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Author Topic: Bourbon barrel porter  (Read 10200 times)

Offline gymrat

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Re: Bourbon barrel porter
« Reply #15 on: June 05, 2013, 08:23:07 am »
Thankyou for your replies. I have been reading differing views on how much bourbon to use. They range from a cup and a half to a pint. I love Shlafly's imperial stout which is a bourbon barrel stout. To me the balance of that beer is absolutely perfect. It is what I am looking for in mine. I am going to brew it this weekend or the following weekend so it will be ready this winter.
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Offline Joe Sr.

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Re: Bourbon barrel porter
« Reply #16 on: June 05, 2013, 08:34:05 am »
I've always been surprised by the amount of bourbon that Denny says he uses in his BVIP.  There are other threads if you search for them.

I don't think I've ever added more than 8 oz. of bourbon to a 5 gallon batch.

I recently had a BBQ where we tapped my bourbon porter and it was pretty sweet.  I think it had aged for maybe 8 months or so.  Maybe longer.  Bourbon will add sweetness to the beer, so that is something to consider.
It's all in the reflexes. - Jack Burton

Offline gymrat

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Re: Bourbon barrel porter
« Reply #17 on: June 05, 2013, 08:39:32 am »
OK that sounds like 1 oz in a mason jar and fill the rest of the way with bourbon. It also sounds like more AA units for bittering. I was thinking an ounce of sterling at 7% AA FWH in a 1.060 beer. I was also thinking about 5 months in the bottle before serving.
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Offline denny

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Re: Bourbon barrel porter
« Reply #18 on: June 05, 2013, 12:22:33 pm »
Thankyou for your replies. I have been reading differing views on how much bourbon to use. They range from a cup and a half to a pint. I love Shlafly's imperial stout which is a bourbon barrel stout. To me the balance of that beer is absolutely perfect. It is what I am looking for in mine. I am going to brew it this weekend or the following weekend so it will be ready this winter.

Don't take someone else's recommendations.  Do an experiment and figure it out for yourself.  When you're ready to add bourbon, pour 4 2 oz. samples of the beer.  Dose each with different, measured amount of bourbon.  Decide which you like best and scale that amount up to your batch size.
Life begins at 60.....1.060, that is!

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Offline denny

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Re: Bourbon barrel porter
« Reply #19 on: June 05, 2013, 12:25:15 pm »
I've always been surprised by the amount of bourbon that Denny says he uses in his BVIP.  There are other threads if you search for them.

It really depends on the beer you add it to.  That's why I recommend people do a test and determine it for themselves.  Even with my 375 ml. of bourbon for 5 gal., the bourbon flavor is well integrated and not overwhelming.
Life begins at 60.....1.060, that is!

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Offline Joe Sr.

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Re: Bourbon barrel porter
« Reply #20 on: June 05, 2013, 12:45:52 pm »
I've always been surprised by the amount of bourbon that Denny says he uses in his BVIP.  There are other threads if you search for them.

It really depends on the beer you add it to.  That's why I recommend people do a test and determine it for themselves.  Even with my 375 ml. of bourbon for 5 gal., the bourbon flavor is well integrated and not overwhelming.

Being too lazy to go look for the recipe, I'll just go ahead and ask.

Do you adjust the hops to account for the additional sweetness?  Or are you going for a sweeter beer?

When I do my vanilla porter, I'm going for big vanilla so I don't hop increase the hops.  Sometimes I add bourbon, sometimes not.
It's all in the reflexes. - Jack Burton

Offline denny

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Re: Bourbon barrel porter
« Reply #21 on: June 05, 2013, 01:02:51 pm »
Being too lazy to go look for the recipe, I'll just go ahead and ask.

Do you adjust the hops to account for the additional sweetness?  Or are you going for a sweeter beer?

When I do my vanilla porter, I'm going for big vanilla so I don't hop increase the hops.  Sometimes I add bourbon, sometimes not.

Well, that's kind of a hard question to answer.  I brewed maybe 4-5 test batches before I got the balance of hops right.  So they are what they are and don't get adjusted.  Or maybe it's more correct to say they've already been adjusted.  The beer does have a reasonable amount of sweetness to it, but it's not overly sweet.  I want the porter, bourbon, and vanilla to balance and complement each other.  One component should not be more prevalent than others in that recipe.
Life begins at 60.....1.060, that is!

www.dennybrew.com

The best, sharpest, funniest, weirdest and most knowledgable minds in home brewing contribute on the AHA forum. - Alewyfe

"The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts." - Bertrand Russell

Offline redbeerman

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Re: Bourbon barrel porter
« Reply #22 on: June 05, 2013, 01:54:03 pm »
Being too lazy to go look for the recipe, I'll just go ahead and ask.

Do you adjust the hops to account for the additional sweetness?  Or are you going for a sweeter beer?

When I do my vanilla porter, I'm going for big vanilla so I don't hop increase the hops.  Sometimes I add bourbon, sometimes not.

Well, that's kind of a hard question to answer.  I brewed maybe 4-5 test batches before I got the balance of hops right.  So they are what they are and don't get adjusted.  Or maybe it's more correct to say they've already been adjusted.  The beer does have a reasonable amount of sweetness to it, but it's not overly sweet.  I want the porter, bourbon, and vanilla to balance and complement each other.  One component should not be more prevalent than others in that recipe.

It's a great recipe as is, but also serves as a great imperial porter base if you care to play around with it.
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Offline denny

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Bourbon barrel porter
« Reply #23 on: June 05, 2013, 03:46:25 pm »
Being too lazy to go look for the recipe, I'll just go ahead and ask.

Do you adjust the hops to account for the additional sweetness?  Or are you going for a sweeter beer?

When I do my vanilla porter, I'm going for big vanilla so I don't hop increase the hops.  Sometimes I add bourbon, sometimes not.

Well, that's kind of a hard question to answer.  I brewed maybe 4-5 test batches before I got the balance of hops right.  So they are what they are and don't get adjusted.  Or maybe it's more correct to say they've already been adjusted.  The beer does have a reasonable amount of sweetness to it, but it's not overly sweet.  I want the porter, bourbon, and vanilla to balance and complement each other.  One component should not be more prevalent than others in that recipe.

It's a great recipe as is, but also serves as a great imperial porter base if you care to play around with it.

Yeah, it makes a killer base for a coffee porter.  It's sweet enough to balance the bitterness from the coffee.
Life begins at 60.....1.060, that is!

www.dennybrew.com

The best, sharpest, funniest, weirdest and most knowledgable minds in home brewing contribute on the AHA forum. - Alewyfe

"The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts." - Bertrand Russell

Offline gymrat

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Re: Bourbon barrel porter
« Reply #24 on: July 03, 2013, 08:54:29 am »
hmmm...a coffee porter. I haven't done one of those yet. I do roast my own beans.

Anyway thanks to this thread my bourbon barrel porter was a success. Many thanks to all of you for your replies and advice.
Ralph's Brewery
Topeka, KS

Offline Joe Sr.

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Re: Bourbon barrel porter
« Reply #25 on: July 03, 2013, 08:56:48 am »
hmmm...a coffee porter. I haven't done one of those yet. I do roast my own beans.

Anyway thanks to this thread my bourbon barrel porter was a success. Many thanks to all of you for your replies and advice.

I split my last porter into half-batches.  One got coffee, one got bourbon.  Both are excellent.
It's all in the reflexes. - Jack Burton