Honey & Vanilla Cream Ale - Recipe Feedback

[FooFighter]

Hi All,

I'm new to creating recipes, and am looking for some feedback on this concoction.

I'm aiming to make a Honey & Vanilla Cream Ale.
I want it to be smooth, creamy & flavourful. Hoping the honey won't dry it out...

I've used Brewers Friend to get the estimated specs.

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5 Gal Batch - Extract & Steeping Grains
Est OG: 1.054
Est FG: 1.015
Est ABV: 5.13%
Est SRM: 5.89
Est IBU: 18.41
Yeast - US-05

6.0lbs Very Light LME
0.5lbs Canadian Pale 2-Row
0.75lbs Canadian Honey Malt
0.5lbs Flaked Corn
0.5lbs Flaked Barley

0.5oz Northern Brewer - Bittering (60mins)
0.5oz Willamette - Aroma (15mins)
Whirlfloc (5mins)

~0.5lb Honey, added to primary
2-3 Vanilla beans, soaked in vodka, added to secondary

Batch prime with dextrose & bottle

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Any and all feedback is appreciated!

 

[Dangeruss]

I would just leave out the honey. The honey malt will give it that honey taste without drying it. This looks similar to my cream ale but I added .5 # cara45 for extra color and had about 3/4# of flaked corn. Hops I just had Willamette at 60 min and late. For fun I added .5# of jaggery sugar 15 min left in boil boosted gravity and adds flavor.

 

[FooFighter]

I would just leave out the honey. The honey malt will give it that honey taste without drying it. This looks similar to my cream ale but I added .5 # cara45 for extra color and had about 3/4# of flaked corn. Hops I just had Willamette at 60 min and late. For fun I added .5# of jaggery sugar 15 min left in boil boosted gravity and adds flavor.

Yeah, the more I read the less I think real honey will add much other than ABV. Thanks for the input!

 

[FooFighter]

Alright, plot twist: I think I might change this to a Honey Vanilla Amber Ale.
Initially I was thinking to keep the honey/vanilla flavours at the forefront by making cream ale, but I think an Amber might be a bit better balanced and more pleasing.

Revised recipe:

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5 Gal Batch - Extract & Steeping Grains
Est OG: 1.053
Est FG: 1.015
Est ABV: 5.0%
Est SRM: 11.4
Est IBU: 25.5
Yeast - US-05

6.0lbs Very Light LME
0.75lbs Honey Malt
1lb Crystal 60L
0.5lbs Flaked Wheat
0.5lbs Flaked Barley
0.3lb Dextrose (get the ABV up to 5%)

0.75oz Cascade - Bittering (60mins)
0.5oz Cascade - Aroma/Flavour (20mins)
Whirlfloc (5mins)

2-3 Vanilla beans, soaked in vodka, added to secondary

Batch prime with dextrose & bottle

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[NoIguanaForZ]

I feel like the citrusyness from the cascade might clash a bit. Fuggles maybe?

 

[FooFighter]

I feel like the citrusyness from the cascade might clash a bit. Fuggles maybe?

That's a good point. I had cascade by default because the base was an American Amber.

I'm thinking something spicy/floral/earthy might be a better fit with the sweetness of the honey malt. Would fuggles be a fit for that profile? Hops are not my area of expertise :/

 

[NoIguanaForZ]

Fuggles are pretty consistently described as "earthy" and/or "spicy" (consistent with my experience, though I've mainly used them for barely-there bittering) and they're also pretty mild. Willamette might be an option too, but it's described as being more in the citrusy direction (also consistent with my experience, though I've been quite satisfied with them in malt-forward brews).

If you'd like something a little stronger, [url="https://www.hopunion.com/aroma-wheel/']Hop Union has an aroma wheel selector[/url] which isn't loading right this second but ordinarily would be useful. Just be aware that the hops it lists are all over the map in terms of ready availability.

If you're going for something a little more on the floral side, it might be worth googling "Noble Hops." I don't have the varieties and their traits memorized but "floral" and "mild" seem to be the gist.

 

[Dangeruss]

Some reason your plot twist reminded me of this beer ... https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=167880

 

[FooFighter]

If you'd like something a little stronger, Some reason your plot twist reminded me of this beer ... [url]https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=167880

Nice - that is a fine looking amber. I agree that it's a style that sometimes goes overlooked.
I like having something without a hop-punch-in-the-face once in a while, y'know?

 

[BrandonSmith1011]

I'd go willamette

 

[NoIguanaForZ]

Yeah, I was thinking that night that the more I thought about it, the more appropriate the noble hops (hallertau in particular, I believe) seemed.

 

[FooFighter]

I think I've settled on a recipe, thanks for the input! I'll post up the final revision when I pick up the grains etc.

Brew day will be next weekend

 

[FooFighter]

Alright, here's what I settled on. Picked everything up last night.
Wish I could change the thread title since it's not a cream ale anymore.

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Brew Method: Extract w/Steep
Style Name: American Amber Ale
Boil Time: 60 min
Batch Size: 5.5 gallons (fermentor volume)
Boil Size: 3.5 gallons
Boil Gravity: 1.009
Efficiency: 35% (steeping grains only)


STATS:
Original Gravity: 1.046
Final Gravity: 1.009
ABV (standard): 4.87%
IBU (tinseth): 25.45
SRM (morey): 10.12

FERMENTABLES:
6 lb - Liquid Malt Extract - Extra Light - (late addition) (70.6%)

STEEPING GRAINS:
1 lb - American - Caramel / Crystal 60L (11.8%)
0.5 lb - Canadian - Honey Malt (5.9%)
0.5 lb - Flaked Barley (5.9%)
0.5 lb - Flaked Wheat (5.9%)

HOPS:
1 oz - Hallertau, Type: Pellet, AA: 4, Use: Boil for 60 min, IBU: 20.06
1 oz - Hallertau, Type: Pellet, AA: 4, Use: Aroma for 7 min, IBU: 5.39

OTHER INGREDIENTS:
1 each - Whirlfloc, Time: 10 min, Type: Fining, Use: Boil
2 each - Vanilla Beans, Time: 14400 min, Type: Flavor, Use: Secondary

YEAST:
Fermentis / Safale - American Ale Yeast US-05
Fermentation Temp: 61 F

 

[FooFighter]

Sunday was brewday.

Went pretty well overall, although I undershot my OG (1.043 vs 1.046 per Brewer's Friend)

I added a few ounces of Dextrose to get up to 1.045 OG.

I'm pleased with the choice of Hallertau after I got a chance to smell them.
My LHBS had them at 3.2%AA so I adjusted my hop schedule:
1.0oz @ 60mins
0.5oz @ 20mins
0.5oz @ 10mins

 

[FooFighter]

Thought I'd come back and give an update!

The Honey Malt goes a long way, gives a nice flavour to it without being overwhelming. Would not change the amount in this recipe.
The vanilla does not come through very much. Next time I would use vanilla extract or use double the beans.

The dryness from the dextrose in noticeable, so next time I would add some more DME/LME or convert it to All Grain.

Easy drinking beer with a bit of extra flavour for something different. Will brew again with adjustments listed above!