Vanilla Stout

[Brend0]

Has anyone made one before? How much vanilla did you use? I was thinking of slicing up a vanilla bean and adding it to secondary.


I was inspired by the Mildura brewery Choc Hop Stout.



Cheers in advance!

 

[Kranky]

I'd use more than one or you wont be tasting much vanilla. The size of your batch , it's abv and how long you age it for are all considerations when deciding how many vanilla beans to use.

Vanilla beans that you buy from the supermarket aren't very good. I bought 20 vanilla beans from some hippies on the net for $2 each and they were great. I vacuum sealed them and they lasted for a long time.

You just have to experiment a bit and see how it goes. I've found those 5l glass demijohns are good for splitting a batch and adding different ingredients to, and different amounts thereto.

 

[Truman42]

Keep us updated on how you go with this. I'd like to try this myself. The missus and I love Mildura Choc Hops.
So keen to try a clone of this.

Dans had it for $12.99 a 4 pack on special. Then I saw it at IGA a week later for $24.99. Stuff that.

 

[Ryan WABC]

I did a Vanilla Maple Stout with three beans. Honestly, can't taste any vanilla OR maple! You might have more luck with vanilla paste?

 

[Truman42]

Maybe putting some in a hop sock in the boil might release more flavour. You could try it in a small pot of boiling water

 

[Brend0]

Here's my grain bill for a 21L batch:

Ingredients:
------------
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
3.50 kg Pale Malt, Maris Otter (5.9 EBC) Grain 1 53.8 %
1.00 kg Pilsner (2 Row) UK (2.0 EBC) Grain 2 15.4 %
0.60 kg Chocolate Malt (886.5 EBC) Grain 4 9.2 %
0.60 kg Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (118.2 EBC) Grain 3 9.2 %
0.40 kg Roasted Barley (591.0 EBC) Grain 5 6.2 %
0.40 kg Rye Malt (9.3 EBC) Grain 6 6.2 %
70.00 g Goldings, East Kent [4.50 %] - Boil 60.0 Hop 7 32.5 IBUs
1.0 pkg Irish Ale Yeast (White Labs #WLP004) Yeast 9 -
1.11 Items Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 mins) Fining 8 -

I am just chilling now and i will probably add 2 beans to secondary.

...keep you posted!

 

[Kranky]

If you boil the beans make it late in the boil otherwise you will boil off all the flavour.

 

[hoppinmad]

You could always use some good quality vanilla extract as an addition during bottling/kegging. Do some trial additions on small volumes to determine the right addition rate.

 

[Eon77]

I've just kegged a very large stout that used a little Vanilla. I had about 4 beans chopped up and steeping in a cup and a half of bourbon for a week and a bit. I just removed the beans when the bourbon started to smell sufficiently 'vanillary' and chucked the bourbon into the keg.

Tastes good, but like Kranky said, I used supermarket beans and the vanilla flavour is somewhat low-key.

 

[Kranky]

I've purchased off this mob once and would again - $39 for 20 really good vanilla beans is better than $5 per bean at Coles:

http://www.rawpower.com.au/CatalogueRetrie...p;ObjectType=27

 

[browndog]

I brewed a foreign extra stout and added a vanilla bean to the keg, it was devine.

 

[chalky]

I have a vanilla porter currently fermenting, will start with 50ml extract split into 2 kegs.

I purchased 200ml of extract with 5 free beans from here: http://vanillaonline.com.au/products/Pure_...200_ml-5-3.html

If you can wait a fortnight, i'll tell you if it's enough.

Has anyone made one before? How much vanilla did you use? I was thinking of slicing up a vanilla bean and adding it to secondary.


I was inspired by the Mildura brewery Choc Hop Stout.



Cheers in advance!

 

[bradsbrew]

Add the vanilla mid ferment at the earliest. If you want the vanilla to be prominent but balanced add more roast barley and black malt to your mash then add vanilla when the ferment is done at CC time.

Cheers

 

[Brend0]

So it has been in ther fermenter for five days now, I have just added 3 vanilla beans which i cut in half, split open and steeped in boiling water. Hopefully it is enough.

Cheers!

 

[SJW]

I used 2 vanilla pods cut in half and the guts scraped out. in a Stout once. Add the vanilla pods to the fermenter. The problem is it tastes great for the first few weeks then the vanilla fades quick.

Steve

 

[brettprevans]

we made a vanilla imperial stout for last years collaboration brewday. pretty sure it was 2 beans (split and scraped) into the boil for each 21L worth and 2 beans split and scraped into fermentor once primary has subsided. lovely vanilla notes.

the key is the beans themselves. if you used dried crappy beans (ieprobably the ones your buying from the sueprmarket), your not goign to get a heap of flavour as they are old and deydrated, lost essential oils etc,. find some nice plump buggers and have at it. the ones we used were gorgeous fat plump fragrant beatuties.

 

[Brend0]

Has a very strong vanilla flavor on the back palate, very drinkable!!

 

[chalky]

25ml per cornelius keg is working out well. The beer is popular with all who have had some - even those non dark beer drinkers.

The beer has a very pronounced vanilla flavour, that being derived from extract is hopefully shelf stable. If there is any beer left in a couple of months I will report back as to how it is ageing.

I have a vanilla porter currently fermenting, will start with 50ml extract split into 2 kegs.

I purchased 200ml of extract with 5 free beans from here: http://vanillaonline.com.au/products/Pure_...200_ml-5-3.html

If you can wait a fortnight, i'll tell you if it's enough.