Spice, Herb, or Vegetable Beer Vanilla Caramel Cream Ale

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Cheesefood

Cheesefood

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 4, 2005
Messages
6,740
Reaction score
54
Location
Poo-Poo Land
Recipe Type
All Grain
Yeast
WYeast 1007 German Ale
Yeast Starter
No
Additional Yeast or Yeast Starter
No
Batch Size (Gallons)
5.5
Original Gravity
1.055
Final Gravity
1.014
Boiling Time (Minutes)
60
IBU
28.48
Color
12.2
Primary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp)
10
Secondary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp)
14
[size=+2]Vanilla Caramel Cream Ale - #01, 3.03.07[/size]
[size=+1]23-A Specialty Beer[/size]

13.jpg


Size: 4.64 gal
Efficiency: 75.0%
Attenuation: 75.0%
Calories: 217.48 per 12.0 fl oz

Original Gravity: 1.065 (1.026 - 1.120)
|==============#=================|
Terminal Gravity: 1.016 (0.995 - 1.035)
|================#===============|
Color: 13.1 (1.0 - 50.0)
|===========#====================|
Alcohol: 6.43% (2.5% - 14.5%)
|=============#==================|
Bitterness: 47.01 (0.0 - 100.0)
|===============#================|

[size=+1]Ingredients:[/size]
7 lbs 2-Row Brewers Malt
3 lbs Wheat Malt
1 lbs American Caramel 60°L
1 oz Cascade (6.9%) - added during boil, boiled 60 min
.25 oz Perle (6.1%) - added during boil, boiled 40 min
.5 oz Czech Saaz (5.0%) - added during boil, boiled 20 min
.5 oz Tettnanger (4.5%) - added during boil, boiled 5 min
4.0 oz Lactose
1 ea WYeast 1007 German Ale
4 oz Vanilla (extract) - added dry to secondary fermenter
4 oz Vanilla (extract) - added dry to primary fermenter

[size=+1]Schedule:[/size]
01:33:00 Mash In - Liquor: 4.0 gal; Strike: 175.0 °F
01:35:36 Mash Out - Heat: 2.6 min; Target: 168.0 °F
02:20:36 Sparge - Sparge: 5.0 gal sparge @ 170.0 °F, 11.0 gal collected, 45.0 min; Total Runoff: 11.0 gal

[size=-1]Results generated by BeerTools Pro 1.0.21[/size]

Recipe feedback and chat here
 
I'm drinking my first carbonated glass.

It's very hoppy. I used a lot less vanilla and lactose than usual, so the main taste is like an ESB, followed by a hint of sweet vanilla.

Very good. VERY different than every other batch of CCA I've brewed. Nice color, decent clarity.
 
Update:

The hops, lactose, and vanilla are all settling down. This is a FANTASTIC version of the brew. No extract tang.
 
hey cheesefood...

I've brewed this a few times as extract... but now I'm about to jump up to all-grain and was thinking about trying this as one of my first brews... I've drank enough of the extract version that this will give me a good comparison between the two brewing styles... I also started using BTP... still trying to get a grasp on this program... is there anyway I could get your BTP file for this recipe...?? I'm trying to understand all the scheduling areas, like the mashing in and all that... I think it'd be good to take a look at a recipe I'm going to brew... thanks again for everything..

Jester
 
I'm interested in possibly making up a batch of this on my next brew day, but I was looking over your recipe and it seems to me that your mash schedule is quite off base as far as quanities are concerned. Also was wondering your temp schedule as I have never made a cream ale before...
 
Cheese,

I 'm drinking my first VCCA. I must say its damned good!!!! :rockin:

I only made one change to your recipe. I used Muntons Kreamy-X when I primed.

I got a really creamy and rocky head on my beer. Its going down fast enough that I've got good lace on the glass. The vanilla seems to accentuate the kreaminess!!

http://www.muntons.com/homebeer/other-products/misc_kreamyx.asp

Tanks alot!! :tank:
 
Is there an extract version of this? Can't do AG right now and the recipe sounds awesome.... ;)
 
What would you think about using vanilla beans instead of the extract? It might give a real rich vanilla flavor to it. The only worry I have, if I did use it is using too much and over powering the beer with vanilla.
 
I'm planning on brewing this tomorrow, but I have a question... this says it's a 5 gallon recipe, but it looks like you collected 11 gallons from the mash? You didn't boil off 6 gallons, did you?
 
jajabee said:
I'm planning on brewing this tomorrow, but I have a question... this says it's a 5 gallon recipe, but it looks like you collected 11 gallons from the mash? You didn't boil off 6 gallons, did you?
Click to expand...

I was wondering the same thing.
 
I tried this with whole vanilla beans instead of just extract. I used two beans, split and scraped, at the end of the boil. Then I boiled another 4 oz. lactose in 12 oz water with another vanilla bean and added it to the secondary. I think I threw in an ounce of vanilla extract as well. My goal is a slightly more subtle vanilla flavor. I plan on bottling it in a couple days. We'll see what happens...
 
What's the target mash temp on this? I'm guessing since the ingredients add up to 11 lbs, this is a 5.5 gal recipe, despite the note about running off 11 gallons. Can anyone comment on what you did and how it turned out?
 
cheese, i dont understand your schedule and mashing temps. i just brewed my first AG so i am pretty new. is there anyway you can explain it a little more? here is the way i understand it -

4 gallons of strike water at 175
add grain and mash at 168 for an hour (here is where i am unclear...dont get the times?)
after an hour sparge at 170 for around 20 minutes

i dont know...any help i can get on this would be great. thanks
 
bakersbrew said:
cheese, i dont understand your schedule and mashing temps. i just brewed my first AG so i am pretty new. is there anyway you can explain it a little more? here is the way i understand it -

4 gallons of strike water at 175
add grain and mash at 168 for an hour (here is where i am unclear...dont get the times?)
after an hour sparge at 170 for around 20 minutes

i dont know...any help i can get on this would be great. thanks
Click to expand...

I didn't see the mash schedule, but you'll want to mash with approximately 1.25-1.5 quarts per pound of grain, and keep the mash in the 153 degree range. 168 is way too hot for a mash- that should be the grain bed temperature during the sparge.
 
so your mash temp is always supposed to be around 153. got it. i just didnt understand this -

Schedule:
01:33:00 Mash In - Liquor: 4.0 gal; Strike: 175.0 °F
01:35:36 Mash Out - Heat: 2.6 min; Target: 168.0 °F
02:20:36 Sparge - Sparge: 5.0 gal sparge @ 170.0 °F, 11.0 gal collected, 45.0 min; Total Runoff: 11.0 gal
 
So I ended up brewing this today because I had a couple days off work. Since I didnt have the best info I just winged it.

I ended up way over my mash temp because last time I was way under. I corrected and hit the right temp for a good 35-40 minutes. Was this long enough?

My gravity ended up as 1.040 instead of 1.067. But I took the gravity reading before the vanilla and lactose went in. Is this why it is low or is it because i missed my mash temp and there were less fermentables?

I don't know why I always have these post brew freakouts. The beer always turns out great
 
I made this a few days ago with small changes. I used white labs WL029 german ale/kolsch yeast, and all cascade hops. I'm looking forward to tapping this one.

If you plan to make this, be sure to use real vanilla extract. The imitation vanilla usually has preservatives that will harm the yeast. You could also use a couple of real vanilla beans cracked in primary.
 
Just figured I'd put this here for those that missed the original thread:

Cheesefood said:
EDIT 2/20/07: Please do not PM me with questions on this recipe. Post them to this thread. I get way too many questions that are already answered within this long thread, so consider reading the entire thing (or using the Search function) prior to posting.


Here's the final recipe that I'm brewing RIGHT NOW.

Malts
3 pounds extra light DME
3 pounds light wheat DME
1 pound Caramel 60L (steeped for 45 minutes at 150'-165')

Hops
1oz Cascade for bittering (60 minutes)
.5oz Saaz for flavor (20 minutes)
.5 oz Tettnang for aroma (end of boil)

Yeast
Wyeast German Ale

Extras
1 tsp Irish Moss (10 minutes)
4oz Lactose @ 15 minutes
2 oz real vanilla extract

Priming
>1cup Lactose
4oz vanilla (Be careful! This may be too much vanilla for some people.)
1.5 cups light DME

I'm adding the Lactose in the last 15 minutes of the boil. I'll add the vanilla in the primary, because I don't want to risk losing any that bonds to the trub. So far, it smells fantastic but I'm still at the bittering hops boil. I think this should end up with a nice caramel flavor and a good hint (perhaps a suggestion size amount) of vanilla. I've had vanillas with way too much flavor and they tasted too much like candy. This should have a decent balance.

Notes: 11/4/05

So good. Can't even explain it - you simply must make this beer. I let it prime for almost 2 weeks before fridging it, then cracked one tonight after only about 30 hours. Great head, good lace, nice color, good body and nose. Pictures won't do it justice, but here's one anyways

cv.jpg
Click to expand...
 
Ok I just pulled my first pint of this recipe...holy crap! It's like liquid candy :)

It's still a little green, but the flavors are there. The first flavor and aroma is immediately caramel. Mouthfeel is creamy, as if you're drinking melted caramel candies.

Then I get the vanilla, but in the background. It doesn't punch you in the face.

A really nice recipe that's going to be my Holiday gift ale. Thanks to the OP!

My OG came in at 1.054 with an FG of 1.011 for an ABV of 5.6%.

-Joe
 
I brewed this. OG came out a few pointd low. Not to shabby for my first all grain brew.

Just bottled after 3 weeks in the primary. Hydro sample pre-lactose and vanilla priming was yummy. A tad hoppy like previously mentioned but I believe the extra lactose and vanilla will balance that out.

My only concern, I really didn't get any carmel flavor despite having a lb of carmel in grain bill. Mine had a bit more of a nutty flavor which was yummy. I can't wait to see where this ends up after a few weeks in the bottle.
 
I just brewed this last night and it's sitting in the primary right now. I ended up with 5.5 gals after the boil (took a bit much from sparging).

The yeasties are going to town! It's insane. I have a blow off tube that's putting out a lot of crap into a big bowl. i'm worried the tube isn't keeping up with the fermentation. The bucket it's in looks like it's about to explode; so I keep opening up the hole to relieve pressure. Looks like this yeast likes 65 degree temps. Can't wait to see how it tastes.
 
Taste Update: This is a love/hate relationship with this beer. After about two months in the bottle it was still on the bit of the sweet side for me (yes repitched yeast for carbing). & the proper carbonation level was attained. I threw a party about a month ago and a lot of people drank'em and I have none left now. My wife liked it a lot, but I wasn't the biggest fan.
 
I can't figure out how much vanilla to add. The recipe says 4oz of vanilla in both the primary and secondary. But then somewhere else in the thread, the recipe calls for 2oz and then some during bottling. Can someone help? I brewed this yesterday am excited about it, but want to get the vanilla right.:mug:
 
I used 8 oz after primary settled. It was a little much, but faded in the keg over time. I would probably cut back to 4-6 oz next time. It's a good beer either way though.
 
masonsjax said:
I used 8 oz after primary settled. It was a little much, but faded in the keg over time. I would probably cut back to 4-6 oz next time. It's a good beer either way though.
Click to expand...

We're talking plain ole' vanilla liquid vanilla extract that you can buy at the grocery store, right? Thanks for the response!:mug:
 
Yep. Take a close look at ingredients though, a lot of the imitation vanilla has preservatives in it. I'm not certain, but some of those might be harmful to yeast. I found some real vanilla extract that, while pricey, was free of preservatives.
 
@ Novabrew... I meant to reply to ya a couple of days ago. I always take copious notes on all the brews I do. When I brewed this I bought "real" pure vanilla extract and not imitation. I put 4 oz into the primary and then 4 oz into the secondary. It seemed like a lot of extract, but in the end it wasn't too overpowering, and not underdone. I hope your brew turns out good :)
 
CheemsAF said:
@ Novabrew... I meant to reply to ya a couple of days ago. I always take copious notes on all the brews I do. When I brewed this I bought "real" pure vanilla extract and not imitation. I put 4 oz into the primary and then 4 oz into the secondary. It seemed like a lot of extract, but in the end it wasn't too overpowering, and not underdone. I hope your brew turns out good :)
Click to expand...

wow. that's a lot. I would have been reluctant to add that much. I'll give it a try. Thanks for the reply!:mug:
 
Yeah, it took a few months for the flavors to mellow. You'll taste the vanilla for sure at first. I still have some from this summer and the flavor profile is much more subdued now after sitting in the bottles for about 3-6 months.
 
I had this tapped at the same time as my spiced pumpkin ale. The two blended was incredible. Next time I make this, I might just throw some cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves in there too.
 

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