How much vanilla for a vanilla porter?

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dylan8405

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Hey gang,

I've got a porter going in a primary right now and it's going to be ready for racking to a secondary in about a week or so.

I want to make it a vanilla porter and I need to know how much vanilla extract to add. I'm going to use real extract. I want a pretty strong vanilla flavor.

Here's my recipe for my porter, if that helps. Thanks!

0.25 pounds roasted barley
0.25 pounds chocolate malt
0.75 pounds 120L Crystal Malt
6.6 pounds amber malt extract

2 oz. Willamette Hops for 60 min
1 pound of corn sugar for 15 min (boost that ABV baby!)
1 oz Kent Golding hops for 3 min

Chilled wort to 75 degrees and pitched White Labs California Ale

So...how much vanilla extract to give it a strong vanilla flavor?

Thanks,

Dylan
 
I've got a vanilla porter in primary now too. I'm gonna use vanilla beans instead of extract. After I go to secondary, I'm gonna add vanilla a little at at time,let it sit a few days, and taste it till I get it where I want it.
 
So...how much vanilla extract to give it a strong vanilla flavor?

Thanks,

Dylan

Although I am still tinkering with my Vanilla Porter, people seemed to prefer when I use Real Extract as opposed to the 3 Beans as I have done previously. If your looking for a Strong taste of Vanilla, I would say 4-6 oz's. I would try 2 oz's in with your Secondary (why are you racking to a secondary on a dark beer? No foul, just has my curiosity perked.) then 2 more oz's at racking to bottle or keg. Should give you just enough Vanilla to know it's there. But, if you want that BIG, HOLY CRAP, NILLAWAFERS ON CRACK, kinda of Vanilla taste, go for 6 ounces.

Edit: I am assuming this is a 5 Gallon Batch based on your ingredients, adjust if smaller or larger batch size.
- Dan
 
Although I am still tinkering with my Vanilla Porter, people seemed to prefer when I use Real Extract as opposed to the 3 Beans as I have done previously. If your looking for a Strong taste of Vanilla, I would say 4-6 oz's. I would try 2 oz's in with your Secondary (why are you racking to a secondary on a dark beer? No foul, just has my curiosity perked.) then 2 more oz's at racking to bottle or keg. Should give you just enough Vanilla to know it's there. But, if you want that BIG, HOLY CRAP, NILLAWAFERS ON CRACK, kinda of Vanilla taste, go for 6 ounces.

Edit: I am assuming this is a 5 Gallon Batch based on your ingredients, adjust if smaller or larger batch size.
- Dan

Yep, 5 gallon batch. I am looking more for the "Nillawafer on Crack" flavor, but I don't want to go too overboard, so I'll use 5 ounces.

I'll rack to a secondary because my brew shop always suggest racking for a week at a minimum to help the flavors out for any beer. I'm not woried about clarity, but I think that it'll just help mellow out the beer.

I think that I'll do 2 ounces in the secondary and then 3 ounces at bottling. It might actually be cheaper to buy vanilla beans than 5 ounces of real extract. Is the flavor better with the beans than the extract? I'm not trying to win the county fair blue ribbon here, I just want to have some vanilla porter, which is hard to find at a reasonable price in stores (even here in Portland, Oregon - beer capital of the USA).

Thanks for the advice!
 
If you really like vanilla go for it, but even a capfull of extract in five gallons is noticable and it doesnt fade much with time. You can always add both beans and extract, it may add depth to the flavor. Bottling does make it harder because you cant adjust it with more as you go so taste it at every addition. Good luck, this is one of my favorite beers.:mug:
recipe
1#chocolate malt
1#munich malt
1#carapils
1.5#crystal130
9#two row
9#pale malt

total 22.5 #
1.8oz amirillo bitter
1.3oz mt hood flavor
.5oz amirillo

mash @154 60 min.
s.g. 1.070
s-04 british ale yeast

at kegging add 1 capful kirkland sig. vanilla extract
also added 1/4 cup whole coffee beans in an infusion ball to keg for 24 hours then removed


Vanilla flavor is in the background but definatly noticable as is the coffee, both are easily identified by someone who doesnt know its in there. Enjoy !
 
Hey gang,

I've got a porter going in a primary right now and it's going to be ready for racking to a secondary in about a week or so.

I want to make it a vanilla porter and I need to know how much vanilla extract to add. I'm going to use real extract. I want a pretty strong vanilla flavor.

Here's my recipe for my porter, if that helps. Thanks!

0.25 pounds roasted barley
0.25 pounds chocolate malt
0.75 pounds 120L Crystal Malt
6.6 pounds amber malt extract

2 oz. Willamette Hops for 60 min
1 pound of corn sugar for 15 min (boost that ABV baby!)
1 oz Kent Golding hops for 3 min

Chilled wort to 75 degrees and pitched White Labs California Ale

So...how much vanilla extract to give it a strong vanilla flavor?

Thanks,

Dylan

Dylan.....are you kegging or bottling. I'm asking because you could always add more to a keg if you need it. if bottling add to taste in the bottling bucket. I like using the extract because I like the control you get from extract.
 
Dylan.....are you kegging or bottling. I'm asking because you could always add more to a keg if you need it. if bottling add to taste in the bottling bucket. I like using the extract because I like the control you get from extract.

I am bottling. I don't have any equipment at all for kegging.
 
OK then add the extract to the bottling bucket. be sure to use real vanilla extract not the Imitation crap. I like the Madagascar stuff

I'll add it when I add the corn sugar for bottling. My wife bought me a 4 oz bottle of real extract at WinCo for about $3. I'll pour it in and see what happens!
 
My very first beer made was a vanilla porter. If i remember correctly I used 1oz at secondary. It was ever so slight and with age became muted.
 
I used 2 beans, split and scraped in my Vanilla Porter (Austin Homebrew Supply kit) and it is pretty prominent...

Good luck
:mug:
 
I used 1.75 oz in secondary for my Vanilla Cream Ale. I would add a little in secondary and see where you get. That should be enough to determine on how much more you may want to add. If you do to much in the begining, you can not take it out and then your stuck with it. Got to love the nilla!
 
I used 4 oz in my Vanilla Porter, then I aged it for 8 months, and it was great. At 3 months, it was a bit strong and full-on, but aging turned it into a fantastic beer. Here's hoping my next V.P. is even better!
 
Here is a different approach if you like, this is one I have been using with many different flavored extracts in my porters. If you get some cheap plastic disposible pippets, 5mL capacity you can do this procedure per bottle. Granted it is a little more work, but you can experiment with different amounts on a small scale.

1.5 mL extract per 12 oz bottle = 3 oz extract per 5 gallon

I do a porter every fall and split it up between a Maple extract, Vanilla extract and a java creme extract. I like 2 mL per 1/2 litre personally, but it was easy to find out what your nilla wafer flavor would be without ruining alot of beer. If your looking for good extracts try Cook's, available online, expensive but well worth it.

Giving away these beers around the holidays is a great hit!!!
 
I got an AHS Vanilla Porter kit that's been two weeks in the primary and was going to bottle this Sunday. I've since been reading mixed reviews on adding the vanilla to the secondary or the bottling bucket but at this point my only option is the bottling bucket. So I'm leaning toward 4 oz. of pure vanilla extract as I'm a pretty big fan of vanilla. Does that sound reasonable?
 
I am also in the middle of making a vanilla porter and wondered how this one turned out. I used the Brewers Best smoked porter partial grain and it’s in the primary right now (5 gallon batch). I plan on using vanilla bean and based on this thread as well as some other research, figure I’ll split and scrape two beans to add to the secondary and let it go a week or two. What I can’t decide is if I should just add the bean by itself to the secondary and then rack over it (and if so, are there any sanitation considerations for the beans prior to this?), or if I want to soak the beans in some liquor first and then add that. My initial thought was to soak them in a few oz. of vodka to sanitize the beans (since it is pretty much flavorless, but then thought I also have some vanilla vodka) and add the beans and vodka to the secondary. But I’m also considering letting them soak in some One Barrel rum from Belize (very good rum with subtle spice and nutty flavors to it).

Thoughts? If I use the booze, what volume would you all recommend and how long should I soak them before adding and racking into the secondary?
 
I am also in the middle of making a vanilla porter and wondered how this one turned out. I used the Brewers Best smoked porter partial grain and it’s in the primary right now (5 gallon batch). I plan on using vanilla bean and based on this thread as well as some other research, figure I’ll split and scrape two beans to add to the secondary and let it go a week or two. What I can’t decide is if I should just add the bean by itself to the secondary and then rack over it (and if so, are there any sanitation considerations for the beans prior to this?), or if I want to soak the beans in some liquor first and then add that. My initial thought was to soak them in a few oz. of vodka to sanitize the beans (since it is pretty much flavorless, but then thought I also have some vanilla vodka) and add the beans and vodka to the secondary. But I’m also considering letting them soak in some One Barrel rum from Belize (very good rum with subtle spice and nutty flavors to it).

Thoughts? If I use the booze, what volume would you all recommend and how long should I soak them before adding and racking into the secondary?
I would just chop and scrap the beans and throw them into the secondary. Your beer's alcohol and ph make it pretty hardy at that point.
 
I also used 2 beans, split and scraped in my Vanilla Porter and it was over powering.
Next time I will go with 1 bean and see how that turns out.
 
I did mine a bit differerent, i used real vanilla extract 2oz in the last 5 minutes of the boil, more for the aroma with just a hint of flavor and today when i racked this to my secondary i added 4 oz of cherry extract. Can't wait to see how this turns out.
 
I got my beans from Costco, a lot better price than beanilla. I cut and scraped two beans in the secondary and planned on letting them sit for two weeks. But, my brother was throwing a big family party and asked if I had any home brew I could bring. I did the math and allowing time for conditioning, I could only leave it in the secondary for 1 week.

I took half of it with me, and let the other half condition for several more weeks. With the first half, I didn't get what I was looking for at all. Don't get me wrong, I was very happy with the brew, but next time I will leave it in the secondary for longer as it wasn't what I was going for. There was a slight aroma of the vanilla, but I didn't really get vanilla in the flavor. It was mostly just a good old fashioned porter (not that that is a bad thing :) ). However, after letting the other part of the batch condition for several more weeks, I was much happier. The aroma was still there, the hop bitterness mellowed a bit which allowed more of the vanilla flavor to come through. It still wasn't exactly what I was going for, as I wanted the vanilla flavor to be more noticeable (though not overpowering). It is still just a bit too subtle. I still think it is one of my better batches (the part that I let condition longer anyway), just a couple of more tweaks here and there and I think I'll have it.
 
Man this is a frustrating topic to figure out what you want in your own beer.

First you got this:

I used 2 beans, split and scraped in my Vanilla Porter (Austin Homebrew Supply kit) and it is pretty prominent...

And then you got this:

I cut and scraped two beans in the secondary and planned on letting them sit for two weeks...

I took half of it with me, and let the other half condition for several more weeks...

With the first half, I didn't get what I was looking for at all...

After letting the other part of the batch condition for several more weeks, I was much happier. It still wasn't exactly what I was going for, as I wanted the vanilla flavor to be more noticeable (though not overpowering). It is still just a bit too subtle.

Not a knock on Duckfoot or MrGneissGuy, but how are we supposed to get any useful information out of this?
 
Not a knock on Duckfoot or MrGneissGuy, but how are we supposed to get any useful information out of this?

Not to speak for Duckfoot, because I don't know how long he let the beans sit, but I'll summarize mine. I only let the beans soak with the brew in the secondary for one week (though I had originally planned on two), and the result was more subtle than what I was hoping for. The less conditioned portion of the batch had a bit of a bitter aftertaste to it that hid the vanilla flavor, the portion that was conditioned longer did not have as bitter of an aftertaste, and the vanilla was noticeable, but still more subtle than what I was going for, which is along the lines of Breckenridge's Vanilla Porter.

Duckfoot probably left the beans in there longer than I did, and got a more prominent vanilla flavor.

Sorry for any confusion.
 
And now my turn... :fro:

I read the topic to mean it was about how much vanilla to add, I didn't think to include my aging time...

As MrGniessGuy said, I did in fact leave the beans for a longer period of time (almost a month if I remember correctly) and it was quite strong...

The kit I used at the time was a Austin Homebrew Supply Vanilla Porter partial mash, and I opted to not use the extract they provided... As for my aging time, I believe I left it in secondary almost a month...

That being said, there are so many variables that go into each person's recipes / procedures / tastes that there is really no right answer...

One thing I would suggest is start with a low quantity and work your way up... You can always add more...

Good luck with your brew and let us know how it turned out...

:mug:
 
I made a winterfest ale and wanted to balance the spices and raisins I used so I added ONE tsp of vanilla extract with 10 minutes left in the boil. For a more pronounced vanilla flavor I would go 3-5 tsp (5 being VERY stong vanilla flavor)

It depends on you palate. I read in the JOy Of Homebrewing that coffee could be added and to start with a half pound and progress from there. I thought, "Hey, I like coffee" and used a whole pound which was WAY TOO MUCH. I think I will try my espresso stout again but only use a quarter pound next go round...

And for my Vanilla Toffee Brown Ale I am going to try two whole vanilla beans...
 
Am I correct in assuming that if I'm adding vanilla extract post cooling, I do not need to pastuerize due to the alchhol content in the extract?
 
Alcohol is not a sterilizer, but it's pretty safe. Especially when you consider the small quantities you're putting in your beer.

People need to understand that "infection" or "contamination" is not an on/off switch. Every single one of our beers is currently "infected" because it's practically impossible to make beer at home without some degree of bacterial contamination. However, if we take as much precaution as possible to reduce the amount of contamination, then you'll be fine.
 
Instead of starting a new thread, I thought I would resurrect this one. I want to use vanilla beans in my stout that has been in the primary for about two 1/2 weeks. Just a few questions before doing this...

1. I get splitting the beans down the middle but what is this about scraping?
2. Do you just toss the beans in your beer naked or use cheesecloth? I have a big bubbler so it would be easy enough to get in and out if I do this.
3. Do I really need to use a secondary or can the vanilla beans be added to the primary instead?
 
Instead of starting a new thread, I thought I would resurrect this one. I want to use vanilla beans in my stout that has been in the primary for about two 1/2 weeks. Just a few questions before doing this...

1. I get splitting the beans down the middle but what is this about scraping?
2. Do you just toss the beans in your beer naked or use cheesecloth? I have a big bubbler so it would be easy enough to get in and out if I do this.
3. Do I really need to use a secondary or can the vanilla beans be added to the primary instead?

1. the inside of the bean is filled with small, sticky seeds. That's where most of the flavor is. Use a knife to scrape them out and add them.

2. Just toss 'em in

3. primary might be OK, but I've always used them in secondary
 
I just kegged a smoked vanilla porter last night. I used 2 beans. I cut them into 5-6 pieces each, boiled them for 10 minutes to sterilize them (covered, to keep their "essence" and not let it boil out), and then dumped them into the primary. 1 week later, it was ready to keg; no more vanilla needed, as it was pretty strong.
 
The beans that I believe I'm going to buy are these...

beans-66953.jpg


If I only use two of them, how can I save the rest of the beans? Do they freeze okay?
 
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