Denny Conn's Bourbon Vanilla Imperial Porter

[sdwrestler1012]

Hey Denny, I want to make your original recipe but my Efficiency is at 60%. How would you suggest scaling up this recipe. I brew in a 15 gallon kettle, and mash in an rectangular cooler with cpvc manifold.

 

[Denny]

Hey Denny, I want to make your original recipe but my Efficiency is at 60%. How would you suggest scaling up this recipe. I brew in a 15 gallon kettle, and mash in an rectangular cooler with cpvc manifold.

When I scale a recipe I scale ALL the grain, not just the base malt as some do. I like to have the relative % of grains remain constant.

 

[mrwaffles]

Going to try to make the partial mash version on page 7 and was wondering if the DME should be added for 60 min boil or late edition or at flame out? Or does it really matter? I assume the sugar is added at flame out. Can not wait to try it!

 

[Denny]

Going to try to make the partial mash version on page 7 and was wondering if the DME should be added for 60 min boil or late edition or at flame out? Or does it really matter? I assume the sugar is added at flame out. Can not wait to try it!

Add everything at the beginning of the boil.

 

[Phunhog]

Denny....have you noticed any difference from using vanilla beans vs. using high quality real vanilla extract?

 

[mrwaffles]

Denny, added everything but the sugar at beginning and seems to turned out ok. hit 1.076. not bad for first time mashing that much grain. added 2 extra lbs of pale row as i was a lb short on the dme. looked really tasty!

 

[Denny]

Denny....have you noticed any difference from using vanilla beans vs. using high quality real vanilla extract?

Yep. Good beans have always beaten extract for me. I get the beans from hawaiianvanilla.com . They also make a killer extract, but IMO the beans are better. But I obviously didn't try every extract out there. If you have one you think is great, use it.

 

[Jukas]

Just finished running this off into the brew kettle.. even the runnings smell so amazing that I'm tempted to take a sip. Nutty, roasty & chocolatly.. I can't wait to taste this in a month or so.

 

[craigger64]

Denny, do you really get 38 IBU with the amount of hops listed in your recipe? (0.65 oz. Magnum @ 60min, and 0.40 oz. Goldings - E.K. @ 10 min) When I enter your recipe into BeerSmith, it shows only 11.1 IBU with that amount of hops. I'm not nearly as concerned with getting the proper IBU number as I am with brewing the recipe correctly. Perhaps you or someone else who has brewed your recipe can set me straight on this. I can't wait to brew this beer!

 

[Denny]

Denny, do you really get 38 IBU with the amount of hops listed in your recipe? (0.65 oz. Magnum @ 60min, and 0.40 oz. Goldings - E.K. @ 10 min) When I enter your recipe into BeerSmith, it shows only 11.1 IBU with that amount of hops. I'm not nearly as concerned with getting the proper IBU number as I am with brewing the recipe correctly. Perhaps you or someone else who has brewed your recipe can set me straight on this. I can't wait to brew this beer!

That's what Promash tells me. I use the Tinseth formula. I'll try to remember to check when I'm near my laptop, but that sounds right.

 

[craigger64]

Thanks, Denny. I appreciate your help!

 

[ChristianMomOf7]

Not ideal but this will work in a emergency . Take a piece of sanitized racking cane 3/8" and put it into your hole in the bing where your airlock would normally be.

Isn't it called a carboy bung? So you should really be putting that cane in the hole in your bung, you wacky kids.

 

[Jukas]

I rarely if ever rack to secondary anymore. Once you're sure this beer is done fermenting would adding the vanilla into the primary give substandard results?

Ideally I'd rather add the vanilla to the primary, and then rack onto bourbon when I keg it.

 

[Denny]

I rarely if ever rack to secondary anymore. Once you're sure this beer is done fermenting would adding the vanilla into the primary give substandard results?

Ideally I'd rather add the vanilla to the primary, and then rack onto bourbon when I keg it.

Yeah, that should be fine. I hardly ever use a secondary any more, either, but I do for this one. Old habit, I guess, but I don't think it's crucial.

 

[Phunhog]

I poured this at an underground beer festival/private party last weekend. Everyone LOVED it!! Many, many people came up to me and said it was their favorite beer at the festival. Pretty excited since there were quite a few excellent (IMO) beers there. Glad I have another keg aging for the holidays!! Thanks again Denny!!

 

[Jukas]

Legged this last night, after I had gotten really busy and let it sit on the vanilla for 20 days. I think it's going to need a while to mellow.

Fortunately I had done a 8gal batch so I also kegged almost 3 gal I had split off into a raspberry porter.

 

[Denny]

The vanilla will fade quite a bit in the first few weeks.

 

[mhot55]

Kegged today. Made this 2 months ago. Went from 1.077 down to 1.017. Two beans after 2 weeks fermentation and Dropped 1.25 oz oak cubes soaked in bourbon. Left oak & vanilla for 7 weeks. A little worried. Slightly vinous character. Wasn't really getting anything else coming through. I believe (or hope) that after a week on gas this mellows and melds.

 

[Jukas]

Tasted it for the first times since kegging tonight. Vanilla has faded a bit and is very pleasant. Beer is quite boozy so I'm curious to see if that boozy taste will mellow a bit. I added the bourbon by pouring 375ml of makers mark into my sanitized keg and then racking the beer on top.

 

[craigger64]

I opened my first one this weekend. I used two vanilla beans (per recipe) and left them in for two weeks, and I have NO vanilla flavor at all. I'm wondering if I should have used more beans or left them in longer. Tastes AMAZING otherwise, though. I'll definitely be brewing this one again!

 

[br1dge]

2 vanilla beans should be plenty to have a strong vanilla taste, at first anyway.. Did you split the beans open before you put them in? Were they quality/fresh beans?

 

[craigger64]

yes, br1dge, they were 2 nice big, fresh, quality beans. i split them open, scraped out the inside stuff and included it AND the shell just like Denny's instructions.

 

[MollyHatchet]

I was wondering the same thing. I have a imperial stout in secondary right now and was planning on putting two vanilla beans in and then bottle and store for Christmas 2013. I was wondering if the beans would shine through an imperial being aged a year?

 

[phoenixs4r]

I need to brew this again. Its fantastic.

 

[Denny]

I was wondering the same thing. I have a imperial stout in secondary right now and was planning on putting two vanilla beans in and then bottle and store for Christmas 2013. I was wondering if the beans would shine through an imperial being aged a year?

My experience is that the vanilla will still be there but very muted.

 

[brewmasterorr]

I was ready to brew a 10 gallon batch today but the power is out. I guess that's the downfall of electric. I have a burner but we have wind gusts up to 50 mph today in the forecast so outside is no good.

Anyone think this would be good by christmas?

 

[Denny]

Christmas is really pushing it. The beer doesn't need to age much, but just fermentation, adding the vanilla and bottle conditioning could take a month.

 

[brewmasterorr]

I keg so I was thinking 10 days in the primary then add the vanilla beans (maybe an extra one?) Wait a week then cold crash for a few days and keg it on the 22nd and force carb it. Do you think that's too tight of a time line?

 

[Denny]

I keg so I was thinking 10 days in the primary then add the vanilla beans (maybe an extra one?) Wait a week then cold crash for a few days and keg it on the 22nd and force carb it. Do you think that's too tight of a time line?

In the words of Clint Eastwood "Do you feel lucky?". It might work, but I wouldn't put money on it.

 

[jtkratzer]

Any way to make a 10 gallon batch work on a system using 1/2 barrel kegs? I am capable/willing to split the boil up, but I'm doubtful I can even mash a 10 gallon batch.

Thinking of scaling back to what will fit...but I split 10 gallon batches with either of my brothers in law when they brew with me. I am hopefully to get a 5 gallon batch to myself.