Should I addd any flavors to Bourbon Barrel Porter

[lorne17]

I just brewed this today: https://www.northernbrewer.com/bourbon-barrel-porter-extract-kit

Should I add anything other than oak chips and bourbon when it comes time? Or should I add spices or anything else?

Thanks,
Lorne

 

[Greytop]

I just brewed this today: https://www.northernbrewer.com/bourbon-barrel-porter-extract-kit

Should I add anything other than oak chips and bourbon when it comes time? Or should I add spices or anything else?

Thanks,
Lorne

First time I do anything I try to keep it simple. I brewed a porter in August and added French oak cubes soaked in bourbon. It's been conditioning since then. We're planning to tap it after Thanksgiving. If I screwed it up, it will be a lot easier to track down my mistakes than if I added a bunch of other stuff. my 2¢ (and it's not really worth that much).

 

[lorne17]

First time I do anything I try to keep it simple. I brewed a porter in August and added French oak cubes soaked in bourbon. It's been conditioning since then. We're planning to tap it after Thanksgiving. If I screwed it up, it will be a lot easier to track down my mistakes than if I added a bunch of other stuff. my 2¢ (and it's not really worth that much).

Dang you’re letting it condition for some time! I’m going to keg it. I hope it’s ready to drink by Christmas. But that’s being pretty hopeful. Realistically in January.

I’ll follow the recipe the. Thanks!

 

[CJ-3]

Personally I like to add 3 chopped and seeded vanilla beans when I use oak chips and bourbon.

 

[lorne17]

Personally I like to add 3 chopped and seeded vanilla beans when I use oak chips and bourbon.

Oooo that’s a good idea. Where do I buy those?

 

[Lefou]

True, the vanilla softens up the oak and hop bitterness .... but if you're like me and have an uncalibrated sniffer/taster, you'll never know certain ingredients are there unless it got written down. Believe it or not, serving temperature makes a difference. Chilling a beer can affect carbing, aroma, and flavor.
A stout at room temperature can be a whole other beer that showcases foam and flavor you'd miss if it was bone-chilling cold. The point is, though, if you drop too much flavor in at one time, the beer and hops can get overpowered. Knowing what recipe makes good base is always what you want first time out - then you add the extras.

 

[Lefou]

Case in point...
My first Dunkel partial mash done in a bottling bucket was an acrid, badly carbed mess. First off, too many adjuncts were added and I didn't treat my water. Pretty disappointing because dumping an extract beer is an expensive lesson.

 

[CJ-3]

Oooo that’s a good idea. Where do I buy those?

You can get them at most home brew stores but I get mine from Amazon.

 

[xpops]

i always like vanilla beans in my porters when using oak chips/cubes. a couple cut up, soaked in vodka a few days, and toss the whole tincture in!

 

[lorne17]

Where do I buy beans?

 

[lorne17]

You can get them at most home brew stores but I get mine from Amazon.

Ignore my last post. Just saw this. Thanks!

 

[Calder]

Where do I buy beans?

Any Supermarket should have them, brew store, or health food shop. Ridiculously expensive though for just a couple. A couple of years ago I bought a half pound on-line for not much more than you would pay for a few beans in the store.

I have 6 gallons of smoked Porter on the go right now. This thread has given me the idea of putting a couple on some bourbon soaked oak and vanilla. Could be drinking it by Christmas.

 

[applescrap]

That's a great question. Idk. I would recommend getting the most expensive awesome tasting bourbon you can find. In that case not sure you want to cover any flavor up. I guess coffee or vanilla bean, sound reasonable.