GF Chocolate Vanilla Ale

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Joined
Nov 8, 2011
Messages
24
Reaction score
2
Location
Cedar Rapids
In May 2012, we brewed our third batch of gluten free beer - 5 gal -
chocolate vanilla ale.

1 pound gluten free oats, roasted for 1 hour (90)
6 fl oz molasses (60)
6.6 lb. Briess white sorghum extract (60)
1 oz U.S. Northern Brewer pellet hops (8.6% acid) (45)
1/4 oz anise pods
1/2 c ground walnuts, roasted 5 minutes
4 oz cocoa powder
6 oz dextrose
1 Tbs ground coffee
1 oz Hallertau, German pellet hops (4.0% acid)
4 oz vanilla extract
1 vanilla bean


1. Roast oats at 350F until dark brown (about 60 minutes)
2. Roast walnuts at 350F for 5 minutes - watch carefully or they will burn.
3. Add 2.5 gallons distilled water to brew pot. Heat to approximately 150-180F. Soak oats for 30 minutes.
4. Add 6.6 lb sorghum extract and 6 oz of molasses to pot. Bring to a boil. Start 60 minutes timer. Stir to prevent scorching.
5. Place Northern hops in large tea ball (don’t compress). Add to brew pot when mix boils. Boil for 45 minutes.
6. At 30 minutes, add anise.
7. Add walnuts and cocoa powder at 15 minutes.
8. Add dextrose, coffee, and Hallertau hops at 5 minutes.
9. Rehydrate yeast
10. Cool wort in ice bath.
11. Add 2.5 G water to fermenter. Add vanilla bean (quartered & seeded) and vanilla extract.
12. Add wort and yeast to fermenter. Mix well.

AT BOTTLING:
1 1/2 c Jim Bean bourbon
2 oz vanilla extract
1/2 cup dextrose (priming sugar)


Starting gravity was 1.047. Final gravity was 1.004. Final alcohol content was 4.5%. Approximate IBU: 24.05

While our initial goal was a vanilla ale, the vanilla didn't come through as we expected - although it's still a great brew! After sharing this brew with several family and friends, they all agreed it was excellent.

Comments:
* Bourbon, but spicy aroma
* Inadequate carbonation (could use a bit more priming sugar)
* Amber color, opaque
* Nice vanilla notes
* Good mouth feel
* Chocolatey mouth feel
* Coffee undertones with a hint of nuttiness and oats

WAIT a total of 4 weeks after bottling before drinking. It brings out more of the vanilla/chocolate tones than drinking it at 2 weeks post bottling.

Suggestions:
* More priming sugar - we had issues with our tubing and lost some to splashing
* Try without the bourbon addition at bottling
* Cut back on cocoa, add more vanilla
* Replace bourbon with vanilla vodka!


Our next bottling will be in the spring 2013: 2.5 gallon batch of our Blue Moon Clone.

Cheers!! :mug:
- Maple Tree Brewing Company
- Gluten Free Diaries
 
Interesting recipe, thanks for sharing. I have a number of questions!
What yeast did you use?
What made you think of using walnuts? What did the walnuts add and why only 1/2 a cup? Do you think more and/or other types of nuts might have had a similar effect?
I'm not a fan of chocolate/vanilla flavors. If I left out the vanilla would much be lost?
I am planning on adding 2 cups of bourbon to a beer I have in my secondary. I see you used 1 1/2 cups and it came out a bit strong. Would you recommend 1 cup of bourbon?
Finally, what did the anise seeds contribute? Do you notice their presence?
Thanks!
 
Yes what yeast? I am assuming you have to use dried because White Labs and Wyeast smack packs both have malt in them.
 
Hey folks!
Sorry I forgot to include the yeast strain!!! We used 11g Munich wheat beer yeast by Danstar (still gluten free, even though it says "wheat beer yeast").

Per your questions:
What made you think of using walnuts? What did the walnuts add and why only 1/2 a cup? Do you think more and/or other types of nuts might have had a similar effect? I thought the walnut flavor would pair well with the chocolate and vanilla flavors. One of the brew books also mentioned that nuts can add depth to the flavor. It seems difficult to get a "hearty" beer with white sorghum syrup, so we wanted to give this new brew its best chance. This batch was definitely creamier than the last brew, so I think the brew book was right on nuts. Hard to say if it was the walnuts specifically since we haven't tried it without nuts though. We went with 1/2 cup of walnuts since this was our first use of nuts. Seems to work out okay, so we might have to check out some nut brown ale recipes. I think more and/or other types of nuts might have a similar effect, but it might depend on the other flavors in the brew. The nuts roasted pretty quick in the oven, so watch them close. I imagine that drier nuts may be trickier and require more for the same flavor impact.

I'm not a fan of chocolate/vanilla flavors. If I left out the vanilla would much be lost? No, the vanilla was overpowered as is (without adding vanilla vodka), so I don't think you'd lose much.

I am planning on adding 2 cups of bourbon to a beer I have in my secondary. I see you used 1 1/2 cups and it came out a bit strong. Would you recommend 1 cup of bourbon? Seems reasonable, especially if you like bourbon. We'll be tasting any new liquor before determining how much to put in fermenter.

Finally, what did the anise seeds contribute? Do you notice their presence? I'll have to try another beer before I can answer the anise question. :)

Hope that helps!!
 
It helps tremendously, thank you. I'm not sure if I'm going to brew this beer, but some of what you did in this beer is very clever and I will definitely be attempting to bring into some of my other beers. Though I may go ahead and brew it :) I do have a hazelnut brown ale I'm planning on making and now I'm wondering if I could roast some hazelnuts and add to the wort like you did.

One more question related to that: how finely did you grind the walnuts? Were they ground prior to roasting or after the roasting? Sorry for all the questions!
 
Thanks for the article on nuts! Very interesting. If we ever feel inclined to do our own mash, I think amaranth would pair nicely with nuts.

Interesting recipe, thanks for sharing. I
Finally, what did the anise seeds contribute? Do you notice their presence?
Thanks!
I had to smell some anise seeds before I could pick out that particular flavor in the beer. It's subtle (rare thing for anise), but it's there. It blended nicely - always nice when things work out. I should also note it was anise pods, not seeds. I would imagine seeds would contribute more flavor than the pods.
 
So do I! I'm going to try a spin on this recipe this week. I'll let you know how it turns out.
 
This is my first brew by myself so I have a stupid question about this part "Add 2.5 gallons distilled water to brew pot. Heat to approximately 150-180F. Soak oats for 30 minutes."

Do the oats go in a bag or do i just toss them in and leave them?
 
You can put them in a hop bag, grain bag, (or paint strainer bag--what I have started using) or you can just throw them in. If you do just throw them in you have to have a way to strain them out. Most of my brews I have just thrown the hops, grains, etc in and strained them out. This will lead to a less "clear" beer--but if you don't care about aesthetics (which I don't) then go for it.
 
Ok I did the brew yesterday and I think it went well. The airlock is going crazy tonight! One thing though, it smells terrible. I can't place it, but it smells like something I might not want to drink. Did yours smell awful?
 
Ok I did the brew yesterday and I think it went well. The airlock is going crazy tonight! One thing though, it smells terrible. I can't place it, but it smells like something I might not want to drink. Did yours smell awful?

I hope it still turns out okay! Our batch smelled pretty good throughout the whole process - it's pretty handy having a microbiologist to sterilize everything.
 
Well my batch is going strong. My OG was a little higher. It's gone from 1.063 to 1.024 in 5 days. Also I don't think it actually smells bad, I have a cold and everything smells/tastes bad at the moment haha.

I do have a question though, why did you use this specific yeast?
 
I snuck a taste too... If you don't like it, just remember this beer gets a lot better after 2-3 weeks. (at least in bottles, I haven't tried keg brewing)
 
I'm brewing this tomorrow. Any suggestions or tips? I'm brewing with my father in law who is gluten intolerant.

I have brewed all grain batches before (non GF), but this will be my first extract brew. Please any suggestions are welcome!!
 
It's a pretty easy brew. My only tip is patience. Mine tasted and smelled off for a while. After two weeks in a keg it's delicious. I actually get new flavors every time I pour one. I made it for a party I'm having soon but it's not going to last haha
 
I am amazed at how this beer changes over time. I wish I could leave it alone long enough to age a bit more but I think the keg is almost empty. Great brew. Will do again sometime. I might leave the molasses out though, I think it adds an odd aftertaste. Also I added vanilla vodka instead of bourbon.
 
The next time we brew this, I would definitely suggest changing the bourbon out for vanilla vodka. The flavors are more complimentary. Thanks for letting us know how these batches turned out! It's always nice to know when other people succeed with the recipe!
 
Brewing this now!! Should I put the anise and walnuts into the primary? Or siphon out just the beer?
 
image-4048878543.jpg

Here it is! All ready to ferment. I'll post any updates!!
 
image-4017858397.jpg

Got a nice 3/4 inch krausen, one airlock bubble every second, and the closet smells GREAT!
 
This was very tasty. Just emptied the keg yesterday. A friend wants more for his wedding.
 
I've already posted in another thread about this, and concluded that it's NOT an infection, but did anyone else get this after about a week in the primary?



image-810315793.jpg



image-1136246586.jpg
 
luke_d said:
I've already posted in another thread about this, and concluded that it's NOT an infection, but did anyone else get this after about a week in the primary?

I did. It's the first beer I've made with wheat beer yeast so I figured that was why it looked like that.
 
Dude, beer is supposed to have a 'rocky head' to it whilst fermenting. That's what I look out for to know I have done a good one. It's perfectly normal.
 
Here it is! Just over six weeks in the primary, and three weeks in the bottles! It's amazing!!! My father in law is used to drinking Red Bridge. Now, he is enlightened. Thanks for the recipe!! The anise came though nicely to complement the hops.

image-3124660895.jpg
 
I just ordered the stuff for 2 more batches of this for a friends wedding. Maybe i'll just tell him I made 1 batch :)
 
Yea, it tastes great!! My first GF brew, but I am pleasantly surprised. From what I've had (Bard's and Red Bridge), I have to say I wasn't too keen on GF beer. But now I am as long as its homemade!!!
 
Yea, it tastes great!! My first GF brew, but I am pleasantly surprised. From what I've had (Bard's and Red Bridge), I have to say I wasn't too keen on GF beer. But now I am as long as its homemade!!!

That was my experience as well. The GF beer marketed isn't bad, but after Guinness, Schlafly and Sam Adams, it wasn't anything to write home about. Now if our siphons would behave, homebrewing would be a fun time all around!

Anyone care to elaborate on what this beer tastes like, strong on the burbon?

I think it mainly tastes like a nut brown ale. The anise, cocoa, and molasses are more subtle and give it some earthy flavors for more of a porter taste. The vanilla didn't come out too strong but it lightens the flavor and brings out the chocolate a bit. I often drink this with a finger of vanilla vodka to boost the vanilla/chocolate flavors (yum). Now that the bottles have sat longer, I can't really smell the bourbon like I could on the early bottles. There were enough flavors that I could never pick out the bourbon taste-wise. Hope that helps!
 
Has anyone ever picked up on any grassy flavors? I'm getting a little bit initially at each sip. Not sure if it needs to condition a bit longer, but I was also thinking that it's the hops and anise together creating the flavor.

And in my opinion it's really actually a pleasant grassiness. It melds well with the earthiness of the flavors. But I was wondering if anyone else got that in theirs? Thanks!!
 
Back
Top