MR Beer Vanilla Bean Porter Experiment

[darrenbrews]

Hey all,

While I have two beers in primary I've run out of fermenters, so I thought I'd like to break out my Mr Beer fermenter and do an experiment. I want to do a vanilla bean porter using the Mr Beer American Porter refill. I plan to brew the beer according to directions but add some vanilla bean. Would it be alright to just add the bean to the primary and at what point in the fermentation? And does it even make sense to do this?

Also what else can I do to improve this beer? I heard of people using different yeasts to improve their Mr Beer, but what should I use and what difference might it make?

Also any easy way I could make this a smoked porter while still using the American Porter refill?

This is all an experiment for me that I could learn from, any other Mr Beer experimental ideas would be welcome.

-DZ

 

[chiteface]

I would soak the beans in some kind of liquor just to be safe then add them all to the primary once fermentation has stopped.

 

[darrenbrews]

soak the beans in some kind of liquor just to be safe then add them all to the primary once fermentation has stopped

Your advice is what I plan to do. But still wondering if I can improve this Mr. Beer with a different yeast and maybe the addition of wood chips.

 

[Kaz]

You could toss in some Bourbon soaked oak chips near the end of fermentation and I would go with a lower attenuating English yeast like WLP 002

 

[chiteface]

You could toss in some Bourbon soaked oak chips near the end of fermentation and I would go with a lower attenuating English yeast like WLP 002

+1 just did this on an old ale with Irish whiskey.