I guess I have been lucky, but none of my many batches in over two years has been worthy of dumping. Last fall I brewed Denny’s Bourbon Vanilla Imperial Porter. Everything went fine and I am sure the Vanilla Imperial Porter aspect of the beer is wonderful. I simply f’ed this up by adding too much bourbon that was way too strong. I added the amount (volume) recommended in the recipe, but it was Bourbon I was unfamiliar with and it came out super intense. After 5-6 months of people tasting a glass of this and not being able to finish it, I finally decided to cut my losses.
I did bottle 8 bombers of this and figured I would try a bottle every year and see if it mellows.
Sure seems easier to brew a new, good batch this fall.
Sorry Denny for screwing up your really great beer.
What bourbon and how much did you add? I used about a cup and a half of Woodford Reserve at bottling for a 5 gallon batch and it’s fantastic. It’s a year old now and almost gone, but I will definately brew it again soon. It took an HM in a competition last fall and the BOS judges all commented on how balanced it was.
We also used it for a dessert for our Christmas party. About an ounce of beer with a mellonball sized scoop of vanilla icecream… really good stuff. Might be a way to enjoy your beer if the bourbon never mellows out.
I brewed a strong ale years back in which I used a 750ml bottle of Makers Mark. I thought it tasted like thick, sweet bourbon. Some friends love it, and it took
first place in a local comp. I couldn’t finish a bottle. After giving a lot away, I found the was great in a marinade for pork. Don’t give up on it yet. :cheers:
[quote=“mrv”]I brewed a strong ale years back in which I used a 750ml bottle of Makers Mark. I thought it tasted like thick, sweet bourbon. Some friends love it, and it took
first place in a local comp. I couldn’t finish a bottle. After giving a lot away, I found the was great in a marinade for pork. Don’t give up on it yet. :cheers: [/quote]
750ml in a 5 gal batch???
[quote=“Boston Brewin”][quote=“mrv”]I brewed a strong ale years back in which I used a 750ml bottle of Makers Mark. I thought it tasted like thick, sweet bourbon. Some friends love it, and it took
first place in a local comp. I couldn’t finish a bottle. After giving a lot away, I found the was great in a marinade for pork. Don’t give up on it yet. :cheers: [/quote]
750ml in a 5 gal batch???[/quote]
Yeah, went for a BIG beer with 21 lbs extract in a 4 gal batch. Added a gal. of water and the bourbon to cut the cloying sweetness.
I’ve learned a lot in the last fourteen years. :cheers:
