Spice, Herb, or Vegetable Beer Bourbon Vanilla Porter (AG)

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Lil' Sparky

Cowboys EAC
Joined
Feb 6, 2006
Messages
3,952
Reaction score
107
Location
Honolulu, HI
Recipe Type
All Grain
Yeast
WYeast 1056 Amercan Ale/Chico
Batch Size (Gallons)
5.5
Original Gravity
1.075
Final Gravity
1.020
Boiling Time (Minutes)
90
IBU
34
Color
30 SRM
Primary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp)
14
Secondary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp)
14
This is a famous recipe by Denny Conn that can be found all over the internet. I thought I'd share it here for your brewing pleasure.

This is a big, full-bodied, full-flavored beer. It's like drinking a meal. When I brew it, I usually only add the Maker's Mark to 1/2 of the batch. Some people love the bourbon flavor, others don't care for it.

The vanilla flavor is best from whole vanilla beans, but if you can't find them, then make sure you use pure vanilla extract, not the imitation stuff.

A note on the volumes. This is a big grain bill and requires you to sparge more than normal. You will collect much more wort and will also have to boil for longer (90-120 mins). If you don't, then your efficiency and OG will be low.


Recipe Type: All Grain
Yeast: American Ale (Wyeast Labs #1056)
Batch Size (Gallons): 5.5
Original Gravity: 1.078
Final Gravity: 1.018
IBU: 32
Boiling Time (Minutes): 60
Color: 30.8 SRM

Ingredients
Amount Item Type % or IBU
11.00 lb Brewers Malt 2-Row (Briess) (1.8 SRM) Grain 64.7 %
2.50 lb Munich Malt (9.0 SRM) Grain 14.7 %
1.50 lb Brown Malt (65.0 SRM) Grain 8.8 %
1.00 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt -120L (120.0 SRM) Grain 5.9 %
0.50 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L (40.0 SRM) Grain 2.9 %
0.50 lb Chocolate Malt (350.0 SRM) Grain 2.9 %
0.75 oz Magnum [14.00%] (60 min) Hops 29.1 IBU
1.00 oz Goldings, East Kent [5.00%] (10 min) Hops 5.0 IBU
2.00 items Vanilla Bean (Secondary 14.0 days) Misc
1 Pkgs American Ale (Wyeast Labs #1056) Yeast-Ale

EDIT: another, more recent version uses 1.25 lbs chocolate malt. That seems like a lot to me, but I've never brewed it that way. For me, it's plenty dark/bold enough using .5 lbs. Go with what sounds best to you. :D

Mash Profile
Name: Single Infusion, Light Body, Batch Sparge
Mash Grain Weight: 17.00 lb
Grain Temperature: 72.0 F
Sparge Temperature: 168.0 F
Sparge Water: 3.6 gal

Name Description Step Temp Step Time
Mash In Add 21.25 qt of water at 161.4 F 150.0 F 75 min

Notes:
After primary, slit open 2 vanilla beans. Scrape the insides, chop the pods into quarters, add to secondary fermenter, rack beer onto vanilla. Taste periodically for the correct balance.

Rack to bottling bucket and add 1.5-2.5 oz/gal of Maker's Mark (to your taste). Original recipe called for 10 ml/pint.

View attachment Bourbon Vanilla Porter.bsm
 
wow, big grain bill. Looks like you got 70% brewhouse efficency. I can pull 83% which would put this at 1.089ish(after a 120min boil... hehe) Sounds reallllly good! I must try this!
 
Yep, you'll have to sparge more to get 83%, and it'll require a longer boil. If you like these kind of beers, it's definately one for the books.
 
With a beer starting at 1.075, the ph and alcohol content would take care of anything the beans are carrying as long as you wash them in some nice hot water first. The only thing that would like to live in that beer, is, um... me!

Also, how long do YOU usually leave the beans in the secondary?? I assume you also made a starter for this beast?
 
The Pol said:
Also, how long do YOU usually leave the beans in the secondary?? I assume you also made a starter for this beast?
I can't remember, probably about 2 weeks. The 2nd time I made it I used pure vanilla extract, and I thought it was just as good.

And shhhhh, I've never made a starter.

But big beers like this are good candidates. ;)
 
This sounds filling... Id make lables for one this special!
 
BeachBumDeac said:
How much DME would I need to use if I was converting this to Partial Mash?
I don't normally do these conversions. This is how Beersmith did it.

Anyone like to verify?

9 lbs 13.9 ozPale Liquid Extract (8.0 SRM)
1 lbs 10.4 ozAmber Liquid Extract (12.5 SRM)
1 lbs 4.2 ozCaramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM)
14.2 ozCaramel/Crystal Malt -120L (120.0 SRM)
7.1 ozCaramel/Crystal Malt - 40L (40.0 SRM)
7.1 ozChocolate Malt (350.0 SRM)Grain3.05 %
 
My notes say 2 oz. I suggest you try that and taste it - you can do this at bottling. If you want more, add it in small amounts.
 
We're brewing our 4th batch of this next weekend. It doesn't last very long around here. fantastic beer!
 
So there's not a big difference between vanilla extract and vanilla bean?

In addition, do you think this could work with a stout?
 
I did a 10-gallon batch of this the weekend before last, my efficiency was a bit low in my new mash tun (needed a 70qt tun for 10-gallons of this) so it was 1.070, but after a week in primary, racked on saturday and it is down to about 1.015 (was on a really big yeast cake from at least 2 previous beers), first beer that tastes amazing from the carboy warm and flat...this is gonna be great. I am going to add some bourbon and vanilla extract at kegging time.
 
polamalu43 said:
So there's not a big difference between vanilla extract and vanilla bean?

In addition, do you think this could work with a stout?

If you use good pure vanilla extract, then I'd say there's not much difference, but pure extract can be very expensive.

I think the vanilla would be OK in a stout. I'm not sure about the bourbon. In both cases, I think you'd want to start with smaller amounts since a typical stout won't be as strong as this porter recipe.

Let us know if you try it.
 
ColoradoXJ13 said:
I did a 10-gallon batch of this the weekend before last, my efficiency was a bit low in my new mash tun (needed a 70qt tun for 10-gallons of this) so it was 1.070, but after a week in primary, racked on saturday and it is down to about 1.015 (was on a really big yeast cake from at least 2 previous beers), first beer that tastes amazing from the carboy warm and flat...this is gonna be great. I am going to add some bourbon and vanilla extract at kegging time.
I remember the same thing. It still takes some time to condition after fermenting, though.
 
Lil' Sparky said:
It still takes some time to condition after fermenting, though.

Keezer is full, and I have 2 more kegs to put in it before I get to the porter, so that should not be a problem...need to drink more.:p
 
I need a little help...

It has been almost 3 weeks in the primary and I am stuck at a final gravity of 1.030, when I should probably have a 1.018 or 1.020. I used the British Ale Yeast WLP005 from White Labs. If I transfer to the secondary and add yeast nutrients to the beer might that jump start the fermentation again and get it to that final gravity?
 
First, try to rouse the yeast by gently stirring the yeast back into suspension. If you transfer to secondary, you're getting rid of most of the yeast, which isn't really what you want at this time. You'll want to let the trub compact again before racking it, but it shouldn't take long. Depending on the mash temps, the FG may not be much lower than what you're at. I never use yeast nutrients, but you can probably add it when you rouse the yeast.
 
First, try to rouse the yeast by gently stirring the yeast back into suspension. If you transfer to secondary, you're getting rid of most of the yeast, which isn't really what you want at this time. You'll want to let the trub compact again before racking it, but it shouldn't take long. Depending on the mash temps, the FG may not be much lower than what you're at. I never use yeast nutrients, but you can probably add it when you rouse the yeast.

I roused the yeast, I added the yeast nutrients and energizer, but it just didn't get anywhere. I dropped another batch of yeast into the carboy and nothing happened. So today I did a little stir and shake before work, so hopefully when I get home it would have started something.... I just feel the 1.030 is too high and it has too much of a malty sweetness.
 
I'm very doubtful it's the yeast, but probably just a lot of unfermentable sugars then.

I really hesitate to mention it, but I've heard that beano can be used to break the starches/sugars down where the yeast can do their thing. The problem is it can go on seemingly forever. I would suggest doing as much reading about it as possible before you try that, and I would only do so if you think it's really too sweet and malty to drink.

Let us know what you do.
 
Hey all,

Ok this sounds like a great winter warmer! I have orderd the grains today but was unable to find the Brown malt it called for. The closest malt I could find was Belgian Buscuit malt. Will this work or should I wait and find the actual brown malt? As far as yeast goes am I best to stay with the Wyeast 1056? or will 1084 the irish ale yeast work as well? I have porter in the secondary that will be ready to bottle just as this one is ready to go in the primary so I might use that yeast cake.
 
Oh I forgot to mention that I was unable to get the hops in the recipie so I made my best geuss, I have ordered fuggles and nothern brewer hops. Hope they will work.
 
Biscuit malt won't be the same as brown malt, but I think it would be an interesting addition to the recipe. I don't think I'd use more than a pound, though. It should give this already hearty recipe a little more chewy flavor.

I think the irish ale yeast will work fine. I'd use that yeast cake if I had it available.

I think you'll be OK with the hops substitutions. I don't think I used the same hops every time myself.
 
The Brown Malt, which I was told is more of a smoked malt, I could not find labeled as Brown Malt. However, I did find a German Smoked Malt from Weyermanns that worked great.

Update on my Bourbon Porter!! It was still at 1.030 even after a new yeast was dropped. So I decided to transfer over to the secondary and add the vanilla beans, oak chips and bourbon.
 
Hey all,

Ok this sounds like a great winter warmer! I have orderd the grains today but was unable to find the Brown malt it called for. The closest malt I could find was Belgian Buscuit malt. Will this work or should I wait and find the actual brown malt? As far as yeast goes am I best to stay with the Wyeast 1056? or will 1084 the irish ale yeast work as well? I have porter in the secondary that will be ready to bottle just as this one is ready to go in the primary so I might use that yeast cake.

This is Denny Conn's recipe and Denny swears by that brown malt in there! Says there is no substitute. I've made it with the brown malt and I think it is fantastic... You can get brown malt online in plenty of places...
 
The interesting question now is hop subs :(

I have the EKG, but need something for the Magnum. I'm thinking either Millennium or Galena. Thoughts?
 
I was wondering if anyone might have an answer for why this happened...

As I poured from the bottle into my pint glass the beer fizzed almost like a carbonated soda and the head dissipated like a soda as well. Might I need to add Carapils to this beer to help with head retention, or did I just really screw this up?
 
Ok, I'll try some different grains to see the results, but man it fizzed exactly like a soda and died that quickly. Could it be the bourbon? The oak chips I added? Or, I mean I use the no rinse five star sanitizer, could that be the issue, maybe there was some residue left in my bottles to cause it?
 
yea, I added vanilla beans into the secondary. So they might be causing the fizzle. Darn!!! How was the head on your batch?
 
I think the batch with beans had less head than the batch with pure extract. I really don't care about a big head on a beer though. It may be visually pleasing, but it doesn't change the taste of the beer IMO.
 
Sweet!!!! Ok, so it must have been the cleaning agent I used didn't wash out completely from the one bottle, because I opened a few more tonight and well...damn that is some good beer. Nice oak and bourbon up front and finishes with that same oakish bourbon zing, but also a silky smooth vanilla in the background. Awesome!!
 
I like to drink Breckenridge Vanilla Porter quite a bit when I can find it. I distinctly remember from the Tap and from the Bottle little to no head retention. Perhaps its a characteristic of this beer?? (also voting for the oils from the beans)
 
I believe I have just found my next beer. It mixes my two most favorite things in the world. Beer and Makers Mark!!!!! Can life get any better?
 
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