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

[rappell]

Thanks for the reply. I suspect I will end up with 4 1/2 gal to bottle. It is exactly 5 gal now but I know I will loose some when I pull it off the bananas. I had never tried Sailor Jerrys before but I have to say it's the only rum I have ever liked straight. Definitely a sipping rum. So I will have to check the gravity again when I pull it off the bananas and I'll let you know if your math worked. Thanks again...

 

[sweetcell]

So I will have to check the gravity again when I pull it off the bananas and I'll let you know if your math worked.

i don't believe you'll be able to tell whether or not his math worked via a gravity reading, because by adding the rum you've gone off the predicted path. calculating ABV by looking at the difference between OG and FG works only if you don't add other sources of fermentable or alcohol. the reading you will get may not be indicative of 8.8% alcohol.

 

[rappell]

You've got a point. Also, the bananas added fermentable sugar. Fermentation restarted within 2 hours. Not as good as primary but a lot more than was going on when I racked it to secondary. So I guess I'll just have to check it again in two weeks. I'll post up when I check.

 

[Matteo57]

Any thoughts on throwing some oak in there for a short period?
Going to brew this on Wednesday! Looking forward to it!

 

[Matteo57]

Brewed this up yesterday. Upped the IBUs to around 25. Hit 1.082.... Threw it on a yeast cake of pacman yeast. We'll see! Hope it turns out amazing!

 

[jamsomito]

Picking up ingredients for this tonight and brewing on Sunday. SO EXCITED!

Thanks for all the comments; this thread is a good read. I'm a little grey on some things, but I think I've got 90% of the recipe documented. I'll wing the other stuff.

Also, this is my first all-grain batch. Doing BIAB. Wish me luck!

 

[dongemus]

Just an FYI, I made a variation of this and it was good, but it had an off flavor that tasted like rubber. I meant to dump the rest of the bottles out but I didn't and it sat for 6 months. I opened one last week and it tasted like amazing. No rubbery taste.

Anybody have a clue makes a rubbery taste?

 

[rappell]

I racked this to terciery today and checked FG again, 1.010 again. So I guess it's still 8.3 ABV. Tastes great! Very smooth, banana flavor is obvious but not harsh. I can't wait to taste it carbed. I think, based on the current taste, I will skip the week in terciery and bottle tomorrow. It is very clear now so I don't think another week will make much difference. Any thoughts from those who have brewed this?

 

[rappell]

No replies overnight so it's bone. Tastes great as it is. I bottled half and legged half. We'll see if they come out the same since I filled the keg from the bottling bucket already primed.

 

[beamar]

might have to try this one.

 

[bigbeergeek]

I just scanned this entire thread op -- what were the competition results on your first batch?

 

[Matteo57]

I brewed this back about 15 days ago and transfered to secondary today. Took gravity reading and it's at 1.020! Eek! It's way sweet! I tried to suck up a bit of the yeast to hopefully kick up some fermentation with the bananans and get this thing down a bit more...
I used Pacman yeast strain for this batch!

 

[rappell]

Fired up the keg yesterday. This is an amazing recipe! Creamy feel on the tongue, bananas and vanilla in the nose and a very slight hop bitterness at the finish. 8.3% ABV

 

[jamsomito]

My efficiency was a bit off when brewing this, and I ended up with 4.5 gallons instead of 5. I'm racking to tertiary today, and I'm wondering... should I add a bit of "priming" sugar to rack on top of so it makes a bit of CO2 and drives out the excess air in the head space in my carboy? If so, how much?

 

[tx-brewer]

Gonna brew this for the second time in a couple days, the first batch was great, but I would like to increase the sweetness this time.

Has anyone used us-04 and mashed higher. Or has anyone added lactose to increase sweetness. I'm thinking of doing one of the above and maybe adding some mailto dextrine to increase creamyness

 

[MindenMan]

I believe changing yeast may help that; ESB 1968 has medium attenuation, and produces very clear beer.

 

[tx-brewer]

I believe changing yeast may help that; ESB 1968 has medium attenuation, and produces very clear beer.

Well I thought it over some more. I think I'm gonna stay with us-05 like before but mash at 158 instead of 152. Beersmith raised the fg from 1.010 to 1.016 which may help enough. I don't want to over sweeten

And I think maybe ill throw in a pound of wheat to help with head retention

 

[tx-brewer]

Would there be any issues adding the nanana and rum mixture to primary, then racking to secondary a couple weeks after that.

The bananas will make it refer'ment so oxygen doesn't seem like it would be an issue

 

[beamar]

Gave this a go tonight.

 

[Matteo57]

I kegged this a week ago now. OG was down to 1.008 now. Maybe a bit dry but should be interested to see how it turns out after a few weeks and carbed up.

 

[nab911]

Gonna make an extract version of this (small atlanta apartment, etc, etc.) and was wondering a bit about the conversion. Orig Recipe is:

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

Was going to go with 6lbs Golden Light LME and for the other grains, I usually steep them for 30 minutes around 150, do I need to do something different here? Is there a point of adding oats and corn if they are not mashed? It's listed at 60 minutes so could I toss them in a hop bag and let them dangle in the boil the whole time with the hops on the other side? I always though mashing was like a 30 minute thing so I might be a little off here. Thanks in advance!

Edit: Just found the partial mash post in here. So you mash for 60 minutes, sparge and start the boil, pouring the sparge water back in. Might make this leap then. Was going to try a Mr. Beer 2 gallon size batch of this but looks like i may just go all out.

 

[tx-brewer]

Gonna make an extract version of this (small atlanta apartment, etc, etc.) and was wondering a bit about the conversion. Orig Recipe is:

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

Was going to go with 6lbs Golden Light LME and for the other grains, I usually steep them for 30 minutes around 150, do I need to do something different here? Is there a point of adding oats and corn if they are not mashed? It's listed at 60 minutes so could I toss them in a hop bag and let them dangle in the boil the whole time with the hops on the other side? I always though mashing was like a 30 minute thing so I might be a little off here. Thanks in advance!

Edit: Just found the partial mash post in here. So you mash for 60 minutes, sparge and start the boil, pouring the sparge water back in. Might make this leap then. Was going to try a Mr. Beer 2 gallon size batch of this but looks like i may just go all out.

You wanna mash the oats and corn. I would make a bigger batch if you can. This recipe is good and it gets even better after a few months in the bottle. You don't wanna drink your last bottles when its just hitting its prime

 

[nab911]

You wanna mash the oats and corn. I would make a bigger batch if you can. This recipe is good and it gets even better after a few months in the bottle. You don't wanna drink your last bottles when its just hitting its prime

I would probably end up doing a 5 gallon. I just don't want a ton of the stuff that only I would drink and it last until summer . So straight extract and just steep the grains for 30?

 

[Looper]

I brewed this beer on 11/15.

One question I have, that hasn't been asked in this thread yet:

Has anyone just added the banana/rum mixture directly into the primary bucket? To be honest, I want my yeast cake to be present when active fermentation is occurring.

Any downsides to this?

What I'm thinking is, 3 weeks in "primary" (2 of which with the banana/rum mixture) THEN racking into a secondary bright tank to clear.

What do you guys think?

I just don't see the benefit of racking this beer off the yeast cake, if fermentation is going to be kicked back up by the banana sugars.

Thanks in advance!

 

[LLBeanJ]

I haven't done it that way, but wouldn't be opposed to it. I can't see any issues with doing all the fermentation in primary and then transferring to a bright tank for clearing. Heck, you could probably skip the bright tank transfer altogether and just cold crash the primary for a few days before transferring to a bottling bucket or keg.

 

[Matteo57]

I wouldn't brew this again, at least not currently.
Banana I feel and everyone else who has tried it has said is too prevelent. The only person who has relaly enjoyed it is someone who doesn't like beer usually.
I brewed it back on 9/18.
I just took it out of my kegerator to let sit for another month or two in hopes it gets to where I want to drink it over most anything else I have.
I wouldn't classify it as a bad recipe or bad beer, just not something I would choose to make again nor suggest to others to make. I love banana also. Oh well, to each their own I guess.

 

[Looper]

I wouldn't brew this again, at least not currently.
Banana I feel and everyone else who has tried it has said is too prevelent. The only person who has relaly enjoyed it is someone who doesn't like beer usually.
I brewed it back on 9/18.
I just took it out of my kegerator to let sit for another month or two in hopes it gets to where I want to drink it over most anything else I have.
I wouldn't classify it as a bad recipe or bad beer, just not something I would choose to make again nor suggest to others to make. I love banana also. Oh well, to each their own I guess.

What would you do differently? 3 lbs of banana?

 

[Crayfish]

I brewed this with a few mods including aging in a rum barrel. I racked onto 5 lbs fozen/thawed bananas. Since my rum character was to come from the barrel, I added about a quarter cup of vodka/1.5 vanilla beans to the bananas. The bananas were not pureed very well so fermentation did not vigorously kick back in. I added half a pack of Safale-05 to try and get it going again and it worked. After 20 days on bananas, I transferred to a 5 gallon rum barrel that had previously housed a pumpkin ale. I aged it in the barrel for about 20 days. I bottled and am drinking on after 2 weeks in the bottle and it is VERY GOOD. Thanks for posting this recipe.

 

[rawdanny]

Ingredients:
------------
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
4 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 1 40.0 %
4 lbs Wheat Malt, Ger (2.0 SRM) Grain 2 40.0 %
1 lbs 4.0 oz Biscuit Malt (23.0 SRM) Grain 3 12.5 %
4.0 oz Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain 4 2.5 %
4.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM) Grain 5 2.5 %
4.0 oz Chocolate Malt (350.0 SRM) Grain 6 2.5 %
0.75 oz Hallertauer [4.80 %] - Boil 45.0 min Hop 7 11.5 IBUs
0.25 oz Hallertauer [4.80 %] - Boil 15.0 min Hop 8 2.1 IBUs
1.0 pkg Bavarian Wheat (Wyeast Labs #3638) [124. Yeast 9


i left it in the primary for 4 days.... OG was 1.040 FG was 1.010

then blended up 7lbs of bananas and soaked with some crown royal! i cant wait to try!

-

 

[Matteo57]

What would you do differently? 3 lbs of banana?

That is a good question. I'd guess it it would kind of be based on what exactly you are looking for in this beer.
I cut the crystal down to 1.6lbs as it was, I would probably further cut that down to 1lb-1.25lbs.
3 lbs of bananas would be better for me at least I think.
I would probably up the IBUs to around 30ish-35ish to try and balance some of the sweetness.
those would be my suggestion at least with the base beer listed here.