentation is complete, split 2 vanilla beans lengthwise. Scrape all the seeds and "gunk" from them and add it to the fermenter. Chop the beans into 2-3 in. long pieces and add them, too. Leave in secondary 10-14 days, then taste. You want the vanilla to be a bit on the strong side since it will fade. If the vanilla flavor is adequate, rack to bottling bucket or keg and add approximately 375 ml. of Jim Beam Black bourbon. You don't need to use an expensive bourbon, and you don't want to add a lot. The beer shouldn't scream "BOURBON!" at you. You should have an integrated flavor of the chocolatey porter, vanilla, and bourbon. This beer does not benefit from extended aging. I prefer it within a few months of brewing. The FG should be in the mid-high 20s, so don't worry about trying to get it lower.
__________________
Life begins at 60....1.060, that is!
 
idigg said:
I can't go through this whole thread, seriously... :) Should I use .5lb Chocolate or 1.25lb?

TIA,
Justin

I used .5 in a partial mash, and it was great.

Other people use 1.25... do what sounds better to you.
 
I brewed the recipe I posted above on Sunday 30 Sept 2012 and I got a OG of 1.083. I had to add some water to bring my total volume up to 5 gal... I think after boil I had like 4 gallons.

Anyways, this brew tasted amazing, so I can't wait to see what comes of it.

I didn't do a starter, just a smack pack of the Denny's Fav from Wyeast - I am slightly worried if I should have used two smack packs since I didn't use a starter fermentation is going really well right now as I post this though

Will post an update later.
 
Random question and sharing of thoughts....

How long would you let this sit in a bourbon barrel instead of adding the actual 10ounces in the secondary? I would figure the actual pull of oak and bourbon from the barrel would be an added benefit?

Any thoughts?.....
 
AGadvocate said:
Just racked onto vanilla beans today. Mine finished out at 1.014, I hope that's not too low. I just wanna confirm the amount of bourbon to add. Is 10 oz for 5 gallons going to have a strong presence in the final product? Any feed back on how much you guys added?

You probably bottled already but I used 10 oz and it came out very well balanced.
 
What kind of bourbon did everyone choose? I am using Jim Beam. I am sitting at 11.5 brix (1.046 SG) after 15 days in primary. I started at 20 Brix (1.083 SG).

That puts me around 8% ABV. I assume after soaking the chips in Beam for a week, and then adding a few mL to the 5 gal batch before bottling will raise my ABV to where I want it.

Opinions?
 
I brewed this up a little over 2 weeks ago, using the partial mash recipe in this thread, and had an OG of 1.087. After 2 weeks in primary I took a hydro sample (this was on Saturday) and was only down to 1.036. Initial fermentation temps were about 70 degrees with ambient about 65. By this point it had cooled to about 65. I used wyeast 1450 and made a 1L starter. I went ahead and moved the fermenter to a slightly warmer room, about 68 degrees. I'm under the impression I might eek out a few more points, but I'm unlikely to get into the 1.020s. Is that correct? Is there anything else I can do? I'll take another sample tonight but I would think I've stalled. Thoughts? The beer itself tasted surprisingly good.
 
I doubt you will get any lower. I only used 1 Wyeast smack pack to get my above mentioned numbers. Your brewhouse efficiency must have been lower or your measurements were off slightly. I wouldn't worry about it, the extra bourbon will bring the ABV up some for ya.
 
My efficiency was fine, since I got 1.087 to begin with. Measured again last night and still holding at 1.036. I went ahead and gently swirled the fermenter, to see if rousing the yeast has any effect. I'm hoping I can squeak out a few more points and bring the sweetness down slightly.
 
Does anyone have advice on how to bottle prime this beer if it finishes at 1.03? Mine has been stuck at 1.03 for a week, even after ramping the temperature up from 63 to 72 over the course of the last week. I'm worried that if I prime normally I'll end up over carbonated or with bombs.
 
My Og on Saturday (brew day) was 1.082 it is now after 4 days 1.024. Tasted and smelled amazing.
 
Just a quick question for this recipe. Does everyone mash all of the specialty grains in with the rest of the grains and do you mash the whole time. I have read different things about adding a harshness to the flavor of these dark type of specialty grains are mashed for long periods. I made this recipe about 2 weeks ago and just racked onto the vanilla bean and took a sample and I do find the flavor somewhat harsh. Maybe it just needs to sit and mellow out for a while. Anyone have any input??
 
I mashed all my grains together and I say just wait it out. Everything seems to mellow out after awhile !
 
I made this today, with a few minor variations:

The brew shop didn't have brown malt, so I used special roast. I prefer to use dry yeast, and the brew shop was out of us-05, so I used us-04 (two packets).

I sparged with 6.5 gallons and boiled for nearly 3 hours to get to the proper volume. My set-up is pretty inefficient, so I add 1 lb of corn sugar to the boil to bring the og up to the target. With all that, I hit 1.085 og. I was pretty stoked! It's only been in the primary for about 20 minutes now, so no other info to share.
 
Bubbling away!


image-3855842190.jpg
 
This recipe reminds me of my awesome bourbon barrel vanilla stout! You can use Southern Comfort bourbon instead of wasting money on Makers Mark!
 
Just so I'm clear, you guys recommend 10 oz of bourbon and 2 tablespoons of pure vanilla or 2 whole vanilla beans. (I'm not sure I can find vanilla beans) Also, I was thinking of adding the bourbon to the secondary along with the vanilla, then letting it sit for as long as I can stand (3-4 weeks). I'll be kegging this one and my brother is telling me to let it age in the keg. What are your thoughts.

PS: I'm 16 hours in and its bubbling quite nicely!
 
Sorry, one more thing:

I've heard that when adding bourbon it's ok to get the cheap stuff, and I've also heard that it's better to use the good stuff. Both sides seem equally convinced. This will be my first batch using bourbon. Any input would be appreciated!
 
Just so I'm clear, you guys recommend 10 oz of bourbon and 2 tablespoons of pure vanilla or 2 whole vanilla beans. (I'm not sure I can find vanilla beans) Also, I was thinking of adding the bourbon to the secondary along with the vanilla, then letting it sit for as long as I can stand (3-4 weeks). I'll be kegging this one and my brother is telling me to let it age in the keg. What are your thoughts.

PS: I'm 16 hours in and its bubbling quite nicely!

I ordered my vanilla beans off Ebay! They were only like $10 for a pack of 8 beans. With my bourbon stout I always add the bourbon and the vanilla beans to secondary and then rack the beer onto them. If you soak the beans in the bourbon for a bit it will sanitize them.

Sorry, one more thing:

I've heard that when adding bourbon it's ok to get the cheap stuff, and I've also heard that it's better to use the good stuff. Both sides seem equally convinced. This will be my first batch using bourbon. Any input would be appreciated!

The way I see it it makes no sense to get top shelf bourbon and then waste it by diluting it into a big beer. Get a bourbon that has good flavor and aroma and don't worry about it being the best smoothest out there. Southern Comfort is good stuff, works great in a beer like this and costs about 1/3 of Maker's Mark. :mug:
 
Sorry, one more thing:

I've heard that when adding bourbon it's ok to get the cheap stuff, and I've also heard that it's better to use the good stuff. Both sides seem equally convinced. This will be my first batch using bourbon. Any input would be appreciated!

It's only 10-13 oz. per 5 gallons of beer. I found a 12.5 oz. bottle of makers mark that wasn't too expensive. If we were talking 30-40 oz. I could see where cost may be a problem.
 
I've had this sitting on 2 vanilla beans for about 2 weeks now and just took a sample. It has a slight vanilla aroma, and a smooth but not what I would pick out as vanilla flavor. Basically, it tastes like a good porter but I don't pick out the vanilla. This might have to do with fermentation finishing high (1.032). Should I add another bean or some extract? Also, should I put my bourbon in now or wait until bottling time? I had planned on bottling this weekend but could pour it in now if that would help.
 
wowbeeryum said:
I've had this sitting on 2 vanilla beans for about 2 weeks now and just took a sample. It has a slight vanilla aroma, and a smooth but not what I would pick out as vanilla flavor. Basically, it tastes like a good porter but I don't pick out the vanilla. This might have to do with fermentation finishing high (1.032). Should I add another bean or some extract? Also, should I put my bourbon in now or wait until bottling time? I had planned on bottling this weekend but could pour it in now if that would help.

How long in primary? 1.032 is way too high unless you mashed really high. You don't want bottle bombs. Maybe try to gently rouse yeast and bring temp up for 2-3 days.
 
This looks delicious. I'm headed to the LHBS to get the ingredients today. I think I will be going with the original recipe to start. Thanks for sharing!
 
Looks like mine will be a little different, due to ingredient availability. I could only get .75lbs on the brown malt. We also changed the 1lb and .5 of crystal malts to a single 1lb of crystal 80. Using warrior instead of magnum for bittering. I also decided to double pitch some us-05 instead of liquid yeast.

This should be fun!
 
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