Homebrew Recipe

Bourbon Vanilla Imperial Porter

Method:: All Grain
Style:: American Porter
Boil Time:: 70 min.
Batch Size:: 5 gal.
Boil Size:: 6.5 gal.
Efficiency:: 65
Rating:
Source:: Brew Your Own
Source Notes:: October 2019, Vol. 25, No. 6 page 101.
Notes:: Mash at 155 F using 23.6 quarts of water for 60 minutes. Lauter as you normally would. Bring wort to a boil. Total boil time is 70 minutes with the first hop addition 10 minutes into the boil and the second hop addition during the final 10 minutes. Add the Whirfloc with 5 minutes remaining. Chill the wort down to yeast pitching temperature, aerate heavily, and pitch a sufficient starter (or 2 packets) of yeast. Ferment around 66 F. When fermentation is complete, split 2 vanilla bean lengthwise. Scrape all the seeds and "gunk" from them and add it to the fermenter. Chop the beans into 2-3 inch long pieces and add them too. Leave in secondary for 10-14 days, then taste. You want the vanilla to be a bit on the strong side since it will fade. If the vanilla flavor is adequate, rack to bottling bucket or keg and add approximately 1.6 cups of Jim Beam Black Bourbon. You don't need to use an expensive Bourbon, and you don't want to add a lot. The beer shouldn't scream "BOURBON!" at you. You should have an integrated flavor of the chocolatey porter, vanilla, and Bourbon. This beer does not benefit from extended aging. I prefer it within a few months of brewing. The FG should be in the mid-high 20s, so don't worry about trying to get it lower.

OG	FG	ABV	SRM	IBU
1.086	1.028	7.8	45	32

Name	Amount	Boil Time	Use	AA
Magnum (US)	0.65 oz.	60	Boil	15
Notes: 9.8 AAU
East Kent Golding	0.4 oz.	10	Boil	6
Notes: 2.4 AAU

Name	Amount
East Kent Golding	0.4 oz.
Magnum (US)	0.65 oz.

Name	Lab	Product
Denny's Favorite 50 Ale	Wyeast	1450
SafAle	Fermentis	US-05

Name	Amount	Time	Use	Type
Whirfloc	0.5 tablet	5 minutes	Boil	Clarifying
Jim Beam Black Bourbon	1.6 cups	3 months	Secondary	Flavor
Notes: Add to bottling bucket or keg
Vanilla Bean	2 beans	10-14 days	Secondary	Flavor

Step	Name	Temp	Time	Type
1	Single Infusion Mash	155	60	All Grain