I am fairly new to brewing so please excuse the noob questions. I want to brew a vanilla cream ale and after searching through post here I found a couple of options but just wanted to make sure I was doing it right because all the recipes have slight changes to them.
I would like to use the cream ale kit from NB and then it looks like I just place two vanilla beans in the secondary for a week. Is it as easy as that? In one post someone indicated that they soak one bean in 2 cups of vanilla vodka…that sounded interesting.
Split the beans and scrape out the good stuff. Throw beans and the scrapings in secondary. Some say you should soak in vodka first. I feel it’s not necessary but it’s subjective…
Awesome, thanks for that! Do they just sit in there for 5 days or does it matter how long? Also, is the NB cream ale kit a good kit to add the vanilla beans?
I’ve never used the NB cream ale kit, bit their spotted cow clone is a good cream ale that you could use for a base.
As far as vanilla goes, follow the instructions above. After 5 days, and every couple days thereafter take a small sample with a thief until you get the vanilla level you want. The longer its okn the beans the more flavor they leave, alternately the vanilla will fade from the bottles in over time, so its really a balancing act for the flavor.
Thanks for the info. I am a little nervous to try the partial mash…I’ve only brewed 6 batches. But, I’ve been wanting to try so maybe this will give the push I need!
On the vanilla, I would also suggest that you could use a good vanilla extract and have really good results with less work. I know the beanheads out there might find this offensive but I have used the good beans (split them lengthwise, scrape out the schputz and put all of it into the secondary, etc… that is good advice) and I have also used some gourmet vanilla extract and just added it right to the secondary or keg for a great vanilla flavor with no mess and no need to sanitize anything. I have a couple of beers where I use vanilla and I would not go back to beans after using a good extract. Just thinking out loud. Cheers and good luck with the beer.
What would be the advantage of adding in the secondary rather than the primary?
As I recall, I do not think that the NB Cream Ale requires a secondary fermentation.
What would you think of adding it in the primary or possibly even the boil?
I always add to a secondary. I think it clarifies the beer and gives it more time to age/settle down. I have a friend that adds his in at the boil and he loves it…different strokes for different folks.
I’m not trying to rain on your parade, but is there a specific reason you want to use vanilla in a cream ale? I only ask the question because people often have the misconception that cream ale has something to do with cream soda, which it does not. Cream ale is the ale-yeast equivalent of standard american lager, or maybe premium american lager. It should be a crisp balanced beer.
I honestly don’t mean to be a naysayer, to discourage you, or to be a style nazi, but I have tasted and judged a few cream ales where the brewer seemed to be confused on this point…and IMHO the beers were kind of disgusting. I just personally find that vanilla adjunct does better in roastier styles, or as a background note from yeast/fermentation in belgians, wheats, etc, strong ales, etc.
The posts above give great advice as to how to add it (to any style), but I am just passing along my personal preference and tasting experience(s). Obviously, you are free to brew whatever the H you want, and if you decide to do this, I hope it turns out great. Part of the fun of this is experimentation.
Have you considered pulling a 2oz sample post-fermentation, dosing it with a little (like a drop of) vanilla extract and seeing if you like it (?) Just make sure to clean/sanitize everything up. Then, if you like it, follow the above advice on adding the beans?
Happy brewin’ (whatever you choose to brew!) :cheers:
[quote=“Airwalkor”]Is there a reason…ugh yeah…I want to try it. Thanks for the info…I won’t be asking you to “judge” my brew so were all good.
Thanks[/quote]
I meant judge in a competition. You are presumably on a forum because you are looking for instruction and feedback, which is what I was attempting to give. If you dose a small amount you can decide if you like it, and maybe/hopefully you will! Happy brewing-
[quote=“Airwalkor”]I’m getting the last word in!! Just kidding, sorry bro stressful day.
Cheers[/quote]
You and me both brother! I honestly didn’t mean to come off snarky or beerier-than-thou, but I wanted to ask the question. I was serious when I said I hope you enjoy the process and the beer. Who knows, maybe it just doesn’t work for me…again a great part of the hobby is experimentation.
Make sure to post back how it turns out (especially if you love it, in which case you can really tell me to go do something that I’m not able to post on this forum!) :cheers:
Vanilla Cream Ale is a style that many homebrewers make and it doesn’t come from confusing cream ale with cream soda. I have spoken to a number of brewers who make this style and I have made it myself a number of times. Vanilla can pair well with this style of beer just as it can with porter, stout and other styles. I make a Christmas beer with cinnamon and vanilla extract and it’s nice around the holidays.
Also, the reason you want to add things like spice, fruit, etc. later in the process is to keep as much of that flavor as possible. When you add things to the boil, the delicate flavors can be driven off by the heat. If you add things to the primary, the scrubbing effects of the fermentation can remove some of the flavor you’re trying to get in your glass of beer. I once made a lemon wheat and the recipe called for the zest of the lemon to be added at flameout. The garage smelled AWESOME when I did that but after the heat and the churning primary, there was very little lemon character left and it was NOTHING like adding a fresh lemon wedge to the glass. The later in the process, the better. That goes for vanilla, spice (think pumpkin ale), fruit, extracts and any other kind of flavoring.
[quote=“Pietro”][quote=“Airwalkor”]I’m getting the last word in!! Just kidding, sorry bro stressful day.
Cheers[/quote]
You and me both brother! I honestly didn’t mean to come off snarky or beerier-than-thou, but I wanted to ask the question. I was serious when I said I hope you enjoy the process and the beer. Who knows, maybe it just doesn’t work for me…again a great part of the hobby is experimentation.
Make sure to post back how it turns out (especially if you love it, in which case you can really tell me to go do something that I’m not able to post on this forum!) :cheers: [/quote]
As requested this is my update. I can’t lie, you had me scared for a few weeks thinking I was going to ruin a good batch of beer but man, you were wrong this time This batch came out so nice. My neighbors who don’t really care for my home brew (I normally make more bitter beer) brought over a pitcher to take some home to share with his family. That to me was both depressing (that he took so much of my beer) and exciting. This is a perfect summer beer, easy to drink and very flavorful with the hint of vanilla.
I ended up cutting, scraping, and soaking three Madagascar vanilla beans in vodka for 24 hours, then dumped everything into the secondary for two weeks. Plan was to let them sit for three but I was getting nervous that the vanilla was going to be too intense. I used your technique of putting a drop of vanilla extract in the sample wort (before adding the beans) and it tasted like crap and way too strong, so I didn’t want to let it sit for too long with the beans.
Anyone considering NB creme ale and adding vanilla beans to it, I would suggest it. I logged back in today to order a second batch. Well, my neighbor has asked that I brew him a batch so I’ll be ordering a batch for him
[quote=“Airwalkor”][quote=“Pietro”][quote=“Airwalkor”]I’m getting the last word in!! Just kidding, sorry bro stressful day.
Cheers[/quote]
You and me both brother! I honestly didn’t mean to come off snarky or beerier-than-thou, but I wanted to ask the question. I was serious when I said I hope you enjoy the process and the beer. Who knows, maybe it just doesn’t work for me…again a great part of the hobby is experimentation.
Make sure to post back how it turns out (especially if you love it, in which case you can really tell me to go do something that I’m not able to post on this forum!) :cheers: [/quote]
As requested this is my update. I can’t lie, you had me scared for a few weeks thinking I was going to ruin a good batch of beer but man, you were wrong this time This batch came out so nice. My neighbors who don’t really care for my home brew (I normally make more bitter beer) brought over a pitcher to take some home to share with his family. That to me was both depressing (that he took so much of my beer) and exciting. This is a perfect summer beer, easy to drink and very flavorful with the hint of vanilla.
I ended up cutting, scraping, and soaking three Madagascar vanilla beans in vodka for 24 hours, then dumped everything into the secondary for two weeks. Plan was to let them sit for three but I was getting nervous that the vanilla was going to be too intense. I used your technique of putting a drop of vanilla extract in the sample wort (before adding the beans) and it tasted like crap and way too strong, so I didn’t want to let it sit for too long with the beans.
Anyone considering NB creme ale and adding vanilla beans to it, I would suggest it. I logged back in today to order a second batch today. Well, my neighbor has asked that I brew him a batch so I’ll be ordering a batch for him
I personally think you have to be pretty careful with vanilla in beer, it’s very easy to add too much and it can easily overwhelm the beer. Many moons ago, I made an alt bier and decided to add vanilla and a bit of cinnamin. That stuff tasted like liquid apple pie, not bad just not beer if you know what I mean. I did however recently brew some of that Imperian Bourbon Vanilla Porter using Mr. Conn’s recipe and man, did it ever turn out well. We put it into the Bluebonnet (I brewed it with a couple of the ladies in my brewing club) and I have very high hopes. I’ll have to wait until the third weekend of the month to see how well it did but regardless I’ll be making up another batch next year for the holidays (and I’m not usually into that sort of thing because I am a style nazi).
This batch came out so nice. My neighbors who don’t really care for my home brew (I normally make more bitter beer) brought over a pitcher to take some home to share with his family. That to me was both depressing (that he took so much of my beer) and exciting. This is a perfect summer beer, easy to drink and very flavorful with the hint of vanilla.
