vanilla flavoring

[frigatebay]

I'm thinking about adding a seasonal vanilla brown ale. Whats the best method to get vanilla flavor in it? FYI it will be brewed in 20bbl batches, both bottle and keg.

thanks in advance

[tariq khan]

My vote would be to use vanilla sticks, the kind you get from German bakeries and chuck some in near the end of the boil. They're quite expensive though. I haven't found a decent vanilla extract yet but i'm sure it must exist for brewers.

Tariq (Dark Star brewery, West Sussex,U.K.)

[Greene Lawson]

We use split vanilla beans in the hopback

[Greenbrewmonkey]

Aloha,

My vote goes to vanilla beans. Tahitian if you can get it, Madagascar if not. I used to use approx. 9 beans per BBL, used in similar method to dry hopping. This is for a totally over the top silken smoothness in a stronger darker ale. For a nice brown I might go 3 beans per BBL. In a bag in a CT for, well, until it's done. I would usually give at least two weeks, sometimes longer for full flavor melding. Extracts can taste artificial (think hand lotion). Go natural.

Cheers,
Ron
Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales

[RobZamites]

Ron, do you split the beans before adding them to the bag, or just pop 'em in whole?
Inquiring minds want to know!

Rob

[Greenbrewmonkey]

Hello Rob,

Just popped them in whole. Usually in a mesh bag, tied to some tank protuberance, as to insure they stayed in the beer, and didn't just float on top.

The amounts I gave above have always given me a whole lot of vanilla flavor. If you are looking for a milder "hint" I might back off even a bit more.

Its always fun to experiment in a few casks or bung sided kegs to find the "right" amount before committing to a 20 BBL batch! I wish chem. lab had been as interesting (and tasty!)

Cheers,
Ron
Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales

[beauxman]

mmmm, vanilla porter....nitro vanilla porter! Use the beans, split and scrape them out and then "dryhop" the beer with it. Avoid at all cost any extract or flavorings. Word to the wise, it does not take much with this method! Your female servers will love you for it!

[RobZamites]

Beauxman , I'm making a 15 bbl batch, think a pound is overkill?

Rob

[beauxman]

I think we used 2 beans per bbl, its been a few months. Go conservative because you can always add more. Good luck.

[Fred Scheer]

Why not using Pure Vanilla Extract?
450 oz for 200 BBL K.O. wort, 10 min. before K.O.

[Fred Scheer]

Ups....

It should be 45 oz for 20 BBL; I saw it wrong...Sorry

[RobZamites]

Yeah, Fred, I talked to another fellow brewer, and he said that using pure vanilla extract would not only be more economically sound, but would be an easier task resulting in the same taste/aroma. He was recommending not only an addition at KO, but also when racking to serving tank after carbing.

Rob

[Fred Scheer]

I had better results (more smoother Vanilla flavors) by adding the vanilla extract 10 min b4 K.O. I made several tests, different additions at each stage of production and came up with the amount b4 K.O.
Good luck and if you in the Nashville area, stop by with a sample.
Fred

[RobZamites]

Fred, thanks for the tips, I'm going to KO 15 bbls and use 32 fl. oz then, 10 minutes before KO. And yes, I'd be glad to stop by if I'm in the neighborhood (I grew up in Camden/Paris area)!

Rob

[RobZamites]

Well, it's a no-go for the extract; the kitchen staff had already ordered beans for me. These are so pungent, you can smell them through the packaging! I'm going to split Ron's 9 bean/bbl and beauxman's 2 bean/bbl amounts a go with 5 beans/bbl. The head brewer at the other store in our chain recommended 3 days of primary ferment, then popping them in there while there's still some 'roiling' fementaion action in the unitank. *Shrug*
It's a one time brew, so what the heck, I'll just see what happens

Rob