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

[drakub]

Does anyone know how long these have to sit in a bottle to be ready?

 

[dongemus]

Have it here in the primary, about to go into the secondary. That's ~10 lbs of banana in the trub. I'll upload a full post on how I made this if it turns out good.

 

[PghMakesMeDrunk]

This sounded too interesting to pass up.

I brewed this about 9 days ago. Ended up 1.080 OG. I followed the OP's recipe other than using Capt. Morgan and my Saaz were lower in AA.

I dont really drink rum so I didnt feel like spending the money on a 5th Sailor Jerry when all I need is 4 shots. I bought a half pt. of Captain instead. I am gonna split another vanilla bean and scoop out the inside to the banana/rum mush. Here goes nothing!

 

[PghMakesMeDrunk]

All set, fingers crossed..

 

[drakub]

So there is an issue with my banana beers. They were placed in bottles over 3 weeks ago and while trying two of them they are way over carbonated ... actually to a point of exploding when opened. Will this carbonation come down with time or did i do something wrong? I did use dark brown sugar when bottling rather then light brown sugar. Everything else was done according to the recipe.

 

[Grinch]

Ok, so yesterday - after a three week primary I racked to secondary with the bananas... but now that it's in secondary it's not picking up like I thought it would. It is a little cool in the basement (60's) Should I pitch some more? I've got some washed yeast in the fridge.. I didn't take a gravity reading because I didn't want to waste any...

 

[sweetcell]

So there is an issue with my banana beers. They were placed in bottles over 3 weeks ago and while trying two of them they are way over carbonated ... actually to a point of exploding when opened. Will this carbonation come down with time or did i do something wrong? I did use dark brown sugar when bottling rather then light brown sugar. Everything else was done according to the recipe.

the carbonation will not come down with time. only way it will come down is to release it. chill the bottles, gently transfer to counter, pry off cap just enough to let the pressure escape (a long slow hiss would be ideal), once all the pressure is gone rip of the cap and re-cap with a new cap. do not re-use the old one as it is now bent and won't hold pressure.

as to why this happened: maybe fermentation wasn't complete. maybe you added too much sugar (weighing accident, had less volume so same amount when further, etc). dark vs. light brown sugar shouldn't make a difference.

 

[Grinch]

anyone with any ideas about repitching?

 

[meck1842]

SWMBO wanted a cherry wheat... I didn't want to waste a whole batch on cherry wheat so brewed a wheat and split it into 2 batches and definitely stole the bananas/rum/vanilla idea from you for half of it. This is brilliant. I can't wait for it to be done!

 

[Matteo57]

Subscribed! Looks great!

 

[vanceromance]

I'm getting ready to make this. I have read through all 28 pages and there was a lot of side chatter. From reviewing all the back and forth I believe I have the originall recipe figured out.

one8tvw can you review and comment if I got it right??

Bananas Foster Creamy Ale (All Grain)

(2 weeks prior to brewing infuse 8oz Sailor Jerry with 2 vanilla beans (split))

10.00 lbs Briess 2-Row Brewers Malt
1.00 lbs Oats, Flaked
2.00 lbs Caramel/Crystal Malt - 10L
1.00 lbs Briess Corn, Flaked, Yellow

Mash @ 152.0°F for 60 min
Mash Out @ 168.0°F for 15 min

Bring to a boil

1.00 ozs (12.42) Saaz 60 mins
2.00 cup Dark Brown Sugar 20 mins Boil
2.00 each Vanilla Bean (split) 20 mins Boil (Save Rum for Secondary)
0.50 ozs (2.25) Saaz 10 mins

Cool to pitching temperature (Expected post boil SG = 1.070)

Pitch 1.0 pkg California Ale White Labs 0001

Primary 7 days (Use blowoff tube)
(Note: after 7 days the gravity was 1.010.)

Combine 5.00 lb peeled Bananas and the 8 oz Sailor Jerry Rum (that had the vanilla bean soaking in it) in a sanitized blender.
Funnel mixture into Secondary, rack beer onto mixture and add blowoff tube

(Combine 4oz of Rum and 1 Vanilla Bean (Split) and set aside)

(Note: after 7 days in the secondary the gravity was back down to 1.010)
After 7 days in secondary add the Vanilla Bean that has been soaking in the Rum. (Save Rum for Bottling)

After 14 Days in Secondary (total) rack to tertiary for another 7 days then bottle

For bottle priming
Mix 4oz Table Sugar, 1oz Light Brown Sugar, 4oz Vanilla Infused Rum & 16oz Water
Bring to a boil, boil 1 min, cool. Add beer from tertiary and then bottle.

Bottle condition approximately 2 months.

 

[PghMakesMeDrunk]

I can't believe how clear this came out. The clearest beer I've ever brewed. It's still a bit early. Needs another week or 2 in the bottle. I bottled one week ago today, but couldn't help but try one when I noticed how clear it was. Banana definitely sticks out with hints of the rum and vanilla. I cant wait til it gets a nice foamy head going on. Cheers!

 

[dongemus]

Just an FYI, this one is taking a little longer to bottle carbonate. It's been 2 weeks and not quite there yet. Probably the higher ABV from the rum. Tasting good though, going to give it another week or two.

 

[Matteo57]

How about putting a SMALL touch of lactose in this beer? How do you think it would change it? Would it be too sweet?

 

[bellinmi88]

how about posting a picture on how clear it came out? Where would you say the color falls?

 

[cbehr]

Anyone thought of using WL029 Kolsch yeast with this? LOVE this yeast and white labs rates is a 4(same as OP's suggested yeast) in a cream ale.

http://www.whitelabs.com/beer/Styles-Ale.pdf

*Edit, I just read the entire post and must have missed if this is 5lbs peeled...or 5lbs w/ the peel on of bananas?

 

[LLBeanJ]

5 lbs peeled bananas.

 

[gizmodog51]

Question: Why did you freeze the bananas?

freezing the fruit helps to rupture the cellular walls. this aids at getting all the juice you can from them. as for bananas it helps as the OP said to ripen them & makes them smoother due to cell repture. not much liquid in bananas!

just ask a monkey!

GD

 

[gizmodog51]

Banana is no longer floating on the surface.

wow! this looks like a mead i vinted with 20 lbs of fresh mangos puree.

i lost about a gallon of must from all the fruit residue not preciptating out.

next time i'll use a fining agent.

how are you gonna deal with the fruit residue?....cold crash?
at the time i did my mead i had no capability for CC.


GD

 

[cbehr]

wow! this looks like a mead i vinted with 20 lbs of fresh mangos puree.

That must have been an expensive mead...20lbs of mango puree!!

 

[SDBreWs0624]

subscribed

 

[gizmodog51]

That must have been an expensive mead...20lbs of mango puree!!

stumbled upon a huge sale on over ripe mango...bought all the bags & they even went behind the counter and made sure i got all'em. $1.00 @ bag! but this was about 12 years ago. the honey was some of the food storage honey dedicated to the children....children gone , honey freed up for mead!

that was the best I have made to date, though it took a couple years to mellow.

GD

 

[cbehr]

I brewed 2 gallons of this yesterday and thought I'd try a Kolsch yeast. I hit 1.080 right on with about 2.25G total volume. I was shocked how long the sediment took to settle out. I've never seen it take so long in a beer, not sure if the hight OG had something to do with. Fermenting away this morning, I'm anxious to try this is 6+ weeks.

 

[Delaney]

So there is an issue with my banana beers. They were placed in bottles over 3 weeks ago and while trying two of them they are way over carbonated ... actually to a point of exploding when opened. Will this carbonation come down with time or did i do something wrong? I did use dark brown sugar when bottling rather then light brown sugar. Everything else was done according to the recipe.

another possibility is that you introduced a highly attenuative bacteria/yeast, such as brettanomyces of lactobacillus, thus bringing your FG lower than expected. These organisms are slow acting, so it would be plausible if you bottled at your expected FG.

To avoid such contamination, I would finely dice the bananas prior to freezing them, and treat them with campden 24 hours prior to racking onto the fruit.

 

[Delaney]

I'll admit I haven't read through all 30 pages of this thread.

I am curious as to whether anybody has foregone the addition of rum, and what this would taste like in comparison to the original recipe?

Is the rum really a critical component of this recipe? What does it lend which cannot be achieved with malts/banana?


Any suggestions on how to alter the recipe/compensate for the omission of rum?

 

[LLBeanJ]

I'll admit I haven't read through all 30 pages of this thread.

I am curious as to whether anybody has foregone the addition of rum, and what this would taste like in comparison to the original recipe?

Is the rum really a critical component of this recipe? What does it lend which cannot be achieved with malts/banana?


Any suggestions on how to alter the recipe/compensate for the omission of rum?

I've brewed this recipe 3 times now, never without rum, so for all we know it might be awesome. However, the recipe is supposed to be a beer version of the classic Bananas Foster dessert, of which rum is a key component, to the point that Bananas Foster isn't really Bananas Foster without the rum. I'd say if your intent is to brew banana beer and not Bananas Foster, then it would be appropriate to go sans rum; however, for Bananas Foster beer, the rum is a must.

 

[drchris83]

Not to derail the thread, but could an addition of molasses be used to produce rum flavor?

 

[tx-brewer]

Just put my version in the fermentor. It. Is as close to the original as I could make it with my recources, and scaled down to 3.5 gal with lower abv, very excited

 

[chaser2440]

Just brewed this one today, My numbers came in a little low at OG 1.062. The wort tasted great going into the carboy.

 

[cbehr]

Cold crashing mine tonight as there is still a good bit of junk floating. Probably bottle sunday if it clears by then.