Bananas Foster Creamy Ale (All Grain) **pic intensive**

[nab911]

Still got iron out the exact amounts of everything but ill be brewing this up tommorow. 5 gallon partial mash and biggest diff outside of hops: using Kraken black rum because that is the rum that surpassed sailor Jerry for me .

Well, this was not the best of brew days for me. First off, I hit 152 dead on for a while but then the temp started jumping when I was trying to keep it warm and when I pulled the bag after 60 minutes, 2 holes had burned in the side. Needless to say, the sparge got messed up, grains leaked all out and the sparge was very weak. Also missed the hot flash and had a huge boil over which stained my stove again.

ANYWAYS, I did get it all done. Everything looks fine but my SG came in low at 1.054. Below is my recipe:

60 Minutes at 152:
2lb Crystal 10L
1lb Flaked Corn
1lb Flaked Oats

60 Minute Boil:
6lbs Golden LME
.6 oz Warrior

20 Minutes Left in boil:
.9lbs Dark Brown Sugar
2 Vanilla Beans split

10 Minutes Left in boil:
.3 oz Mount Hood
Whirlfloc

Boil netted about 3.5 gallons of wart which went on top of 1.5 gallons filtered water. Next up is timing the primary ferm and racking onto the banana rum goodness.

 

[nab911]

Going to measure out my kraken tonight and split 2 vanilla beans to soak in there for racking on sunday. This is the first beer I have made that required a blow-off tube... after 2 days I went to check it and krausen was pouring out of the air lock... i figured with all of the headspace in a bucket it would be fine! I also have been trying to figure out what I am going to do about the fact that my carboy is 5 gallons and my initial fermenter was a hair over 5 gallons.

Then I remembered someone asking what would happen if you left out the rum? So I got an idea. I am going to rack 4 gallons onto 4 lbs of bananas and mix the rum in with that. Then I am going to rack 1 gallon onto 1lb of bananas and 1 split vanilla bean in a small Mr. Beer fermenter. Then I will have the same batch with only a rum difference essentially. Anyone have any thoughts on this?

 

[ArkotRamathorn]

I am very interested to hear the difference between rum and no rum versions, if I read your post correctly that is.

I'm brewing up a 3 gallon batch of this this weekend and would be very interested to hear what, if any, difference is noticed.

 

[nab911]

I am very interested to hear the difference between rum and no rum versions, if I read your post correctly that is.

I'm brewing up a 3 gallon batch of this this weekend and would be very interested to hear what, if any, difference is noticed.

Yeah, thats the plan. But it won't be ready for tasting for quite a while, well after yours hits the point of racking onto the mixture. I will report back with results though. Going to split the rum version between bottles and keg and bottle the no rum version so I have direct comparisons.

 

[leighna]

I attempted a gluten free version of this using a basic recipe and then added the banana rum mix at secondary. This is 24 hours on and that gross mix floating at the top looks like it's breathing.

 

[nab911]

Totally forgot to buy the bananas early to freeze them... So I bought 8 lbs and threw them in the freezer. Going to mix it all up and split it tomorrow night. I hope 1 day freezing plus 47% abv rum will be enough to sanitize the mixture...

 

[Looper]

I put the banana/rum slurry into the primary (after initial fermentation), and just racked into secondary to clear up a bit.

I tasted the sample, and it seems a little to dry for what I'm trying to go for (1.010 FG).

Has anyone attempted to add some lactose to this recipe? I'm debating adding some (~.5 lbs) come bottling time..

 

[nab911]

Can you add lactose at bottling?

Here is a pic of my 2 fermenters 5 days in:

The krausen was bubbling but it seemes to have hardened a bit... smells delicious though.

 

[nab911]

Bottled this today. Both versions finished at 1.024. Tasted the non rum version with some remnants, was sweet but not much banana flavor. Decided to bottle all of it because I have been kegging forever and have not been able to share much. Ran in to a lot of problems, namely keeping out all of the trub/junk. Only got 9 bottles out of the non rum and about 30 out of the rum version. Lots of chunks at the end and have about 8 that I had to pull the bottling wand out because it clogged. Can't wait to see what this is like in a few weeks!

 

[jaspence]

Going to be brewing this on Sunday, just got back from the LHBS with all the ingredients. Is there any consensus on the best dark rum to use on this? A rum that may also be good for casual drinking on the rocks as well?

 

[nab911]

I just had my second tasting of one done with Kracken and I think it is still a little green as it does not really have much banana or rum flavor yet and still has a little zing if you will. Its been in the bottle a little under 3 weeks.

 

[rocketsan]

Okay read the entire thread to find out how this did IN THE BLOODY COMPETITION!!! lol

Anyone done an extract recipe of this or could help me throw one together?


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[LLBeanJ]

Well, I entered it in the wrong category (fruit beer instead of specialty) and still managed 3rd place, so take that for what it's worth.

 

[MatchstickBrewingCo.]

I'm making a hefe that I'm planning on racking onto some banana's in the next day or too. I don't want much (if any) rum flavor but I do want to blend the bananas with rum to kill any bacteria. Anybody have any suggestions on how many ounces of rum I should use?

 

[ten80]

I put bananas in a blonde and had no issues with contamination. I dipped the bananas in starsan, froze them to soften, thawed, dipped in starsan again, and peeled carefully, putting only the flesh in the fermenter. I figure that most of the bacteria will be on the peel. Short of cooking the bananas, there is no foolproof method of adding them, but this method was fairly thorough.

 

[Wreck99]

When I brewed mine, I pureed bananas with a shot or 2 of rum. Worked well and gave me peace of mind on the possible contamination.

 

[jaspence]

Went with Sailor Jerry for the rum. This one is by far the most active fermentation I have had to date. Yeasties are having one hell of a party Getting the bananas tonight so the will have time to ripen before blending with the rum. Can't wait to have this one! Thank you OP for putting this out there!


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[Airplanedoc]

Marked for future reference

 

[Wburrick]

I created my own extract version with partial mash. I will be trying it out within the next couple months... Gotta get my hands on a 6.5 gallon carboy and get comfortable with making a starter yeast. I've only made 2 batches of beer so far both from kits one being an extract with specialty grains. I'd love to get some feed back on the recipe to know if I got the numbers right through the conversion and if you guys think this will come out well.

Bananas Foster Beer Recipe (Extract / Partial Mash)

Grains -

6.6 lb LME
1.2 lb Briess 2 row
2lb Carmel/Crystal Malt 10L
1 lb Oaks, flaked
1lb Corn, flaked

Hops -

1 oz Saaz 60 mins
.5 oz Saaz 10 mins

Yeast
1.0 Pkg California Ale White labs 0001

Additions -

5 lb Bananas 21 days in secondary
8.0 oz Dark Rum 21 days in secondary
2.0 Cups Dark brown sugar 20 min boil
2.0 Vanilla bean (split) 21 days in secondary

Bottleing Bucket Additions -

4 oz Table Sugar
1 oz Light brown sugar
4oz Dark Rum
16oz H2O

 

[sjt112486]

I started making this yesterday. First off, the pictures and descriptions are fantastic, and I'm so glad I found this recipe. Thank you for sharing!

I added (3) sliced bananas to the mash, hoping to extract a few extra fetmentables out of them. Also, I added a half cup of brown sugar 20 minutes into boil. I offset this extra sweetness with 1 oz Saaz at the beginning (as in recipe) but then added another full ounce at the half way mark.

I ended up with 1.080 SG after boil, so I made sure to utilize my jumbo blow off tube. The fermenter is dancing as I type. Can't wait to try my first all-grain, out of my brand new corny keg (that I've also never done before). Sometimes I like to walk before I crawl ;-)

Cheers!


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[Cheesy_Goodness]

Brewed this a few weeks ago and I'm just getting to the banana part (stupid tax season). I searched this thread and found a few people asking about adding lactose but no one has responded to any questions.
I'm thinking about adding lactose when I add the banana/rum slurry. I don't expect any problems but has anyone else tried it? Based on the descriptions it seems like it would be a good fit.

 

[Cheesy_Goodness]

Brewed this a few weeks ago and I'm just getting to the banana part (stupid tax season). I searched this thread and found a few people asking about adding lactose but no one has responded to any questions.
I'm thinking about adding lactose when I add the banana/rum slurry. I don't expect any problems but has anyone else tried it? Based on the descriptions it seems like it would be a good fit.

Giving this a try. Added 1/2 pound of lactose to the slurry, and will rack everything tonight.

 

[sjt112486]

I started making this yesterday. First off, the pictures and descriptions are fantastic, and I'm so glad I found this recipe. Thank you for sharing!

I added (3) sliced bananas to the mash, hoping to extract a few extra fetmentables out of them. Also, I added a half cup of brown sugar 20 minutes into boil. I offset this extra sweetness with 1 oz Saaz at the beginning (as in recipe) but then added another full ounce at the half way mark.

I ended up with 1.080 SG after boil, so I made sure to utilize my jumbo blow off tube. The fermenter is dancing as I type. Can't wait to try my first all-grain, out of my brand new corny keg (that I've also never done before). Sometimes I like to walk before I crawl ;-)

Cheers!


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Just racked over 5 lbs of bananas in secondary. Measure SG and am at 1.006! So far I have achieved 9.7% ABV. So I'm foregoing the rum addition.

When I racked in secondary I'm still getting bubbles too, so ABV may rise a little more yet. My plan is to rack into empty carboy for tertiary and cold crash to clear it up as much as possible. Then keg it. So excited!


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[firefly765]

I'm entering my version of this in a comp.... 20A would be main category....what would be the underlying style?

 

[firefly765]

here's the recipe specs:

Style: Fruit Beer
TYPE: All Grain
Taste: (30.0)

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Boil Size: 11.85 gal
Post Boil Volume: 11.23 gal
Batch Size (fermenter): 10.60 gal
Bottling Volume: 10.60 gal
Estimated OG: 1.064 SG
Estimated Color: 13.0 SRM
Estimated IBU: 21.2 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 72.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 73.6 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
2.12 tbsp PH 5.2 Stabilizer (Mash 60.0 mins) Water Agent 1 -
12 lbs 8.0 oz Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 2 51.0 %
4 lbs 8.0 oz Pale Malt, Maris Otter (3.0 SRM) Grain 3 18.4 %
2 lbs Carafoam (2.0 SRM) Grain 4 8.2 %
2 lbs Oats, Flaked (1.0 SRM) Grain 5 8.2 %
1 lbs Caramel Malt - 80L 6-Row (Briess) (80.0 Grain 6 4.1 %
1 lbs 8.0 oz Molasses (80.0 SRM) Sugar 7 6.1 %
1 lbs Brown Sugar, Light (8.0 SRM) Sugar 8 4.1 %
2.00 oz Vanguard [5.50 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 9 17.9 IBUs
1.00 Items Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 mins) Fining 10 -
1.00 oz Vanguard [5.50 %] - Boil 10.0 min Hop 11 3.3 IBUs
1.00 oz Vanguard [5.50 %] - Boil 0.0 min Hop 12 0.0 IBUs
2.0 pkg Safale American (DCL/Fermentis #US-05) [ Yeast 13 -
6.70 lb Banana (Secondary 21.0 days) Other 14 -
7.00 Items Vanilla (Secondary 21.0 days) Spice 15 -


Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Full Body, Batch Sparge
Total Grain Weight: 24 lbs 8.0 oz
----------------------------

 

[LLBeanJ]

I'm entering my version of this in a comp.... 20A would be main category....what would be the underlying style?

No, actually this should be entered as a cat 23 Specialty Beer due to the rum and vanilla. You can specify 20A as the underlying style.

 

[firefly765]

No, actually this should be entered as a cat 23 Specialty Beer due to the rum and vanilla. You can specify 20A as the underlying style.

Wow! You just blew my mind! 6-4......6-9 with the afro!

 

[LLBeanJ]

6-4......6-9 with the afro!

 

[fords4life]

Any updates on the partial mash versions? I have 5lbs of bananas that are just asking to be used this weekend.

 

[BrewmeisterSmith]

the OP recipe shows two split vanilla beans at 20 minutes. But others are saying secondary. Which is best?

 

[ArkotRamathorn]

the OP recipe shows two split vanilla beans at 20 minutes. But others are saying secondary. Which is best?

After trying a stout with 4 beans in secondary for 4 weeks next time I do a vanilla beer I'm going with both. 2 beans (probably actually gonna do more like 10 instead of 20 minutes) then 2 beans in secondary. The vanilla aroma might just be playing second fiddle in my stout but, I would've expected more considering 4 beans for 4 weeks.

 

[BrewmeisterSmith]

a buddy of mine just made this and only put 1 bean in the keg when racking it. I didnt notice much vanilla, but more banana than anything. It was good though.

 

[Konichiwhat]

This beer looks beautiful!! Unfortunately I'm kind of a nube. Can you explain the mash/sparge process?

 

[Hello]

This beer looks beautiful!! Unfortunately I'm kind of a nube. Can you explain the mash/sparge process?

Well, this is a 2-year old thread. In truth, I think if you want to learn about mashing/sparging then your best bet is to start reading this:
http://www.howtobrew.com/intro.html

This is version 1, it is free. I think version 3 is the newest and it offers more up to date info, but the free version will do. Supporting the cause and all, buying the book isn't the worst thing you could do.

Good luck.

 

[Ike]

First batch is cooling as we speak. A question for past-brewers:

Is the vanilla bean (which I'm planning on using in both the boil and secondary, as some have suggested here) evident in the taste of the finished product? Or does it get lost in all the other flavors and end up being a mouthfeel addition only?

Thanks;

Ike

 

[LLBeanJ]

I can taste the vanilla. I never added it to the boil, though. I always added two beans to an ounce or so of the rum and let it soak for 3-4 weeks.

 

[Ike]

Racked onto the bananas/rum/vanilla mix today.

I tasted a bit of the banana/rum mix. It tasted like a banana daiquiri that a viking would drink from the skull of his vanquished enemy, if vikings ever drank . Pure awesomeness. The base ale tastes good enough, no weird off flavors or anything. SO, all in all, a good day.

One concern though: I went with US-05 for the yeast, my final gravity was only down to 1.02. That comes out to about 71% attenuation, which seems a bit on the low side for what I expected (reading on HBT that I should expect closer to 75%). BUT even with that I'm already 6.7% ABV, 7.7% after the rum (only did a 2.5 gallon batch but used the full 8oz of Kraken, because it tastes like heaven). SO, I guess if I'm gonna have a batch that ends up a little on the sweet side, this is one where I won't mind so much?

 

[MindenMan]

After sufficient bottle conditioning, the overt sweetness will fade away and smooth out any roughness that may be left over from it currently being young.

 

[Ike]

Bottled my batch today. Things I noted:

1.) No issues with the rum stunting secondary fermentation. It kicked right back off in secondary, so much so that I ended up placing a blow-off, though it never made it to the tube. In the beginning, the banana mash floated on the top, and sort of held the CO2 down, rising with the bubbles instead of letting it pass. I would shake the carboy to get the whole thing to settle as needed.

2.) TRUB LOSSES ARE HUGE on this one. I had over 2.5 gallons in secondary, and barely got 13 16oz bottles out of it (so about 1.6 gallons). The banana settles to the bottom as it ferments, but never really compacts like a yeast cake will. I ended up using the "hop bag over the racking cane" trick to keep from sucking banana into the bottling bucket. But even with pushing for every drop, that's all I got. If you think you're going to like this one, go for a full batch. If you really want to just do a partial, make sure you account for the loss.

3.) FG was 1.015 @ 67F, so no complaints there. I know this tells me absolutely nothing about actual alcohol content. The warm feeling in my belly from the SG sample is telling me something, though... I'm guessing we're close to 9% after the banana addition.

4.) TASTE: speaking of the SG sample... at 67 degrees and uncarbonated, it is interesting. The nose is 100% bananas, the taste has a banana finish but is a bit strong on the rum. I'm going to do what folks say and let it age and carb until Turkey Day then see how it's doing.


<-- perfect emoticon for this thread


Ike

 

[Ike]

What kind are people seeing this recipe needs to bottle carb?

I had a great primary and secondary fermentation, but since bottling 10 days ago, almost no carbonation. It tastes great otherwise.

Thanks!