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

[SenorPepe]

Well the batch I brewed up is only about 4.5 weeks in the bottle but it is great already. Hands down one of the best beers I've brewed. Mine pours very dark, almost entirely opaque, with a very thick, dark brown head (I tried to capture the colors with crappy lighting and a cheap cell phone camera but it doesn't do it justice).

I don't have my actual tasting notes with me but the smell is rich and complex, all malty and a bit of chocolate. The taste is surprisingly well balanced for 4.5 weeks. Everything seems to work together. I'd say chocolate is the most prominent and discernible flavor but it really melds well with the bourbon and vanilla flavors. In mine the vanilla is less pronounced than I'd like but really I knew that before I bottled and was just impatient. In any case, "chewing on this brew" is a perfect description. The mouthfeel is full and chewy. I'll definitely be making this one every fall/winter. Thanks Denny! Next I'm on to your Wry Smile.

EDIT: Man, these threads are getting damn confusing. I guess this is the one Denny does not post in? I can't remember which is which when they show up in "New Posts". Guess I'll double post.

 

[ipunchgoats]

Anyone try this with a Belgian yeast? Think that would work?

 

[forddavid]

So I'm still relatively new to the idea of writing recipes and I want to float this by everyone, especially the procedure part to make sure I'm in the right.


INGREDIENTS:
5 lbs Extra Light DME
3 lbs Dark LME
1.5 lbs Chocolate Malt
.5 lbs Crystal Malt
.25 Black Patent Malt
1 oz Chinook Hops
1 oz US Golding Hops
1 Vanilla Bean
12 oz Makers Mark/Buff Trace
American Ale Yeast (2 packs or starter)
1 cup Brown Sugar


PROCEDURE:
1. Bring 2 gallons of water to 155 degrees, steep grains for 30 minutes.
2. Add 5 lbs Extra Light LME, bring to rolling boil
3. Add Chinook hops
4. Boil for 60 minutes
- add .5 oz US Golding Hops, 3 lbs Dark LME for final 15 minutes
- add .5 oz US Golding Hops for final 5 minutes
5. Add to 2 gallons of cool water in Primary Fermenter, top off to 5 gallons.
6. Pitch yeast at 60-70 degrees
7. Ferment approx 2 wks. During 2 weeks, soak vanilla bean in 12 oz bourbon
8. Transfer to secondary fermenter, add vanilla bean and whiskey (1-2 wks)
9. Prime with 1 cup pure brown sugar, bottle, age minimum 2 weeks

 

[Moose777]

I brewed this last Novemeber and just served this at a beer and food pairing dinner with 5 other beers...we served this last and paired with brownie bites. We received several comments that this was their favorite of the evening.

Other beers served were

Allagash White Ale
Ommegang Hennepin farmhouse
Stone Ruination IPA
Sam Adams Boston lager
My homebrew Pale Ale
Home brew bourbon vanlilla porter

 

[uncleben113]

I just tasted my reading after almost 2 weeks and it is amazing! There is so much flavor packed into this beer and it's as smooth as can be. No bite, no bitterness. This is really a well-rounded beer and I haven't even added the bourbon or vanilla.

My efficiency was a little low at 1072 but for all of the trouble I had brewing this one, I think it's great.

I strongly advise against using a 5 gal MLT. I used mine and just figured I was mash longer but mashing took forever and my efficiency was still low. Beersmith said that I would need just over 6 gallons of MLT space given the grain bill.

Even given the extended brew day and the trouble we had brewing this one, the beer is well worth the trouble.

 

[KNOTSANE]

What style would this be in beersmith?

 

[Lil' Sparky]

There's a beersmith recipe file in the original post. I input the style as robust porter.

 

[KNOTSANE]

Thanks Sparky. I am putting this recipe in beer smith but I don't have Brewers Malt 2-Row (Briess) in my list of grains. Any info available? Thanks again. If this is as good as your nut brown, I'll be doing back flips. That nut brown is awesome.

 

[voltin]

I just added the vanilla to the primary, and took an SG reading. It already tastes AMAZING. It has a nice dry, and roasty finish that will pair well with the vanilla and bourbon. I can't wait to keg it.

 

[uncleben113]

What style would this be in beersmith?

I used "Baltic Porter" in beersmith. It seemed to fit the best but I don't know for sure

 

[yeastybeast1]

Thanks for the share Sparky! Looks tasty. Thinking about aging this in a retired bourbon barrel. Think it will work or will the oak bully the vanilla?

 

[DrBrewDC]

How much priming sugar should be used in a 5 gallon batch of this?

 

[lemmiwinks]

How much priming sugar should be used in a 5 gallon batch of this?

Don't quote me on this cause my numbers are in iBrewmaster and I don't have my iPad with me at work but I'm pretty sure it calculated it to around 2.5 oz of priming sugar.
I can double check when I get home and let ya know.

 

[lemmiwinks]

Don't quote me on this cause my numbers are in iBrewmaster and I don't have my iPad with me at work but I'm pretty sure it calculated it to around 2.5 oz of priming sugar.
I can double check when I get home and let ya know.

Just double checked - iBrewmaster calculated it at 3.52 oz

 

[Lil' Sparky]

Depends on how carbonated you want it. I usually prime a batch with 4-4.5 oz of sugar, depending on the final volume.

 

[DrBrewDC]

Depends on how carbonated you want it. I usually prime a batch with 4-4.5 oz of sugar, depending on the final volume.

So then how carbonated will this be?

 

[DrBrewDC]

And here is another question I have not seen asked nor answered in this forum, yet (of course, it may be out there and I have just not come across it)...

If my OG was 1.078 (which it was) and my FG is 1.020 (and it is) and therefore, the ABV calculates to a glorious 7.73% (which I must presume) and I add precisely 10ozs of 40% alc/vol bourbon to approximately 5 gallons (but probably a bit more), how would I go about predicting the final ABV?

 

[CidahMastah]

And here is another question I have not seen asked nor answered in this forum, yet (of course, it may be out there and I have just not come across it)...

If my OG was 1.078 (which it was) and my FG is 1.020 (and it is) and therefore, the ABV calculates to a glorious 7.73% (which I must presume) and I add precisely 10ozs of 40% alc/vol bourbon to approximately 5 gallons (but probably a bit more), how would I go about predicting the final ABV?

I would just call it 8% and leave it at that

Kinda weird experience I wanted to report on. I really dug this beer until about 6-8 weeks old (brewed mine on 11/13/2011). Just recently I opened one and it tasted young, and not as good (tasted a bit thinner and more bourbon upfront flavor). I am thinking this will turn around with time and be really good with more age but wondered if anyone else experienced seesaw aging? I have experienced this with brews in the past, so I am not all that worried about it but curious what others have experienced

either that or it has too much bourbon in that bottle from a heavy handed pour....

 

[DrBrewDC]

bernerbrau gave the formula:

5gal * 7.73% + 10 fl oz * 40% = .3865 gallons + 4 oz = .41775 gallons.

.41775 gal / 5 gal (rounding down) = 0.08355 = Roughly 8.35%.

I can't help but getting all tingly and giggly as a school girl just thinking about it!!

 

[lemmiwinks]

Served mine out of the bottle on Friday.
ABV came in at 7.7% without the 6 oz. of Makers Mark factored it.
What a well balanced brew.
Vanilla on the front and a faint bourbon taste at the back.
As the glass and brew warm up, the Kona I used really shines through towards the bottom of the glass.

Have a feeling I'm going to always have to keep some of this around.

 

[shelly14]

I made a mini mash/LME version of a very similar porter. I soaked the prepped beans in a half cup of makers mark for two days and poured it all into the secondary. Oh my!! used 1 1/2 beans... you can barely taste the bourbon in the aftertaste and just a hint of vannilla....Super exelent!!!

 

[Vomtaylor]

If using vanilla extract, is it 1 tablespoon ber bean.... So 2 tablespoon added?

 

[Riseabovebb]

Must make this again, only 5 bombers left!!! Also looking to brew Denny's 'Old Stoner' Barleywine recipe soon. The man's a genius!

 

[rmcdermo]

so i'm getting ready to move the porter into secondary this weekend. I sterilized a 14oz mason jar and poured in 12oz of Makers Mark, the sliced open two madagascar vanilla beans and picked out some of the powder and dropped it all into the bourbon. Than I put a piece of plastic wrap over it and will let it sit until the weekend. Do I need to do anything else about sterilizing or will the makers mark do the job so I can just dump the mason jar into the secondary?

any thoughts??

 

[DrBrewDC]

GRRRRRRRR!!! Perhaps someone can tell me what I have done wrong.... again. Seems the last few times I have made a high gravity beer, I get little to no carbonation in the bottles. It has been two weeks since I bottled this porter and although there is a slight release of CO2 when I remove the cap, the beer is completely flat.

I can only come up with three ideas.... I didn't use enough priming sugar (although I did question everyone on here, used the program that determined how much to use and did just that), I have not waited long enough (wishful but doubtful) or the yeast that I substituted for American Ale yeast (because they were out... oh, and btw... I do not recall what it was) would not handle the high alcohol content.?.?

Any thoughts?

 

[vicratlhead51]

Try warming up the bottles a little before giving up on them. If they're in the basement bring them upstairs. If they're in a dark closet take them out to the kitchen or something. Conditioning at slightly warmer temps won't affect the flavor. Its wierd how some batches won't condition very well in the same temps that others will. Most of my batches I just condition in my basement and it works fine but I had a triple a while back that I remember having to warm up a bit to get it to condition.

 

[CidahMastah]

Try warming up the bottles a little before giving up on them. If they're in the basement bring them upstairs. If they're in a dark closet take them out to the kitchen or something. Conditioning at slightly warmer temps won't affect the flavor. Its wierd how some batches won't condition very well in the same temps that others will. Most of my batches I just condition in my basement and it works fine but I had a triple a while back that I remember having to warm up a bit to get it to condition.

+1

bring them into a room at about 68-70F for 1-2weeks and retest. Wouldn't hurt to shake the bottles to stir up the yeast and priming sugar when you do that. Might just be something extra I have done, but the voodoo worked.

 

[uncleben113]

GRRRRRRRR!!! Perhaps someone can tell me what I have done wrong.... again. Seems the last few times I have made a high gravity beer, I get little to no carbonation in the bottles. It has been two weeks since I bottled this porter and although there is a slight release of CO2 when I remove the cap, the beer is completely flat.

I can only come up with three ideas.... I didn't use enough priming sugar (although I did question everyone on here, used the program that determined how much to use and did just that), I have not waited long enough (wishful but doubtful) or the yeast that I substituted for American Ale yeast (because they were out... oh, and btw... I do not recall what it was) would not handle the high alcohol content.?.?

Any thoughts?

Give it one more week. Mine at week 2 was almost flat but exactly a week later it was perfect.

Hang in there

 

[DrBrewDC]

Thanx y'all. Everything might just be okay, after all. -sniff-

 

[Vomtaylor]

im at 3 weeks on in the fermentor, and 1 week on the vanilla bean.. I really want to keg this tonight, so I can enjoy it this weekend...... Any thoughts on the timing? How long are you guys waiting?? BTW, I tried it last night, and its fliping amazing....