Golden Ale w/ vanilla hints....suggestions?

[Soulshine]

Hi,
So I am trying to brew a beer like Uinta SUM'R...can't find a recipe anywhere and Uinta will only tell me that it is a golden ale with Sorachi hops (though the beer is not hoppy) and no use of vanilla bean. However the beer is a light golden ale with undertones of vanilla. Any suggestions on how they get that flavor in the beer? A particular yeast or malts? Any ideas?

As always..thanks for the help!

 

[SouthBay]

Lactose? Vanilla bean?

 

[Soulshine]

I thought for sure it was vanilla bean but Uinta says they do not add vanilla...so I could use a small amount of vanilla bean but wondered if anyone had any ideas on maybe some small speciality malts they may add to a golden ale to give the vanilla notes or something...

 

[Soulshine]

Maybe it's caramel malts that lend to the vanilla/cream undertones? How much of the grain bill would you use of caramel malts for this?

 

[ghpeel]

Well if they don't add vanilla, then I'm not sure what they are doing. For you, I'd suggest adding a fresh vanilla bean in the secondary. Scrape out the seeds/gunk into some vodka, chop up the stem and throw it in the vodka too, then strain out the solids after a week or two and pour the vodka straight into the secondary (or primary, just make sure primary fermentation is done).

 

[SouthBay]

If they're not adding vanilla, the only other way i know to get that flavor is from Vanillin, which is found in properly toasted white oak. Maybe they're using a lightly toasted oak?

I checked out some of the reviews of this beer, and i didnt see anything mentioning vanilla. A lot of reviewers claimed some 'caramel' flavors, while others said 'honey' and some said 'wheaty.' but no vanilla. Hops appear to be something citrusy, with maybe some tropical fruits thrown in.

Because the beer is apparently so light, i wouldnt expect oak. I'd suspect its some combination of malty base malt (MO, Golden Promise, Vienna, etc) with a bit of light Caramel Malt (c-pils or c-10) and a bit of wheat for head retention... maybe flaked wheat? As for hops, i'm thinking some combination of Centennial or Amarillo, and something softer, like Willamette.

Anyways, thats my two cents.

 

[Soulshine]

Great advice....thanks a lot!