Vanilla Scotch Porter Recipe - Feedback Please

wubears71

I'm putting together a Porter recipe to be ready around the holidays so I need to get it going. This one will be a vanilla and scotch porter using a Robust Porter as a base. I don't want an overpowering scotch so I will more than likely use a Lowland Scotch.

I plan on soaking 4 oz of French Oak in the scotch and add it to the secondary. The Vanilla bean flavor will come from 2 beans cut lengthwise and soaked 24 hours in a small amount of vodka. The vodka and the beans will be added to the secondary.

Any feedback is much appreciated.

Recipe: Vanilla Scotch Porter
Asst Brewer:
Style: Robust Porter
TYPE: All Grain

Recipe Specifications
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Boil Size: 10.09 gal
Post Boil Volume: 7.54 gal
Batch Size (fermenter): 6.50 gal
Bottling Volume: 5.00 gal
Estimated OG: 1.063 SG
Estimated Color: 35.1 SRM
Estimated IBU: 30.8 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 85.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 94.8 %
Boil Time: 90 Minutes

Ingredients:
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Amt Name Type # %/IBU
11 lbs 2.2 oz Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 7 82.5 %
15.1 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM) Grain 8 7.0 %
13.5 oz Breiss Blackprinz Malt (525.0 SRM) Grain 9 6.2 %
9.2 oz Chocolate Malt (350.0 SRM) Grain 10 4.2 %
1.50 oz Willamette [5.60 %] - Boil 90.0 min Hop 11 24.5 IBUs
1.00 oz Cascade [6.40 %] - Boil 10.0 min Hop 13 6.3 IBUs
2.0 pkg Scottish Ale (Wyeast Labs #1728) [124.21 Yeast 15 -
4.00 oz French Oak Soaked in Scotch (Secondary 2 Flavor 16 -
1.00 Items Vanilla Bean Vodka Extract (Secondary 21 Spice 17 -

Mash Schedule: Electric Brewery Mash - Medium/Full Body
Total Grain Weight: 13 lbs 8.0 oz
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Name Description Step Temperat Step Time
Inital Strike Wat Add 4.44 gal of water and heat to 153.0 153.0 F 90 min
HERMS Water Add 0.67 gal of water and heat to 153.0 153.0 F 0 min
Mash Out Heat to 168.0 F over 20 min 168.0 F 25 min

Sparge: Fly sparge with 6.82 gal water at 153.0 F
Notes:
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Created with BeerSmith 2 - http://www.beersmith.com
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silverspoons · Joined: 21 Dec 2010 Posts: 555 Location: Webster NY

made one somewhat similar last winter.. put the beans in my hopback and ran the wort thru on the way to the chiller, then put them in the secondary.. then at bottling, i added 2 tablespoons of vanilla extract along with the priming sugar. i read that you have to be aggressive with the vanilla as the flavor/ aroma wilts fast. one month after bottling it was perfect.. 6 weeks later, very little vanilla flavor or aroma.

all in all though it was my favorite brew from the past 12 months.. i guess i'll just have to drink it up faster next time..

silverspoons

wubears71 · Posted: Mon Oct 08, 2012 8:27 pm Post subject:

silverspoons · Joined: 21 Dec 2010 Posts: 555 Location: Webster NY

i believe i made it in march and in may it was perfect.. i saved some for my kids when they came home to visit later in the summer and by then it was still very smooth but 99% of the vanilla was gone

silverspoons

wubears71 · Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2012 1:53 am Post subject:

Brewed it today. I added a little black patent in also. The OG was actually 3 points higher than target but other than that it was a perfect brew day. I cannot wait until Christmas to try it.

lostdruid · Joined: 02 Jan 2013 Posts: 6 Location: Johns Creek, GA

How did it fare? I'm working on a choco porter now for my wife's birthday.

wubears71 · Posted: Mon Jan 14, 2013 1:25 pm Post subject:

I really am enjoying it. The scotch really comes through in regards to smell. The vanilla however is just about non existent.

silverspoons · Joined: 21 Dec 2010 Posts: 555 Location: Webster NY

just made it last week for the fourth time..

my vanilla schedule..

one vanilla bean, slit open and put in a "hop bag" and hung in the boil the last 15 minutes.. that bag then transfered to my hop back through which the hot wort travels on its way to the chiller...

2 tablespoons of vanilla extract ( in 5 gallon batch ) in bottling bucket or keg..

you get a slight vanilla aroma and taste at the beginning of a sip but it finishes with a hint of chocolate..

as i said before the vanilla fades after several weeks but this recipe doesn't last that long around here

Silverspoons

wubears71 · Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2013 12:08 am Post subject:

Here is a pic I just took.

perogi · Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2013 1:45 am Post subject:

nice!