Help with My Vanilla Porter

Northern Brewer General
1

I have always enjoyed the vanilla porter at one of our local brewpubs so I decided to try one of my own. I decided to take the NB St. Paul Porter and add some vanilla extract and while the beer is not bad it certainly isn’t similar to the vanilla porter at Lazlos. Here is a link to the info on the beer I enjoy…http://www.empyreanbrewingco.com/beers.html

Here is the recipie I made…

8.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt -120L (120.0 SRM) Grain 1 6.2 %
8.0 oz Chocolate Malt (450.0 SRM) Grain 2 6.2 %
6 lbs Northern Brewer - Dark (24.4 SRM) Extract 3 75.0 %
1 lbs Briess DME- Dark (20.0 SRM) Extract 4 12.5 %
2.00 oz Cluster [7.00 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 5 56.4 IBUs
1.00 oz Cascade [5.75 %] - Boil 1.0 min Hop 6 1.0 IBUs
2.00 oz Watkins Real Vanilla (Secondary 0.0 mins) Flavor 7

Looking at the two it appears the IBUs in the beer I made are about double that of the brewpubs beer. The beer I made is good and you can taste a bit of the vanilla but the beer seems to overpower the vanilla instead being a background for the vanilla. Any suggestion on how to tweak the above to make the beer similar to the one I have enjoyed?

2

Add more vanilla! (?)

Is your beer bottled/kegged at this point?

It looks like by adding it during the boil, you probably boiled off some of the aromatics and other flavor compounds.

Adding special ingredients, whether its vanilla, pumpkin spices, coffee, chocolate, chili peppers, etc etc etc. is ALL a matter of taste IMO, just like cooking.

My tastes with spiced/herbed beers is such that I prefer the spice to be a background note to the beer, not the other way around. If you like it the other way, it is simply a matter of adjusting the recipe. This can be done well after the beer has been ‘brewed’ (boiled/fermented).

I have found success with the following method: pull 8oz of beer, split it into 4 2-oz samples. Dose each one with different amounts of the spice/extract in question (in this case vanilla). Taste them (it helps to have a few friends to help), clearing you palette with a cracker and h2o in between. Then its just a matter of multiplying. For instance, if 1/2 tsp vanilla extract in 2oz fits your palette, then each 12oz bottle would need 3 tsp (just an example, that sounds like an s-load of vanilla and I personally think that sounds disgusting!). If dosing a large amount of beer (like a keg), dial it back by about a quarter, as you can always add more.

3

[quote=“Pietro”]Add more vanilla! (?)

Is your beer bottled/kegged at this point?

It looks like by adding it during the boil, you probably boiled off some of the aromatics and other flavor compounds.

Adding special ingredients, whether its vanilla, pumpkin spices, coffee, chocolate, chili peppers, etc etc etc. is ALL a matter of taste IMO, just like cooking.

My tastes with spiced/herbed beers is such that I prefer the spice to be a background note to the beer, not the other way around. If you like it the other way, it is simply a matter of adjusting the recipe. This can be done well after the beer has been ‘brewed’ (boiled/fermented).

I have found success with the following method: pull 8oz of beer, split it into 4 2-oz samples. Dose each one with different amounts of the spice/extract in question (in this case vanilla). Taste them (it helps to have a few friends to help), clearing you palette with a cracker and h2o in between. Then its just a matter of multiplying. For instance, if 1/2 tsp vanilla extract in 2oz fits your palette, then each 12oz bottle would need 3 tsp (just an example, that sounds like an s-load of vanilla and I personally think that sounds disgusting!). If dosing a large amount of beer (like a keg), dial it back by about a quarter, as you can always add more.[/quote]

The beer is in a keg and the vanilla was added to the secondary not the boil. I know I could add more vanilla but based on what I have been reading I already have alot added and I am not getting a lot of vanilla flavor.

4

[quote=“blackcows”][quote=“Pietro”]Add more vanilla! (?)

Is your beer bottled/kegged at this point?

It looks like by adding it during the boil, you probably boiled off some of the aromatics and other flavor compounds.

Adding special ingredients, whether its vanilla, pumpkin spices, coffee, chocolate, chili peppers, etc etc etc. is ALL a matter of taste IMO, just like cooking.

My tastes with spiced/herbed beers is such that I prefer the spice to be a background note to the beer, not the other way around. If you like it the other way, it is simply a matter of adjusting the recipe. This can be done well after the beer has been ‘brewed’ (boiled/fermented).

I have found success with the following method: pull 8oz of beer, split it into 4 2-oz samples. Dose each one with different amounts of the spice/extract in question (in this case vanilla). Taste them (it helps to have a few friends to help), clearing you palette with a cracker and h2o in between. Then its just a matter of multiplying. For instance, if 1/2 tsp vanilla extract in 2oz fits your palette, then each 12oz bottle would need 3 tsp (just an example, that sounds like an s-load of vanilla and I personally think that sounds disgusting!). If dosing a large amount of beer (like a keg), dial it back by about a quarter, as you can always add more.[/quote]

The beer is in a keg and the vanilla was added to the secondary not the boil. I know I could add more vanilla but based on what I have been reading I already have alot added and I am not getting a lot of vanilla flavor.[/quote]

Well on your next batch of this you could try dialing back the hops, but for this one, I would try dosing it further in small quantities then scaling up. I suppose the only potential downside would be the potential for less head retention, but shouldn’t be a big deal with a porter (and honestly probably wouldn’t even happen with the amounts we are talking about)
Or just reach for a cream soda if you want that much vanilla :wink:

5

Instead of vanilla extract or flavoring. “Dry hop” with a real vanilla bean or 2.

This is how Denny Coon does it on his porter which there is a giant thread about here:

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=22693
6

I like to let mine set on 2 vanilla beans, split & scraped as well. I still tend to add a touch of extract on top of that. They both lend a slightly different flavor/aroma profile & I found that in my porter it really rounds it all out.

7

+1 on the beans I happen to use 2 1/2 per five gallons I have used the extract but I think it gives an off flavor maybe even toward the bitter side.