Vanilla porter?

[Mdessert]

Just had a Breckinridge vanilla porter this weekend and would like to brew something like it. Anyone know a good extract recipe or clone kit?

 

[ChaosStout]

Just had a Breckinridge vanilla porter this weekend and would like to brew something like it. Anyone know a good extract recipe or clone kit?

From their Website.
Malts Used: Two row pale, Caramel, Chocolate, black Roasted Barly
Hops: Chinook, Tettnang, Perle, Golding
IBU16
ABV 4.7

Maybe use Beersmith, Brewmate or one of those programs and try and make it

 

[jlaureanti]

whatever recipe you go with, use an organic vanilla extract and not vanilla beans. Vanilla beans work great but the flavor fades quickly. For a 5 gallon batch you would need like 8 whole beans to get that intense of a flavor. The extract will taste great, breckinridge more than likely uses an extract vanilla flavor as well. When you are making that much beer the amount of real vanilla beans necessary would be ridiculous. Plus, the extract will be less volatile in solution which will lead to the flavor lasting much longer.

 

[Taypo]

Any recommendations on how and when to add the vanilla extract? We're debating adding it to a brown ale, but not quite sure how best to go about it.

 

[Cruzn4aBrewzn]

Any recommendations on how and when to add the vanilla extract? We're debating adding it to a brown ale, but not quite sure how best to go about it.

I just brewed a vanilla cream brown porter and just threw the vanilla in the las 15 of the boil. Not sure if thats the best but it seemed to work. Smelled and tasted good!

Speak softly and carry a large beer

 

[richbrew99]

I'm trying a version now, it's in the fermentor. I plan on dropping in the vanilla beans the last 7 days of fermenting. Here is what I used:

10 lbs Pale Malt
8 oz 40L
4 oz Black Malt
4 oz Choc Malt
4 oz Roasted Malt
.5 oz Galena at 40 min
.5 oz EKG at 20 min
.5 oz EKG at 10 min
Pacman yeast and 2 Madagascar Vanilla Beans (from Amazon cheap)

Hopefully it'll turn out good.

 

[Rob_B]

If you make an extract with your beans and vodka you can either throw it all in during a secodary or you can do what I did and strain the extract and add to your bottling bucket. I recently added some vanilla to my coffee stout this way and it's great!

 

[NorthRiverS]

The kit I brewed had a vanilla flavoring packet. I just dissolved it with the priming sugar and 2 cups of water at bottling. Worked great.

NRS

 

[RedGuitar]

I made two batches of vanilla porter last winter because the first one was so good. I used 3 whole vanilla beans (split in half) in the secondary and not only has the vanilla flavor not diminished, it has gotten better and better. Just last weekend I cracked open one from my first batch (bottled at the end of last November) and it was the best one yet. SWMBO loves it, too. I tried a Breckenridge after I made mine and they tasted the same to me, though age has been doing wonders to it since then. I can post the recipe if you'd like.

 

[richbrew99]

I made two batches of vanilla porter last winter because the first one was so good. I used 3 whole vanilla beans (split in half) in the secondary and not only has the vanilla flavor not diminished, it has gotten better and better. Just last weekend I cracked open one from my first batch (bottled at the end of last November) and it was the best one yet. SWMBO loves it, too. I tried a Breckenridge after I made mine and they tasted the same to me, though age has been doing wonders to it since then. I can post the recipe if you'd like.

I might up my beans to three also, did you soak them in vodka or anything before you put them in?

 

[RedGuitar]

Nope. Split them open and racked the beer on top. I believe I left it in secondary for two weeks. I'm making a pumpkin Scottish ale this weekend and will rack onto one bean in the secondary.

To me, three beans was the perfect amount. It gave it a good vanilla taste without being overpowering. I avoid boiling any kind of flavoring agents like vanilla or spices, as that is when the flavor loss begins to occur, IMHO.

 

[richbrew99]

Damn, I think I got an infection in my Vanilla Porter after racking the porter on the beans. Big bubbles formed on top. I gently rocked it hoping that its only co2 bubbles.

 

[RedGuitar]

Did you sanitize everything first? There's still active yeast in there, so I would say it's most likely that this is just CO2.

 

[NigeltheBold]

I sanitized my beans using vodka before adding them to secondary. Didn't have to worry about infections. You may be fine, but maybe use vodka next time.

 

[richbrew99]

Thinking back, I forgot to sanitize the knife that I used to cut the beans. Live and learn, time for a new batch.

 

[OldStyler]

Doesn't seem all that likely that the knife caused an infection. Were you just cutting chicken with it or something?

In a related thought - I was going to add coffee and vanilla to a porter I'm going to brew this weekend. I was told to throw a brewed pot of coffee into the secondary along with 3-4oz of vanilla extract into the secondary and rack into that. Anyone have any experience doing that?

 

[RedGuitar]

Yeah, you've got to sanitize everything.

OldStyler, I've heard of adding coffee to the secondary but never tried it. My recommendation is still to go with the vanilla beans instead of the extract, though.