NorthernBrewer Bourbon Barrel Porter

I put this in the primary at 58 degrees ambient in the basement on Jan. 2nd and hit the OG of 1.065. I just took a reading this morning and it's now at 1.024 with active ferm still going on. I gave it a swirl and placed it to a warmer spot at the basement stairs at around 68 degrees which is on the upper level for this Scottish ale yeast. Temps are supposed to be between 55 and 70 degrees for this strain. Any objections to this move? Bubbling had slowed to ever 5-10 seconds at this point. The sample tasted great! What were everybody else's FG's? If I can get this into the teens I'll be pleased. I have two vanilla beans sliced and opened sitting in 20 oz of bourbon with the 2 oz of toasted oak cubes going for 1.5 weeks now. This is an extract kit btw, my second batch ever. It's level at the 5 gallon mark on the bucket which was better than my number 8 at about 4.5 gallons when moved to secondary. I didn't do a full boil with this bbp.

Before I add this bourbon/vanilla bean(2)/ oak cube mixture are there any thoughts out there as to the best way to do it?

I was thinking of adding the full 20 oz because I typically like very strong beers. I had placed the vanilla beans in the jar about 4 days ago. The oak cubes have been in there for almost 2 weeks. I used a cheap bourbon, Crow reserve.

Make sure you have enough "head space" in your fermenter. When I added the bourbon, my Better Bottle overflowed with LOTSA foam! I was unable to put the oak bits in...barely got the bourbon in! However...I WILL brew this one again! Very, V-E-R-Y tasty!

glenn514

I soaked my oak chips in knob creek whiskey for about 2 months. brewed this on 9/1/11. Went 2 weeks primary and two weeks secondary. Added vanilla to the secondary along with the oak chips. Now it has beed sitting in a keg conditioning since 9/30/11. 31 days to go until its tap date. Haven't sneaked a taste yet. Smelled delightful when transferred to the keg. You guys make it difficult not to sneak it in early as how good everyone says it is. *will power*

I brewed this kit on 10-05-11 and bottled on 12-7-11. During the process i put the toasted oak cubes, 20 oz Makers Mark and 2 oz of vanilla extract from a caribbean island we had sitting around, for three weeks then added to carboy before siphoning the wort. When i was bottling, the mix smelled strongly of bourbon and i was worried about the fact that i may have used too much boubon, but after bottle conditioning for a month, this beer is fantastic, maybe the best i have made in my 20 batches. This is also the first batch that i used Muntons Kreamy X as my carbonation mix.

I have a few questions though about gravity measurements.

When adding 20 oz of 80 proof whiskey in the carboy, what does an OG and FG reading really tell you? I feel that the beer is much higher alcohol percentage than what i can calculate, any help here would be appreciated.

My secondary went without the oak since the oak was more potent than I liked. I threw in the two vanilla beans and 600 mls of bourbon. No foaming on my end though. The secondary is still bubbling slowly. Awesome taste from the gravity sample. The OG was 1.065 and the FG just a couple days ago was 1.018 after the bourbon pitch. OG and FG give you an estimated abv. With whiskey or bourbon alcohol will increase but less than perceived since its 5 gallons of beer. Some have said 1 percentage point but I doubt that. Just over 6 percent for me unless the FG drops a bit more.

Omg its so good. Still tastes young but got other things to keg and no more empties available. Will be making again in a few months and bottling that batch. 8 months conditioning should make it perfect. So glad i waited the 4 months to taste. *drool*

I bottled this beer March 2010. I just tried a bottle this weekend and it's AMAZING.

The smell is oaky and bourbony, but the taste is smooth and mellow. This beer is great for aging.

Bottled this 3 weeks ago and had to taste a bottle. It's already amazing and can't wait to taste it after it has aged.

I had a bottle the other night from a batch I brewed in August 2011...and it was AWESOME! I've got a 12-pack of it down in the cellar. I think I'll leave it alone for some weeks, and then enjoy another bottle or two. Oh, did I say it was AWESOME? Oh, I guess I did. But it was...A-W-E-S-O-M-E!

glenn514

Follow up on my batch from July 2011. I was the one that used the Zaya Rum instead of bourbon. While I had big expectations for this batch, it's just not working for me. I thought that the huge vanilla/caramel notes in the rum would transfer over nicely to a Porter, but that's not the case. The porter base appears to be a great beer, but the rum has added some bite to it that is hard to describe honestly. I can see where a good bourbon (Makers) would be awesome in this beer and that's what I'll be sticking with next time I brew it up.

Until then, the remaining case gets to age another year until next Christmas and we'll see if that helps any.

I couldn't wait. Brewed another batch this weekend. Told the wife its my Xmass gift. Thats about when I will try the first bottle. Using makers mark instead of knob creek this time.

I thought about using rum next time I brew this, but maybe not if it doesn't complement the recipe. I used Makers Mark and loved how it came out.

martialscientist said:

I thought about using rum next time I brew this, but maybe not if it doesn't complement the recipe. I used Makers Mark and loved how it came out.

Click to expand...

If you have the means, maybe try a split batch....but I can't recommend the rum to anyone after tasting the results. Shame, it sounded like a great pairing.

martialscientist said:

I thought about using rum next time I brew this, but maybe not if it doesn't complement the recipe. I used Makers Mark and loved how it came out.

Click to expand...

Rum doesnt seem like it would pair good imho. I thought about using crown royal but its too mellow to give that taste I enjoyed in the first batch.

I just started this thread, but figured I would post in here to see if anyone can give me some advice.

I brewed the NB BBP extract kit last night using a yeast starter for the 1st time. I made the 650 ml starter on Wednesday night, and by Thursday morning there was a nice little cake and some activity...I gave it a nice swirl every time I walked by, and decided that I would brew my batch and pitch the yeast that evening. I ended up brewing the batch and pitching the entire yeast starter @ 78 degrees around 9pm, so that would have been roughly 36 hours after making it.

OG was 1.065 before I pitched, and I immediately moved the fermenting bucket to my spot. I expected to wake up this morning to the beer foaming thru my airlock...But to my shock there was no activity at all. Am I worried about nothing yet? Is 12 hours too soon to expect activity? I was under the impression that the starter should start bubbling much sooner. I will be super bummed if there is an issue w/ this one because I have been building up the confidence to make this baby for a long time.

White 6.5 gallon bucket? First question is: Was it on tightly and is there possible an air leak around the bung? What is the temp where your bucket is at?

the temp ready 68 when I left for work this morning, I expect it to drop to around 62-64...Its always possible there's a leak but unlikely.

I'm guessing the 10 degree drop didn't do your yeast any favors, and the additional expected drop in temp won't help either. Most likely your yeast are sleeping on the bottom. It sounds like you had good vitality in your starter, so that is good. At this point I'd try swirling your fermenter to get the yeast back into suspension. Do this as vigorously as can can safely without getting beer on your airlock every few hours for a day or two (stop sooner if you start seeing active fermentation (bubbles from airlock with at most one second between bubbles.) As the others suggest, make sure you have a good seal with your lid or stopper and around your airlock. Do you have krausen (foam on top of your beer in the fermenter)?

I use starters for all of my brews and I always see activity start within the first 4-8 hrs. In the future, I'd recommend you let your wort sit for 24 hrs in your fermenter in a cool, dark place before pitching your yeast... It gives the yeast less temp variation, which they seem to prefer.

This is a great kit, especially if you use the Makers!! It was actually my intro to home brewing!!

So this and a belgian strong golden will be my fist bottled beer. I started a year ago and have always kegged. I know its "sdrawkcab ssa" from the norm.

What volumes of co2 did everyone do and what worked/didn't work?

Style calls for 1.5 to 2.3
I was thinking about 2.1 which is about 3.3 oz of priming sugar. That gives about 21psi at 68f and 7.9psi at 40f which is what i ran when i kegged my last batch.
Please dont yell about how wrong all this info is.
Planing on conditioning until Xmas in long neck 12oz. Brown bottles

Update - When I returned home on Friday, there was a lot of bubbles in the air lock. It wasn't as active as I have seen with previous brews, but I was happy. Its been bubbling away at this pace since Friday. Seems to be a little slower this morning, maybe bubbling every 15-20 seconds as opposed to every 2 seconds. I am going to pry the top open tonight to take a look at the krausen. I am guessing its there since there's bubbles.

Thanks BiggieB400...Do you always let your wort sit to stabilize the temp before pitching? I have never heard of this, but it makes sense. Do you shake the wort up again to aerate it before pitching?

For those that added vanilla beans to the bourbon / oak chips, do you add the beans to the secondary as well? I was just wondering if I should take them out.

I used 5 oz of corn sugar and the carb is perfect for me. Wouldn't want any more or any less.

I put my two vanilla beans right into secondary with the bourbon mixture.

Always aerate the wort . . . Very well too. If you don't use pure O2 or an aeration stone for aquariums and do this by hand I suggest shaking the snot out of it before pitching the yeast for at least 2 minutes until it looks like a freshly poured nitro Guinness. . . . With loooots of foam. This will give you the best chance of at most 8ppm of O2.

smurfwar said:

What volumes of co2 did everyone do and what worked/didn't work?

Style calls for 1.5 to 2.3
I was thinking about 2.1 which is about 3.3 oz of priming sugar. That gives about 21psi at 68f and 7.9psi at 40f which is what i ran when i kegged my last batch.
Please dont yell about how wrong all this info is.

Click to expand...

djbradle said:

I used 5 oz of corn sugar and the carb is perfect for me. Wouldn't want any more or any less.
Planing on conditioning until Xmas in long neck 12oz. Brown bottles
.

Click to expand...

That would be a 2.7 volume of co2? What temp are you bottling? Seems a but high for the style according to the calculators.
At 70*F that would be 1 1/9 cup. And 32 psi with 14.4 at 40*F. Just seems high. But what do i know?

Ya I'm doing bottles so I have no clue if the volume of CO2 is the same between kegging and bottling. I assume so. In any case the head and carbonation on these 22 oz. bombers after after I bottled them on Feb.4th is perfect imho. This pic is from around Feb. 20th as a 12 oz test bottle. These were conditioned at around 70*F for three weeks before my first 22oz. was cracked. The test bottle was a 12 oz that had 4 inches of headspace(last bottle). The carb/head is the same with the 22 oz bombers. They're just a tad more carbed and have another 1/2" of head. These really are about the same carbonation level as several other porters I've had in the recent past . . .BBC drayman's porter, Wormtown pro-am porter, and Breckinridge vanilla porter.

Turned out great! I used a 1L yeast starter following NB's directions the night before. I brewed on 1/14. OG=1.066. Transfered to secondary on 1/31. Gravity was 1.018. That same day I added 16oz makers mark to the oak cubes and let them soak until 2/15 when I dumped them in the secondary (with the bourbon). Bottled on 3/3. Had my first one last night (3/16) and it was great. Bourbon and oak are strong, but pleasant and not overwhelming. Going to age some, but also going to serve some today for St. Patrick's Day.

Brewed this on 3/29. O.G. was right on at 1.065 and just took a hydro reading today and its at 1.020. I had planned on letting the oak chips sit in MM for between 24-48 hours as per the directions, then add it all to secondary. After reading through this whole thread now, I think I will let it sit in primary another week (just added oak to bourbon today) and then transfer to secondary, with possibly another week without the oak/bourbon by itself in secondary. Very excited for this beer, as I'm a big fan of bourbon in general.

So I just kegged this on sunday, hooked up to the CO2 to start carbing, and took a sample today just to see where its at. HOLY OAK. I think a week on oak for the bourbon, and then a week on oak for the beer was way too long. I'm sure it'll mellow, but I think for next time I may just let the bourbon soak on the oak chips for the recommended 24-48 hours.

And a question for those who have done it, I am force carbing and then plan to bottle from the keg. The keg is in the fridge right now. If I bottle cold and then leave them to age at room temperature, will I have any ill effects on the beer? I don't think it would, but I figured I'd ask.

BronxFireGuy said:

So I just kegged this on sunday, hooked up to the CO2 to start carbing, and took a sample today just to see where its at. HOLY OAK. I think a week on oak for the bourbon, and then a week on oak for the beer was way too long. I'm sure it'll mellow, but I think for next time I may just let the bourbon soak on the oak chips for the recommended 24-48 hours.

.

Click to expand...

It really mellows with time. I think if your keg it and drink it fast 24-48 hours might stop the oak harshness. I also gave up on Makers Mark and switched to Elijah Craig or Four Roses.

I soak the oak for a week, let it sit in the beer for a month, then store it for 4-6 months.

No ill effects for the beer. Subjective taste tests have shown that bottles stored at room temperature are smoother and more complex than the same batch stored cold. This is my experience as well after doing some searching of several forums beforehand.

My beer aged on the oak for about 2 months. I brewed it about a year ago and it's still amazing. Actually it's gotten beer as it has mellowed. It was super oaky for quite a while.

My full boil batch was very oak forward for the first 3-4 weeks but that robust flavor mellowed out perfectly. I had the oak cubes in the bourbon for over a week. I did do vanilla beans so those take the front seat now. It's a an awesome beer and style that is not my cup of tea but fact that I brewed it makes it all the better to quaff.

I see a lot of people doing vanilla. Has anyone tried coffee in this?

Bottled my second batch a few weeks ago. . Soaked bourbon, oak, & vanilla for 1 month. Added it to secondary for 1 month. Will wait till Dec to try it (8 months bottle condition). So excited. Hope i can wait that long. Might do a bourbon imperial stout next time and bump to 9+ abv

So now having been kegged a couple weeks give or take, I bottled a few and brought them on a fishing trip with me. Upon finishing the first bottle, I immediately regret not bringing another batch of bottles up, for the 2 I had went waaaayyyyy too quickly. Already ordered the kit again, but this time I went with the all grain, im hoping with the full boil itll be even better. And now it's got my mind thinking of a scottish rum oaked ale. I cant wait till I can age some of this!

Mine has been in the bottle for ~9 months now (brewed 10 months ago) and I think it is finally coming around. I subbed a nice spiced rum for bourbon with my batch and I was beginning to think that it just wasn't going to work. The rum imparted such a huge 'bite' on the earlier tastings I tried, that it just wasn't that pleasant to drink. FF to last night....the bite is gone and the flavors have finally started to mellow. It actually tasted fantastic! I'd still like to try this kit with bourbon, but glad the rum finally worked. Glad I was patient with this batch and still have a case left that I'm going to try and age further til this fall/winter.

Definitely set aside a case if you guys can for this one and forget about that case for at least 10 months, you won't regret it at all! It's funny, there are a hundred posts in this thread saying 'just let it age for a year', yet I couldn't help myself to random samplings over the last 10 months....now I wish I had the full 2 cases still. Next time I'm wrapping both cases in gorilla tape and hiding them over at the in-laws for a year.

I think it is well worth doing samples over time. It helps you learn how the beer ages and changes over time. That's why I went so long on the oak, so that I could see it's effect and how it changes as it ages over a long time.