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Vanilla Cream Ale

Method: All Grain
Style: Cream Ale
Boil Time: 75 min
Batch Size: 5.75 gallons (fermentor volume)
Pre Boil Size: 7.5 gallons
Pre Boil Gravity: 1.038 (recipe based estimate)
Efficiency: 70% (brew house)
Source: Stikks 2-2-12
Rating:

4.81 (21 Reviews)

Calories: 181 calories (Per 12oz)
Carbs: 18.2 g (Per 12oz)

Created: Tuesday January 31st 2012

Original Gravity:

1.055

Final Gravity:

1.013

ABV (standard):

5.5%

IBU (tinseth):

19.4

SRM (morey):

4.8

Mash pH

n/a

Cost $

n/a

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Brew Log History

Target 64°F
Ambient: {{ stats.ambient | number:0 }} °F

OG: {{ stats.ogGravity | number:3 }}
Attenuation: {{ stats.attenuation | number:2 }}%

Calories: {{ stats.calories | number:1 }} / 12oz
Carbs: {{ stats.carbs | number:1 }} g / 12oz

Readings: {{ readingsCount | number }}

Device Filter
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Fermentables

Amount	Fermentable	PPG	°L	Bill %
5.25 lb	American - Pale 2-Row5.25 lb Pale 2-Row	37	1.8	44.7%
2 lb	American - White Wheat2 lb White Wheat	40	2.8	17%
2 lb	American - Pale 6-Row2 lb Pale 6-Row	35	1.8	17%
0.50 lb	Flaked Corn0.5 lb Flaked Corn	40	0.5	4.3%
0.50 lb	American - Caramel / Crystal 20L0.5 lb Caramel / Crystal 20L	35	20	4.3%
0.50 lb	American - Carapils (Dextrine Malt)0.5 lb Carapils (Dextrine Malt)	33	1.8	4.3%
0.25 lb	Flaked Barley0.25 lb Flaked Barley	32	2.2	2.1%
0.75 lb	Honey0.75 lb Honey - (late boil kettle addition)	42	2	6.4%
11.75 lbs / $ 0.00

Hops

Amount	Variety	Type	AA	Use	Time	IBU	Bill %
0.50 oz	Cascade0.5 oz Cascade Hops	Pellet	6.2	Boil	60 min	11.42	33.3%
0.50 oz	Cascade0.5 oz Cascade Hops	Pellet	6.2	Boil	20 min	6.92	33.3%
0.50 oz	saaz0.5 oz saaz Hops	Pellet	3	Boil	5 min	1.1	33.3%
1.50 oz / $ 0.00

Show Summary View

Amount	Variety	IBU	Bill %
1 oz	Cascade (Pellet)	18.34	66.6%
0.50 oz	saaz (Pellet) 0.49999999885628 oz saaz (Pellet) Hops	1.1	33.3%
1.50 oz / $ 0.00

Mash Guidelines

Amount	Description	Type	Start Temp	Target Temp	Time
15 qt	rest at 150	Infusion	--	168 °F	75 min
7 qt	stir and rest at 165 - mashout	Infusion	--	212 °F	15 min
18 qt	to volume-7.5 gal.	Fly Sparge	--	170 °F	45 min

Other Ingredients

Amount	Name	Type	Use	Time
2 oz	pure vanilla extract	Flavor	Boil	0 min.
1 oz	pure vanilla extract	Flavor	Bottling	0 min.
1 tsp	yeast nutrient	Other	Boil	15 min.
1 each	whirlfloc	Fining	Boil	15 min.
4 each	Vanilla beans - in 2oz Vodka	Other	Secondary	0 min.

Yeast

Wyeast - Kölsch 2565

Amount:	1 Each	Cost:
Attenuation (custom):	76%	Flocculation:	Low
Optimum Temp:	56 - 70 °F	Starter:	Yes
Fermentation Temp:	64 °F	Pitch Rate:	-

$ 0.00 Yeast Pitch Rate and Starter Calculator

Priming

Method: corn sugar Amount: 4.5 oz CO₂ Level: 2.65 Volumes

Target Water Profile

bottled spring water

Ca⁺²	Mg⁺²	Na⁺	Cl^-	SO₄^-2	HCO₃^-
0	0	0	0	0	0
Mash Chemistry and Brewing Water Calculator

Notes

1600 ml. starter at 1.04

Ferment at 58 to 60 degrees with
Wyeast 2565,62 to 64 degrees with WLP 029
or 65 to 67 degrees with US-05

attenuation better than expected
finished at 1.011 about 5.3 ABV

carbonate 3 weeks at 68-70 degrees
cold condition 1 week in fridge
frothy head,nice lacing

tasty summer beer,easy drinking.
A great beer for the female in your life.

Ive made this brew 7 times now,and it is a mainstay for my woman.Ive used US-05
WLP 029 and WYEAST 2565 all with great
results.Used Williamette in place of
saaz and prefer it.Last batch came out
at 6.0 ABV with a modification to my fly sparge setup.Grain bill holds at 11 lbs.

Last batch was with WLP 029,I think Wyeast 2565 was the best of the 3 yeast types that I have used. (just me and swmbos thoughts). Made batch #8 with US-05 on 4-19-13 used 4 Madagascar vanilla beans soaked in vodka for a week and added to secondary It added a bit more vanilla flavor.Nice addition for added flavor.Will make this a regular step in future batches,recipe has not changed but 2565 rules the brew. I made batch #9 on 9-22-13.Used original recipe with wyeast 2565, by far the best. Bottled on 11-1-2013.The only tweak was adding 12 oz clover honey at flameout.The Vanilla beans in secondary are the bomb. Recipe will not change from here on out. This batch started at 1.057 and finished at 1.01 - 5.51 ABV.It is exactly where I Want it. SWMBO and my friends love it.I like it alot too but I am more of a stout porter guy.I hope you like it and have good luck with it if you try it. -enjoy- 12-8-2013 Vanilla flavor has mellowed nicely,lacing lasts till the end of the glass.Very pleased with this batch.

Batch #10 1-23-2015 recipe has not changed
will be bottling in about a week or so.
This brew is our house brew all year,its one for the ladies.Will be ready for St. Paddys day.

batch #10 is long gone.Finally retired and will be moving to Florida in 2 weeks.I will update next batch when I brew in in the heat for the first time,Goodbye Chicago.I hope you enjoy the recipe.-Will be back to brewing soon.

-Cheers-

Last Updated and Sharing

426,194

Views

199

Brews

Public: Yup, Shared
Last Updated: 2016-06-14 21:45 UTC

Recipe costs can be adjusted by changing the batch size. They won't be saved but will give you an idea of costs if your final yield was different.

Cost for

Gallons

Cost by

Final Yield

	Cost $	Cost %
Fermentables	$
Steeping Grains (Extract Only)	$
Hops	$
Yeast	$
Other	$
Cost Per Barrel	$ 0.00
Cost Per Pint	$ 0.00
Total Cost	$ 0.00

Other Brewers Who Brewed This Recipe:

Ahmed Metwally6

uwe-100hp@hotmail.com

scrid

Wooden Nickle

Little House & Farm Brewery

Wurdig

BrianA

Cartman200869

brewers@lakebumsbrewco.com

Bocephus64

Markbrew65

Fets

stephen.h.irving@gmail.com

Mike Theodore

Koda

voicegovia

GrantSpatchcock

bestermichael

Fenmier

Discussion about this recipe:

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Butter14 • 03/13/2015 at 09:07pm

5 of 5

I've personally brewed this recipe. It's delicious. Smooth, vanilla forward flavor makes this an easy session beer. Strongly recommend.

stikks • 03/20/2015 at 09:09pm

stikks • 03/20/2015 at 09:12pm
Thanks for the review.Did you use 2565? I`m glad you enjoyed it,I make this at least 3 times a year.Great summer beer.

-Cheers-

Brewer Joe • 06/03/2015 at 07:34pm

4 of 5

I just made this recipe as well. Went with the WLP029. added wild flower honey at flame out, probably closer to 13-14 oz. I doubled the batch as I make 10 gal at a time. OG was around 1.059, FG is around 1.008.

Things I didnt do and should have...
-I didnt cut up the beans o_o I threw in 4 whole beans per carboy and I feel like I am losing out on alot of the vanilla flavor I should have.

This I didnt do.
-I didnt use yeast nutrient or make a starter yeast. I used two tubes of WLP029.
-I only used 2 oz of vanilla extract instead of the 4 oz your recipe call for, for a 10 gal batch. Extract can be dangerous and Im not ready to bomb a 10 gal batch over extract. if it seems like the vanilla doesnt suit me, I can add some more.
-I did not add another 2 oz as your recipe calls for at bottling/kegging (10 gal batch). I may do this later if its lacking.

I moved the the beer after 4 days to secondaries to finish out there fermentation. airlocks were bubbling 1-3 time every 60 seconds at this point. I kegged and cold conditioned at the same time as CO_2 goes into solution better when chilled. I only left the beer in the secondary for a week. there was a little activity from the airlock, maybe a bubble every 8 minutes but I believe it may be yeast slowly converting the vanilla beans sugars. There was no visual activity in the beer itself and the trub layer was settled.

I used two 30 psi rounds of force carbonation to hit the ground running, beer tastes great coming out of the secondaries. I calculate a 6.5% ABV yield. I am hoping with the fast carbing that the beer will be sudsy by saturday. It is a cream ale and aging/conditioning is usually done with light ales within a week. Also, I noticed some banana smells at the very end which I think is do to the yeast activity with the vanilla beans.. wanted to stop that a.s.a.p.

Brewer Joe • 06/03/2015 at 07:38pm
I just made this recipe as well. Went with the WLP029. added wild flower honey at flame out, probably closer to 13-14 oz. I doubled the batch as I make 10 gal at a time. OG was around 1.059, FG is around 1.008. I used the Willamette hops. Not sure how it would turn out with Saaz but the hops characteristic with the Willamette are slightly noticeable.

Things I didnt do and should have...
-I didnt cut up the beans o_o I threw in 4 whole beans per carboy and I feel like I am losing out on alot of the vanilla flavor I should have.

Things I didnt do.
-I didnt use yeast nutrient or make a starter yeast. I used two tubes of WLP029.
-I only used 2 oz of vanilla extract instead of the 4 oz your recipe call for, for a 10 gal batch. Extract can be dangerous and Im not ready to bomb a 10 gal batch over extract. if it seems like the vanilla doesnt wow me, I can add some more.
-I did not add another 2 oz as your recipe calls for at bottling/kegging (10 gal batch). I may do this later if its lacking.

I moved the the beer after 4 days to secondaries to finish out there fermentation. airlocks were bubbling 1-3 time every 60 seconds at this point. I kegged and cold conditioned at the same time as CO_2 goes into solution better when chilled. I only left the beer in the secondary for a week. there was a little activity from the airlock, maybe a bubble every 8 minutes but I believe it may be yeast slowly converting the vanilla beans sugars. There was no visual activity in the beer itself and the trub layer was settled.

I used two 30 psi rounds of force carbonation to hit the ground running, beer tastes great coming out of the secondaries. I calculate a 6.5% ABV yield. I am hoping with the fast carbing that the beer will be sudsy by saturday. It is a cream ale and aging/conditioning is usually done with light ales within a week. Also, I noticed some banana smells at the very end which I think is do to the yeast activity with the vanilla beans.. wanted to stop that a.s.a.p.

Beer is being kept at 36-38 degrees at 11.5-12.5 psi in kegs.

Brewer Joe • 06/03/2015 at 07:39pm
sorry for the double post, now triple post. I thought it didnt go through and made some edits *~*

Butter14 • 06/06/2015 at 05:07pm
@Stikks, I used the Kolsch 2565 like you suggested. It worked great.

stikks • 06/23/2015 at 02:49am
Butter14 thanks again for the reply.As I stated 2565 is the best yeast for this brew.I just recently moved from Chicago to the gulf coast of Florida and have not tried brewing in the heat down here.The last time I brewed was April.I will be doin` this brew down here again around September when it cools down a bit.The recipe has not changed at all and I dont`t have force carbonation and all the cool things,but this brew is still a favorite with the girls and alot of my friends.Hopefully when I brew down here in FLA it will be just as good.To reiterate 2565 rules this brew.Thanks again and--

CHEERS

stikks • 06/23/2015 at 02:57am
Brewer Joe,Thanks for the review.If you Read my post for Butter 14 you`ll see If been out of the loop for awhile.As far as the extract goes that is a personal choice for flavor,but I do recommend scraping the beans for the tea and discarding the seeds.I bottle condition because I am not set up for kegging (maybe down the road).I appreciate your input and I hope you had good Luck with the brew.If you brew it again try using 2565,the flavor profile is much better and you can ferment at a lower temp -much cleaner crisper taste -. Thanks again

CHEERS

backcountryrenegade@yahoo.com • 01/11/2016 at 02:01am

backcountryrenegade@yahoo.com • 01/11/2016 at 02:02am
Very excited- just brewed this beer. Wyeast was out of stock but question- do you pitch the vanilla beans whole or chopped up?

Drummertime • 02/27/2016 at 01:20am

5 of 5

Wow! Followed this to a tee and what a surprise, as creamy as creme soda and hint of vanilla. Perfect! Thanks stikks for the detailed recipe! Relax have a Homebrew!

stikks • 04/29/2016 at 01:50am
Backcountry, been Out of the loop for awhile,just relocated to Florida.I`m sure your brew is gone by no.I hope it came out well for you.On your question -I slice the beans lengthwise and scrape out the seeds,Make the TEA with 2 -3 oz vodka and let sit about 3 days before pitching the all of it into secondary.Of course I take a taste before pitching - LOL -. Sorry for the late reply.

CHEERS

stikks • 04/29/2016 at 01:57am
Drummertime, thanks for The great review. If you read my reply to Backcountry you will under stand why I`ve been late on my replies . One thing for sure the Ladies love this brew on a hot summer day,
and thats always a good thing. - By the way I`m a Drummer - Rock On

CHEERS

HomebrewJoe • 06/12/2016 at 04:56pm

5 of 5

@stikks. It's been a year now that lot of cream ale I made is long gone :). It's been one of my top 3 brews. Friends and family drank it so fast it didn't even last 3 weeks and I had 10 gal batch.

Mark G • 06/14/2016 at 09:45pm

4 of 5

I was searching for a nice cream ale recipe and found this one. I didn't do any vanilla on my first brew. I followed the directions with the wyeast 2565 and the Willamette. Fermented for 12 days at 59 degrees. OG of 1.53 and a FG of 1,012. Cold crashing as I type . Going to secondary tomorrow for 7 days then Keg.The sample pulled for the gravity reading was very good. Update in a few weeks.

jlanius • 03/28/2017 at 03:41pm
Stikks,

This will be only my second all grain brew, as I have been mostly partial grain and extract. How important is the fly sparge vs a batch sparge? Im not really setup for fly sparging. Also where in Florida? I'm in New Orleans.

stikks • 04/06/2017 at 05:03pm
jlanius,thanks for the question.My set up is for fly sparging but by all means batch sparging will work just fine.
Actually when I`m short on time I batch sparge occasionally.Good luck with the recipe if you try it.It is a great brew for the hot summer days that are coming up.As for as my location I`m on the gulf coast near Bradenton. -CHEERS-

kodyind • 11/15/2017 at 02:59pm

kodyind • 11/15/2017 at 03:01pm
So do you add the extract and the vanilla beans

stikks • 11/15/2017 at 10:33pm
Kodyind ,thanks for the comment.Not sure what you are asking.
The scraped vanilla beans are mixed with the vodka to make a tea.
That is added when I rack to the secondary carboy.That usually
sits for about a week before I bottle.The vanilla taste comes through
with the extract in the (Boil) but the tea in secondary gives it the extra
flavor if that`s your taste.Otherwise just use the extract in the boil
for a more subtle taste.

CHEERS

RichJ • 12/09/2017 at 02:09pm

RichJ • 12/09/2017 at 02:11pm
Has anyone added a fruit flavor to this? I brewed a similar one with a raspberry extract in the keg and it turned out great. My lady who is always sceptical about my hobby absolutely loves it. I think I will add vanilla to the secondary as I had vanilla in the boil.

Mopsi • 01/28/2018 at 12:32pm
Does this beer taste very much of vanilla? Would love to try the receipe, but do not want the vanilla to dominate the beer...

Cartman200869 • 06/21/2018 at 12:13am
Cut vanilla beans and add them to the vodka 6 weeks before brewing this batch of beer

SEACOW • 09/25/2018 at 03:19pm

5 of 5

Excellent recipe. The brewer's notes were a huge help. This is a crowd pleaser without a doubt. Light vanilla hint -- not too powerful.

j_t_brewers • 10/29/2018 at 03:30am

5 of 5

Made 18G of this for my wedding! Amazing beer, so many compliments!

Dare • 01/05/2019 at 04:54pm

5 of 5

Maybe a stupid question but when you pitch the vanilla bean...are you pouring the vodka in as well or just taking the beans out and tossing them into the secondary?

JStockton • 01/10/2019 at 03:50pm

5 of 5

Have made this twice now in 3 gallon batches. First time I didn't understand the vanilla treatment and didn't open the pod after soaking. Just dropped into the ferment and saved the vodka! Was afraid of skewing the brew as new to brewing. Light vanilla taste. Second batch I opened the pods and poured it all in. Came our near the feeling of a hard creme soda.
Would like to reign that back a bit personally for a day-to-day cream ale and a bit less specialty as an option. Followed the brewers advice and went willamette but I use dry yeast for my 1 gallon experiments/training so went with Nottingham since I use it for Cider experiments. Pretty aggressive, didn't add nutrient. Kept about 60ish in chest with blue ice during ferment.
Very good stuff both times though. Appreciate the notes for a new brewer!

PanchoJollyRoger • 03/20/2019 at 05:33pm
is the honey primordial to this recipe? can i pass over it ?

!#anastazy • 07/29/2019 at 01:08pm

5 of 5

perlenbach • 11/17/2019 at 04:38pm

4 of 5

finally tasted the result - it is so far the best beer I have brewed. 4/5

Linkman • 12/23/2019 at 02:54pm

5 of 5

Sounds awesome.

Ballagas • 02/12/2020 at 08:46pm

5 of 5

like this beer ))

Themad • 02/18/2020 at 02:05pm

5 of 5

Themad • 02/18/2020 at 02:06pm
Great idea! I tasted similar cream ale in Dublin, it was a crazy combination to create beer and have not tried the best.

mujin • 03/10/2020 at 12:41pm

mujin • 03/10/2020 at 12:42pm
Would anyone who's brewed this cite a target water profile?

slubbbiii • 03/20/2020 at 11:20am

5 of 5

KEVINSKENE • 06/09/2020 at 03:15pm
Really looking forward to brewing this beer! Itâ€™ll be my first step mash and i had a question..

When you raise the temp, are you just dumping in your 7qts of boiling water, if not, about how long are you taking to raise the temp?

Also, any suggestions for minerals if starting with distilled water?

Really looking forward to this one.

stikks • 06/10/2020 at 12:00pm
Thanks for ? Kevin.For the 7 gal boiling water I pour in slowly while stirring constantly to bring mash up
to mashout temp 170 and then fly sparge.As for as water goes I just use bottled spring water no other additions of minerals as spring water contains any minerals needed as far as I`m concerned.Hope this helps.-Cheers

Hoodick • 11/13/2020 at 04:01pm

5 of 5

This is a fantastic recipe. Never disappoints. Iâ€™ve brewed this twice. I did a 90 min boil and started my additions at 75min. Recommend doing a yeast starter. I used WLP029. I got an OG at 1.060 both times and a FG of 1.005 with a 7% ABV. Make sure you soak the vanilla beans in the vodka for two weeks while the beer is fermenting. This way you can add to the secondary. I keg after two more weeks and add another ounce of vanilla. If bottling use 5.5 oz of printing (corn) sugar since this will yield 5.5 to 6 gallons. This beer disappears quickly.

Kylert1 • 05/02/2021 at 07:16am

5 of 5

Followed recipe and it came out really nice. I tasted at bottling and it was a bit sweet so I decided not to add the last 2 oz of vanilla. Now that the beer has been in bottle for a month, I regret not adding those last 2 ounces. There's a nice balance of hop and vanilla but if I didn't tell you, you wouldn't know it has vanilla. Next time I'll add those last 2. Aloha from Hawaii

Brewer Peter • 10/29/2021 at 12:46pm

5 of 5

hi stikks, thank you for sharing this recipe which i haven't prepared yet but i plan to make soon. I know it's been a long time since this recipe was published but if you find yourself reading this message I hope you can answer me. I wanted to ask you 2 questions:
1) I have read that you have used different yeasts, I am a beginner and I have not yet mastered liquid yeasts and I would like to use US-05, how do you like the final result of beer with this yeast?
2) I didn't understand how and how many times you add vanilla? If I have not misunderstood, take 4 vanilla pods and once you have opened and removed the pulp, let them macerate in 2 oz of volka for 2 weeks and pour the contents at the end of boiling as soon as you turn off the heat, then repeat the operation during the secondary. and finally 1 ounce before bottling? so in total you use 10 vanilla pods and 5 ounces of vodka? I hope to receive your reply. thank you very much, best regards.

Beer1 • 08/29/2022 at 02:11pm

5 of 5

beer4thewin • 09/02/2022 at 02:44pm

5 of 5

Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe!

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View Recipe

Vanilla Cream Ale

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