I haven't had the beer, so I can't compare. But the BVIP finishes around 1.026-28, so there are plenty of dextrins for mouthfeel. In addition, using WY1450 really produces a smooth, silky mouthfeel.
Denny Conn's Bourbon Vanilla Imperial Porter
- Thread starter DRoyLenz
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Ston'e smoked porter with vanilla beans is another that I think compares mouthfeel wise, really any bigger stout/porter usually over 8% she has liked. She usually likes the taste but doesn't like it to feel carbonated and I think the lower FG is letting the carbonation show more, I tend not to go over 2.1/2.2 volumes of CO2 with stouts and porters and go close to 1.7/1.8 for English styles. The only thing I've gone higher than 2.2 on are the Belgians that I've done so I don't think it's the CO2 level.
I'll be using WY1450, I used it in a Vanilla Porter that finished at 6.3% with an FG of 1.012. That comes across smooth with slight carbonation to me, but doesn't have that "think" feel which I'm sure is due to the FG so I think these bigger brews with add wha tIm looking for.
I'll be using WY1450, I used it in a Vanilla Porter that finished at 6.3% with an FG of 1.012. That comes across smooth with slight carbonation to me, but doesn't have that "think" feel which I'm sure is due to the FG so I think these bigger brews with add wha tIm looking for.
Hopefully my final few questions as I'm ironing things out before I get things bought for this.
1. Is there a reason for the late hop addition? To me it seems like .4 oz of EKG at 10 wouldn't contribute much in something this big. I'm asking mainly to learn. I would think that with a big grain bill like this and with the chocolate and caramel malts the hop flavor would just get hidden.
2. Using WY1450 on 4 beers I've gotten 80% - 82% attenuation. After putting the recipe into BrewMate and figuring on 80% attenuation I have estimated OG of 1.089 and estimated FG of 1.018. Should I expect lower attenuation and just let it fly, underpitch, or something else to ensure this doesn't dry out too much?
1. Is there a reason for the late hop addition? To me it seems like .4 oz of EKG at 10 wouldn't contribute much in something this big. I'm asking mainly to learn. I would think that with a big grain bill like this and with the chocolate and caramel malts the hop flavor would just get hidden.
2. Using WY1450 on 4 beers I've gotten 80% - 82% attenuation. After putting the recipe into BrewMate and figuring on 80% attenuation I have estimated OG of 1.089 and estimated FG of 1.018. Should I expect lower attenuation and just let it fly, underpitch, or something else to ensure this doesn't dry out too much?
1. Well, I've never done it without it, so I really can't say.
2. Attenuation is dependent on wort composition, not the attenuation rating of the yeast. When software predicts FG, it doesn't take the recipe into account, just the yeast. I recommend brewing it as is. You don't know how to adjust on the future if you don't know what it's like. FWIW, it's never finished anywhere neaar 1.018 for me.
Thanks Denny!
I agree with having to make it once to know where to begin adjustments. I'll check with a couple of others homebrew friends to see if they have any EKG laying around, if they do I'll use them, otherwise I'm thinking of skipping them. Main reason is because this will likely be the last thing I make until December or January and would just be throwing out .6oz of EKG's.
Otherwise, I've got Maker's Mark sitting in the cupboard, 5 vanilla beans in a glass jar (1 or 2 for a Pumpkin Saison, 1 or 2 for an Imperial Stout, and 1 or 2 for this)
I agree with having to make it once to know where to begin adjustments. I'll check with a couple of others homebrew friends to see if they have any EKG laying around, if they do I'll use them, otherwise I'm thinking of skipping them. Main reason is because this will likely be the last thing I make until December or January and would just be throwing out .6oz of EKG's.
Otherwise, I've got Maker's Mark sitting in the cupboard, 5 vanilla beans in a glass jar (1 or 2 for a Pumpkin Saison, 1 or 2 for an Imperial Stout, and 1 or 2 for this)
I am an idiot... ours has been at 1.028 for about a week now and instead of reading this post more closely I was going by the Beersmith profile my friend came up with (he was helping me with this brew since it was my first). His report said we should be getting down to 1.017 so yesterday I pitched another 1450 smack pack and added 2 tsp of Fermax.
So... keeping an eye on the hydrometer over the next week, can I go ahead and bottle once the SG looks stable again (assuming it moves at all) or should I wait a certain amount of time for the yeast to flocculate? I left everything in the primary and planned on going straight to a bottling bucket, but should I go ahead and rack into a secondary now?
The good news is that I learned a lot from my many mistakes with this brew so hopefully my next AG brew will go more smoothly. I bought enough grain for two batches, so hope to start the second batch in a week or so.
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Yeah, bottle when stable but wait for the yeast to drop. This is actually one of the few beers I use a secondary for. I rack to secondary before adding the vanilla beans.
And please permit me my usual rant...NEVER trust a piece of software that attempts to predict FG. They simply base it on the attenuation rating of the yeast and attenuation is FAR more dependent on wort fermentability than yeast attenuation rating. That's simply for comparing one yeast to another using the same wort. No software out there can take wort composition into account when predicting FG. As great as Beersmith is, it's not instructions on how to brew...you get to decide that! The software is just a tool, like a hammer is a tool. Don't let it do your thinking for you!
And please permit me my usual rant...NEVER trust a piece of software that attempts to predict FG. They simply base it on the attenuation rating of the yeast and attenuation is FAR more dependent on wort fermentability than yeast attenuation rating. That's simply for comparing one yeast to another using the same wort. No software out there can take wort composition into account when predicting FG. As great as Beersmith is, it's not instructions on how to brew...you get to decide that! The software is just a tool, like a hammer is a tool. Don't let it do your thinking for you!
Yup, lesson learned. Thanks for the rant, I really appreciate it! So many more moving parts to brewing beer than making wine. Good thing I love beer 
I will rack into a glass carboy so I can keep an eye on the hydrometer (I like to leave them floating in the carboy so I can check the SG without disturbing anything) and watch for flocculation.
I will rack into a glass carboy so I can keep an eye on the hydrometer (I like to leave them floating in the carboy so I can check the SG without disturbing anything) and watch for flocculation.
Denny, your second item is not quite true for BeerSmith. When I change the recipe e.g. the mash temperature, the expected FG changes as well. I noticed this just recently when I had a double decoction mash profile and my predicted FG was extremely weird. Changing it to the mash profile with a single step infusion showed me a more realistic FG.
Outstanding recipe and thread! Was looking for a good vanilla porter and this certainly fits the bill and will be brewed next.
Regarding vanilla. I've been purchasing extract quality beans on ebay for the past several years (prices doubled last year ) and extracting my own vanilla. Incredible difference in baking and I look forward to using the extract rather than the bean scrapings. You can make your own extract by taking 1 ounce beans (prepped as described - slit the beans and scoop out the seeds with pod chopped up) and adding 8 oz of vodka (cheap is fine). Shake daily for a month, then occasionally for another 5 months, then filter out the pods (leave the seeds). You can use after a month but the alcohol will continue the extract. Started doing this when I couldn't find good (and reasonably priced) pure vanilla. Last extract I did was with a pound of madagascar beans, 6 ounces beans/6 cups vodka in re-purposed 1.5 liter wine bottles. If interested I can share a very boring time/lapse youtube video showing the process.
Regarding vanilla. I've been purchasing extract quality beans on ebay for the past several years (prices doubled last year
) and extracting my own vanilla. Incredible difference in baking and I look forward to using the extract rather than the bean scrapings. You can make your own extract by taking 1 ounce beans (prepped as described - slit the beans and scoop out the seeds with pod chopped up) and adding 8 oz of vodka (cheap is fine). Shake daily for a month, then occasionally for another 5 months, then filter out the pods (leave the seeds). You can use after a month but the alcohol will continue the extract. Started doing this when I couldn't find good (and reasonably priced) pure vanilla. Last extract I did was with a pound of madagascar beans, 6 ounces beans/6 cups vodka in re-purposed 1.5 liter wine bottles. If interested I can share a very boring time/lapse youtube video showing the process.
Well, I'm glad to hear that. What happens when you take the same recipe, but put 5 lb. of crystal in one version and 5 lb. of sugar in another?
Estimated FG (in one of my iterations on your phenomenal recipe) decreases from 1.024 to 1.010 when substituting [hypothetical] 5 pounds of C120 with 5 pounds of light brown sugar.
Wow, that's great. I stand corrected. I wonder if user error is why it sometimes gives the wrong estimate? Maybe I'll try to get ahold of Brad and see what it's doing and how it does it.
That would be great! Maybe complicated mash profiles cause confusion.
By the way - the mash temperature also affects the FG. Using a German Lager recipe, the FG changes from 1.011 to 1.017 when the mash temp is increased from 148 to 158. Brad must have done some research!
I think that comes from some observations Fred Bonjour has made. But I have to question it. According to an experiment done by Greg Doss of Wyeast, 153F yields maximum fermentability. He presented his research at the 2012 NHC in Seattle.
Sorry to derail this thread further... Denny, if you talk to Brad maybe you can guide him and maybe an update can yield more accurate predictions? Thanks!
Made this yesterday. I've been trying to "re-tune" my BIAB setup so I had to guess at what my efficiency would be. Ended up at 65% so I had to boil a little longer, I did a 90 min boil and hit 1.082 so not far off. Also had etween 4.5 and 4.75 gal into the fermenter because of the extra boiling.
Now I'll let it go for a couple weeks then add the vanilla beans, wait for a couple more weeks and then bottle with some Maker's Mark.
Now I'll let it go for a couple weeks then add the vanilla beans, wait for a couple more weeks and then bottle with some Maker's Mark.
Just so you know, people have been reporting better results with Jim Beam Black than with Maker's Mark. Apparently the flavor profile of MM just sticks out rather than blending with the beer.
Hmmm. Might have to make a few samples and try a couple diferent kinds of Bourbon then. I have nearly a whole bottle of MM from my father in law since he didn't like it, he prefers some other more expensive brand(I can't remember the name of that one), I have a bottle of Jack, I wonder how that would turn out, and I have a bottle of JB Devil's Cut. I can pick up some JB black if that's what others have found to be the best for this, I would prefer to spend the money and have a great beer rather than just using what I have and have it turn out muddled or the bourbon to overpower it. I like bourbon but not sure I want it to dominate, as that's not the intent for this beer.
Not being a bourbon drinker, I thought I'd pass on what people who do appreciate it say. I chose JBB becasue it was mid price range. I lucked out in that it integrates well in the beer without screaming "BOURBON!" at you.
JonGrafto
Well-Known Member
I am not a regular bourbon drinker either. That being said, I do have a bottle of Four Roses in my basement.
Would this work?
Never had it, so I have no idea.
Checked on fermentation this morning and the yeast must've ripped through this one. No airlock activity, which I know isn't the best sign of fermentation, krausen has dropped, only went about 1.5 inches up the bucket. I'm sure there's still some fermentation going on but this must've taken off quick and ripped through it. So, I may throw in the vanilla bean this weekend, give it a couple weeks and then bottle at let it condition for a few weeks.
That timeline sound sufficient?
That timeline sound sufficient?
More time never hurts.
I guess I need to clarify a bit...I start timing the 2 months from when it's finished and packaged, not from when it's brewed. Sorry for any confusion.
Ok, that makes more sense to me on a beer this big. I usually like to let things that are over 8% sit in the fermenter for around 5 to six weeks, then bottle and allow for 2 -3 weeks before I start to taste them. Usually it's about 3 - 4 weeks after that, so total of 5 -7 weeks, where everything comes together and one flavor doesn't overpower another. So, due to my misunderstanding this may not be ready for Turkey day, but should certainly be go to go right around Christmas and New Years.
Brewed this on 9/5 - primary till 9/22 then bottled with 4oz of medium toast oak on 3oz of Makers Mark and 2T of vanilla extract that had been sitting on my kitchen counter for 3 months. I also changed the yeast to WLP005 for that British Porter taste. This IS my favorite porter recipe.
Did you try it with 1450?
No, I'm the type of brewer that can't leave well enough alone - I probably should not have changed the yeast but......
I also used an ounce of home grown magnums instead of the pellets.
So far the taste is good with the 005 - attenuation was very low - efficiency was down around 45-50%
Gravity started at 1.082 and bottomed out at 1.042 after (2 1/2) weeks in primary
That'll learn me not to change the yeast.
I also used an ounce of home grown magnums instead of the pellets.
So far the taste is good with the 005 - attenuation was very low - efficiency was down around 45-50%
Gravity started at 1.082 and bottomed out at 1.042 after (2 1/2) weeks in primary
That'll learn me not to change the yeast.
