French Kiss
By: Beau BurkeStyle: Russian Imperial Stout
OG: 1.08
FG: 1.016
Recipe Type: Extract
Great Divide's Oak-Aged Yeti was the inspiration for this beer (well, that and my wife is a big stout fan, so I wanted to make something for her). I was sick when I first tried it, so it tasted pretty bizarre and my impression of it was all over the place. I do remember getting a strong suggestion of vanilla though, and thought "I should really base a beer around that."
So, French Kiss was born. And what a sweet number it is. Rich, black, sweet, powerfully strong, and supported by a strong suggestion of vanilla. Roasted barley flavors could be a little more pronounced, but I'm not losing any sleep over it. With some tweaks, I can easily see French Kiss being a regular in my brewpot.
Also, a word of caution: French Kiss is powerfully strong. Sharing a couple pints with a significant other could easily cause tomfoolery of the highest order.
So, French Kiss was born. And what a sweet number it is. Rich, black, sweet, powerfully strong, and supported by a strong suggestion of vanilla. Roasted barley flavors could be a little more pronounced, but I'm not losing any sleep over it. With some tweaks, I can easily see French Kiss being a regular in my brewpot.
Also, a word of caution: French Kiss is powerfully strong. Sharing a couple pints with a significant other could easily cause tomfoolery of the highest order.
Ingredients
- 7 lb Light Liquid Malt Extract
- 3 lb Light Dried Malt Extract
- 1 lb Dark Roast Barley
- 1 lb Caramel Malt (80L)
- 1/2 lb Chocolate Malt
- 2 oz Whole Northern Brewer Hops
- 2 oz Whole Fuggles Hops
- 2 oz Whole Cascade Hops
- Wyeast California
- 1 Vanilla Bean
- 1 c. 80 Proof Neutral Spirits (Vodka is a Good Choice)
Procedure
- Steep all grain at 155F for 30 minutes in 3 gallons water.
- Boil liquid malt extract with 2 oz Northern Brewer for 60 minutes.
- At 15 minutes remaining, add 1/2 oz Fuggles, 1/2 oz Cascade, and all dried malt extract.
- At 5 minutes remaining, add 1/2 oz Fuggles and 1/2 oz Cascade.
- Sparge into fermenter and top off to 5 gallons with cold water.
Ferment
- Oxygenate for 2 minutes and pitch pint starter.
- The night before transfer to secondary, prepare vanilla by cutting it in half lengthwise. Scrape the contents of both halves into a glass containing about 1 cup of neutral spirits. Add the two bean halves as well. This is to extract vanilla flavor as well as kill any bugs that might be living on the bean.
- Rack to secondary 1 week later. Add the entire contents of the vanilla/vodka mixture to secondary fermenter.
- Let sit in secondary for at least two weeks.
Notes
- Screwed up the OG reading again. I really have to figure out a way to stir my wort better once it\'s in the carboy. That plus adding all that vodka makes the alcohol content in this one completely unknown. It\'s definitely high, though.