Vanilla Ale

[Brend0]

After trying the ANZAC biscuit beer at the Taphouse a few months back I want to try something similar.

Has anyone added vanilla bean to beer before? What did you use vanilla bean or extract?

I have vanilla bean at home and was thinking of adding it to the boil in a lightly hopped ale but not sure on how much to use?

Any advice?

Thanks in advance!

Brendan.

 

[earle]

I used about 15ml of Queens black label vanilla essence (twice as strong as there normal essence) in a Vanilla Bourbon porter. Added into secondary. Came out quite nice, you can just taste the vanilla but its not overpowering. I'm guessing if you add at boil you could lose a lot of the vanilla aroma with the boil and primary fermentation.

 

[Dave70]

I use this stuff in my shakes sometimes. Only takes around a quarter of a teaspoon (and that's strong) in a liter of milk.
The smell out of the bag when you poke your nose in is unbelievable. Good if you like chroming vanilla.
Never used vanilla in a brew, but if I ever do, this would be the stuff.

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/30g-Organic-Vanilla...=item1e5e3da1c1

 

[Brend0]

What about dropping vanilla bean into the fermenter, would this leave aroma ?

 

[kevin_smevin]

If you do decide to go down the vanilla bean route, check out this website. I've never bought from here but have always meant to http://www.beanilla.com/

 

[felten]

You can add vanilla beans to a secondary and then keep tasting it until it reaches the level you want. Oak has some vanillin in it as well, you can get a similar affect from oaking the beer.

 

[Brend0]

Any suggestions as to which hops might match the vanilla aroma ?

 

[Steve@PMF82]

Ive also been doing some thinking / reading about using Vanilla, if i do get around to trying it il prob try Magnum for bittering
and maybe Willamette for flavor addition, who knows i might be way off, but yeah thats going with my limited experience

 

[manticle]

Any suggestions as to which hops might match the vanilla aroma ?

Tettnanger, hallertau, hersbrucker, east kent goldings, challenger, early fuggles, styrian goldings.

Not match so much as complement.