Porter- extract

[jackohiro]

Hi all,

Very new to brewing and have a cascade porter beer kit to have a go with.
Ive got a couple very basic recipes lined up but wanted to get some feedback on the use of honey, coffee and vanilla (not all together).
If i was to add any of these, would there be a big impact on the abv and is steeping before adding to the fermenter the easiest/ most effective method?
Thanks for you advice

New (excited) brewer

 

[AZBeerNut]

(1) Coffee will have very little affect on ABV.
(2) I've added all of these into brews... and have always thrown them in during the last 15 minutes of the hop boil. Works out very well!
(3) Personal choice, when it comes to coffee... but I have a good espresso machine...... and I put a pint of espresso into a 5 gallon batch for a really nice long-lasting (through age) coffee flavor. I won't mess with grounds and beans - just brew espresso and boil it into the last 15 minutes!
(4) The darker the roast, typically you'll find more coffee flavor and less caffeine. Just a fun note as you experiment.


Welcome to the slippery slope of your new favorite hobby!

 

[IvanTheTerribrew]

I have added vanilla to my brews. I would not recommend you add it at 15 minutes. If you do that the delicate oils and flavor will be boiled off and you may not have anything left unless you added ALOT of it. I have added pure vanilla extract at flameout or into secondary and had great results.

One idea I will eventually try that I have heard people have good success with is extracting the vanilla from vanilla beans by cracking them open and into small pieces and soaking them in vodka or whiskey for a couple days which infuses the vodka or whiskey with the flavor/oils and you add that to the wort.

I have not used coffee yet but I would agree with making some espresso and pouring it right in but again not when there's 15 minutes left that just doesn't sit well with me. Some people cold brew coffee and add it but I've never done it.

Alot of times when people want to add flavored such as fruits, spices, extracts, etc they add it at secondary fermentation. Reasoning for this is there won't be boiling, that's a phase where the beer is starting to level out and condition itself, the alcohol that already is there will have a better chance at killing any bacteria that may come with your additions versus if you put something that wasn't boiled into your primary(where there isn't any alcohol yet).

I hope this helps. If I find a link to the forums about the extracting ill post it.

 

[IvanTheTerribrew]

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f12/cocoa-nib-vanilla-bean-soaked-oak-cubes-419808/

 

[AZBeerNut]

^^ He disagrees with me, and to each his own... but just Google something like "add vanilla last 15 minutes boil beer" and you'll see the TONS of threads on TONS of forums and recipe sites that do the same thing. This is why you've gotta experiment for yourself!

I'm not a big secondary fan unless I'm trying to add something like oak or fruits that I don't want to boil in...... but things like honey, vanilla, coffee, cinnamon, etc...... I've always experimented to see how much I need at 15 minutes boil to get the end flavors I want - and I've found the flavors to be well balanced and last!

P.S. - I might also disagree that the ABV, in beer, is better at killing newly introduced bacteria than 15 minutes of boiling plus an active fermentation... Again, not all of us agree on the best way to do things, so have fun experimenting!