Bananas Foster Creamy Ale (All Grain) **pic intensive**

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one8tvw

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Location
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::updated on 1/07/12::
I recently decided, with the influence of the wife, to make a "banana" beer. So after some wandering the boards this is what i came up with.

I will be updating regularly.


Grains & Adjuncts
Amount Percentage Name Time Gravity
10.00 lbs 71.43 % Briess 2-Row Brewers Malt 60 mins 1.037
1.00 lbs 7.14 % Oats, Flaked 60 mins 1.037
2.00 lbs 14.29 % Caramel/Crystal Malt - 10L 60 mins 1.035
1.00 lbs 7.14 % Briess Corn, Flaked, Yellow 60 mins 1.039

Hops
Amount IBU's Name Time AA %
1.00 ozs 12.42 Saaz 60 mins 4.00
0.50 ozs 2.25 Saaz 10 mins 4.00

Yeasts
Amount Name Laboratory / ID
1.0 pkg California Ale White Labs 0001

Additions
Amount Name Time Stage
5.00 lb Bananas 21 days Secondary
8.00 oz Dark Rum 21 days Secondary
2.00 cup Dark Brown Sugar 20 mins Boil
2.00 each Vanilla Bean (split) 20 mins Boil

Mash Profile
Medium Body Infusion In 60 min @ 152.0°F
Add 16.40 qt water @ 166.0°F
Medium Body Infusion Out 15 min @ 168.0°F
Add 10.97 qt water @ 196.0°F


I was able to achieve 1.070 post boil and after 7 days the gravity was 1.010. I just racked the beer onto rum/banana puree, or as i like to call it adult baby-food, where it will be hanging out for about another 20 days.

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24 hours after yeast was pitched

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3 days after pitch...i switched to blow-off tube

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7 days in primary

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5lbs of sliced banana + 8oz of vanilla infused Sailor Jerry Rum hit the blender.

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funnel into sterilized secondary

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pureed banana floats!

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put away and within the hour it already started bubbling

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the secondary is still ticking away at about a bubble a second on the blow off. The krausen peaked high again, and is starting to lower down a bit. I never took a gravity reading after the banana addition, not to worried about how much more alcohol will be gained from the banana. The beer already clocks in at 8.12abv
 
Sounds really appetizing!

1 question though.

Did you sanitize the bananas? If so, how? campden tablets?
 
Sounds really appetizing!

1 question though.

Did you sanitize the bananas? If so, how? campden tablets?

They went straight to the freezer, after a spritzing of starsan, the day I purchased them. Then after a week I peeled, sliced them on a sanitized cutting board then tossed right into a bowl with rum. I know this doesn't sanitize completely, but I have had great luck with fruit in secodary. The alcohol is pretty good at fighting off infection, especially an 8%abv secondary.
 
They went straight to the freezer, after a spritzing of starsan, the day I purchased them. Then after a week I peeled, sliced them on a sanitized cutting board then tossed right into a bowl with rum. I know this doesn't sanitize completely, but I have had great luck with fruit in secodary. The alcohol is pretty good at fighting off infection, especially an 8%abv secondary.

Actually alcohol does a pretty damn good job at sanitizing. Between freezing, sanitizing, slicing on a sanitized surface, and soaking in alcohol that only thing you could have done more is cook them. You'll be fine :rockin:
 
Damn this sounds great. If it comes out good I might have to try it.

Also with Bananas did you think of using a Hefe yeast and getting banana esters as apposed to using fruit?
 
YUM. This sounds awesome. Well done, and thanks for the great pictures. I'm drooling.

I never took a gravity reading after the banana addition, not too worried about how much more alcohol will be gained from the banana.

So you'd take a reading right after adding, then again after whatever banana sugars ferment? I.e., You wouldn't be comparing to your original beer-only OG/FG, right?
 
Cool thread. If I could make a recommendation on yeast - If you underpitched a bit, and fermented at 69-70, with WLP300 Hefe yeast, it would give off some banana flavored phenols.
 
i considered using a strain of yeast that gives off banana esters, but i really wanted this beer to be strong and still have that "real" banana flavor and i dont think hefe yeast is surviving in such a alcohol rich environment. This beer was sitting at 8.12% before the banana addition.

lastly i cant control my ferm temp as good as needed to get yeast to give off banana esters
 
So what's the plan from here? How long in secondary?

my original plan was 21 days, but i think i am moving this to tertiary after 14 days and letting it cool off there for about 7 days.

as you can tell i am shooting at the hip right now.
 
Okay...

You do understand we're gonna need a full report when you pop the top with unbiased reporting of the results... :)

Does sound very enticing.
 
Based on my experience brewing banana beers this will have a lot of banana aroma and that starchyness but not a lot of banana flavor. WLP300 will get you the flavor but it will fade into clove flavors over time.
 
i considered using a strain of yeast that gives off banana esters, but i really wanted this beer to be strong and still have that "real" banana flavor and i dont think hefe yeast is surviving in such a alcohol rich environment. This beer was sitting at 8.12% before the banana addition.

lastly i cant control my ferm temp as good as needed to get yeast to give off banana esters


I had the same concern on the alcohol content, and figuring out how to underpitch to get the banana flavor...but have enough to fully attenuate.

I think if you underpitched, let if ferment for 3 days, then pitched the rest of the yeast you would need, but something cleaner (Notty, something along those lines) you'll fully attenuate, and get those esters. Just a thought.

Based on my experience brewing banana beers this will have a lot of banana aroma and that starchyness but not a lot of banana flavor. WLP300 will get you the flavor but it will fade into clove flavors over time.

I did this and didn't notice the batch I underpitch fade to a clove flavor...and I think it was on tap for 30-45 days. A long time around here.

I may give this recipe a shot in a couple of months and play with the yeast. I too enjoy the banana. :ban:
 
I had the same concern on the alcohol content, and figuring out how to underpitch to get the banana flavor...but have enough to fully attenuate.

I think if you underpitched, let if ferment for 3 days, then pitched the rest of the yeast you would need, but something cleaner (Notty, something along those lines) you'll fully attenuate, and get those esters. Just a thought.



I did this and didn't notice the batch I underpitch fade to a clove flavor...and I think it was on tap for 30-45 days. A long time around here.

I may give this recipe a shot in a couple of months and play with the yeast. I too enjoy the banana. :ban:

definitely seems like this would work. if you end up brewing this keep us informed. we could make this thread the "go to" place for banana beer enthusiasts..:ban:
 
1 week in secondary and the beer is excellent. it has a real banana aroma to it and the sweetness is all there, creamy is a great way to describe the mouth feel. I took a gravity reading and its back down to 1.010 again. I added one sliced vanilla bean that has been soaking in a shot of rum for 2 days. this beer will be ready for tertiary next saturday.

pics for clicks

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rum/vanilla

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i have been dabbling with the idea of adding peanut butter extract to this beer. i wonder how this would come out. probably add it to a couple bottles on bottling day.
 
one8tvw said:
i have been dabbling with the idea of adding peanut butter extract to this beer. i wonder how this would come out. probably add it to a couple bottles on bottling day.

I agree with adding it to a couple bottles, just to keep the whole thing a true banana foster beer. With that said, I'm sure it would taste great with the pb extract.
 
Bananas Foster has peanut butter in it? News to me. I thought the peanut butter addition was in homage to the King's favorite sandwich.
 
usfmikeb said:
Bananas Foster has peanut butter in it? News to me. I thought the peanut butter addition was in homage to the King's favorite sandwich.

I suspect you know this already, but your wording may make it less than clear to others...

You are correct. The first part, anyways - I don't really know why peanut butter is added. But peanut butter (or peanuts/nuts of any kind, for that matter) is NOT an ingredient in a traditional bananas foster.
 
I was just being tongue in cheek, as I love Bananas Foster after having lived in New Orleans a couple times. The great thing about homebrewing is the ability to do whatever you want. I wouldn't add peanut butter here, but others might love it!

Looking forward to seeing how this brew turns out.
 
With being true to the name i am keeping the whole batch, minus a 6-pack, bananas foster. I am only adding a couple of drops of pb extract to the aforementioned 6-pack.

By the samples i have pulled i think i have to add about 6oz more rum to the bottling bucket.
 
one8tvw said:
By the samples i have pulled i think i have to add about 6oz more rum to the bottling bucket.

I'm sure you know what you're doing, but careful with that stuff. I did a pumpkin ale and added what I thought was the good amount of rum, and it ended up being way too much. It actually got stronger as it aged. I was using Myers Dark
 
FWIW I had a peanut butter stout at a beer festival from a brewery I normally like and found it to be disgusting. Otherwise, i like the bananas and such and will definitely be interested in how it turns out.
 
6oz of rum across 5+ gallons will be fine, the 8oz i used for the banana puree doesnt even really show up flavor-wise.

PB rum would be a cool thing maybe to try in the future.

Mooses tooth was my "go to" when i lived in AK.

I also have heard mixed reviews about PB brews, but have yet to even try one.
 
Looks good. Oh, btw, if you added 5 lbs of banana to 5 gals of beer, you would have added 5 gravity points, which would have added 0.66% ABV to your total since you said it femented back down to 1.010 after you added it.
 
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