2020 Advent Calendar - Dec 18 - Decembrown Ale /w Coffee & Vanilla

Need help with a recipe? Have leftover ingredients and don't know what to do with them? Post in here! Any of your "tried & true" recipes can go in the recipe database forum.
Post Reply
User avatar
mdentremont
Verified User
Verified User
Posts: 238
Joined: Thu Jul 06, 2017 11:52 am
Name: Matt d'Entremont

2020 Advent Calendar - Dec 18 - Decembrown Ale /w Coffee & Vanilla

Post by mdentremont » Fri Dec 18, 2020 12:34 pm

Style - Specialty Brown Ale
OG: 1042
FG: 1007
Alc %: 4.6%
BH Efficiency: 67%

Grains:
60% - 3.12kg 2-Row Malt
20% - 1.04kg Vienna Malt
8% - 0.42kg Flaked Oats
4% - 0.21kg Crystal Malt 120L
4% - 0.21kg Chocolate Malt
4% - 0.21kg Melanoiden Malt

Hops:
10g Magnum @12% - 45 mins
30g Willamette @5.5% - 10 mins

Yeast - US-05

Other:
~80g coarsely ground coffee, 50% Just Us French & 50% Just Us Rise Again
2tsp Pure Vanilla Extract

Notes:
Coffee was done in 6cup french press overnight in the fridge, added on bottling day
Vanilla added on bottling day
Target gravity was supposed to be 1.052 - I think I didn’t boil hard enough, also maybe a slight error in malt weighing.

Mash @66.7C for 60 min
Fermentation @19C, after 8 days DR @21C

User avatar
CartoonCod
Award Winner 1
Award Winner 1
Posts: 858
Joined: Wed Oct 06, 2010 9:39 am
Name: Adam Comeau
Location: Halifax

Re: 2020 Advent Calendar - Dec 18 - Decembrown Ale /w Coffee & Vanilla

Post by CartoonCod » Fri Dec 18, 2020 6:54 pm

Very tasty, I liked the vanilla to malt balance. I shared the bottle with my partner and she said it was missing body which I thought was fitting. I think upping the ABV would suit this beer.

NovaJeff
Verified User
Verified User
Posts: 87
Joined: Sat Jan 28, 2017 9:26 pm
Name: Jeff Walsh

Re: 2020 Advent Calendar - Dec 18 - Decembrown Ale /w Coffee & Vanilla

Post by NovaJeff » Sat Dec 19, 2020 2:05 am

I think the above comments plus some carbonation will turn this around. I enjoyed the flavour profile and really liked the coffee of choice

User avatar
KB1138
Verified User
Verified User
Posts: 587
Joined: Tue Nov 24, 2015 3:57 pm
Name: Kevin
Location: HFX

Re: 2020 Advent Calendar - Dec 18 - Decembrown Ale /w Coffee & Vanilla

Post by KB1138 » Sat Dec 19, 2020 1:59 pm

Really nice combination of flavours here, but I agree with the comments on body here. A little bit bigger, maybe a touch sweeter as well, would take this beer to the next level. Great beer nonetheless
On tap: Hopped Mead, ESB, Schwazbier
Coming up: Altbier
Fermenting: Maibock
Planned: NEIPA, NZ Pils, Oyster Stout

GCR
Verified User
Verified User
Posts: 442
Joined: Wed Oct 12, 2016 10:24 pm
Name: Greg Rogers

Re: 2020 Advent Calendar - Dec 18 - Decembrown Ale /w Coffee & Vanilla

Post by GCR » Sat Dec 19, 2020 7:39 pm

Drinking this now after sharing a bottle of O'Creek's newly released imperial sweet stout (which is a robust 10.5%); I chose this snaller ABV to pace myself.

Coffee choice was great and very fitting I think. Agree it could use a little more body, but it is still quite enjoyable. Carb is perfect. I kept expecting (maybe wanting?) some heat, either from hot peppers or maybe cinnamon - but I think it was the vanilla talking to me... I must confess I usually hate vanilla in any beer, but it felt like it belonged here.Image

Sent from my SM-G960W using Tapatalk


User avatar
mumblecrunch
Award Winner 2
Award Winner 2
Posts: 1197
Joined: Sun Oct 06, 2013 7:01 pm
Name: Aaron
Location: Halifax

Re: 2020 Advent Calendar - Dec 18 - Decembrown Ale /w Coffee & Vanilla

Post by mumblecrunch » Sun Dec 20, 2020 7:57 pm

Like others I thought this could have stood to have a little more body, and I didn’t feel like the vanilla came across very much, but the malt flavors and especially the coffee were very well done.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

User avatar
darciandjenn
Verified User
Verified User
Posts: 363
Joined: Sun Jan 12, 2014 1:05 pm
Name: Jennifer & Darci Shaw
Location: Halifax

Re: 2020 Advent Calendar - Dec 18 - Decembrown Ale /w Coffee & Vanilla

Post by darciandjenn » Mon Dec 21, 2020 8:02 am

Just here to echo the previous commenters, basically. Tasty beer, coffee was well done, but needed a bit more body and carbonation. Tasty all the same :) cheers

User avatar
PMackie
Verified User
Verified User
Posts: 366
Joined: Wed Jan 03, 2018 1:04 pm
Name: Paul MacKinnon
Location: Sackvegas

Re: 2020 Advent Calendar - Dec 18 - Decembrown Ale /w Coffee & Vanilla

Post by PMackie » Mon Dec 21, 2020 8:42 am

I enjoyed this last evening. No big issues for me, and had no problem putting it back. I did see a comment about maybe adding heat instead of vanilla. That would be epic.
Kegged: Maritime Fog (NEIPA), All Ryell'ed Up (Rye APA)
Fermenting: Seltzer Water
On deck: Something over the Holidays
In the hole: ...

jmacdonald
Verified User
Verified User
Posts: 296
Joined: Fri Sep 06, 2013 9:21 am
Name: Jeff
Location: Amherst, NS

Re: 2020 Advent Calendar - Dec 18 - Decembrown Ale /w Coffee & Vanilla

Post by jmacdonald » Mon Dec 21, 2020 11:18 am

Nice big coffee flavour, however I did not get much of the vanilla coming through. I figured that the lighter mouthfeel was due to it being a brown ale and not a porter. Carbonation level for me was spot on. Thanks!

User avatar
mdentremont
Verified User
Verified User
Posts: 238
Joined: Thu Jul 06, 2017 11:52 am
Name: Matt d'Entremont

Re: 2020 Advent Calendar - Dec 18 - Decembrown Ale /w Coffee & Vanilla

Post by mdentremont » Mon Dec 21, 2020 12:19 pm

Thanks so much for the feedback everyone!

Due to the light body I played the vanilla safe at 2tsp but it looks like maybe 4 would have been better (or use chipotle/jalapeno instead as some recommended!).

Did anybody detect a root-beer-esque vibe on this one? My buddy JC did as well, we're thinking it be due to the tiny bit of vanilla, super weird!

Unfortunately at you all caught on, I was missing some body here. I missed my OG by 10pts and I'm not sure how - my guess is that I missed grain and also I probably borked my mash temps (I checked it before closing the lid and it seemed ok, but maybe I didn't mix it enough so my reading wasn't accurate). I also chose the wrong mash temp, next time I'd go warmer for more residual sugars.

Post Reply

Return to “Recipes”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 11 guests