Vanilla Cream Ale Update

I previously wrote a post about my first time experimenting with vanilla beans in a beer recipe. After about two months of aging, the Vanilla Cream Ale is ready for drinking.

And the verdict?

It’s delicious. There are, however, a couple things I’d change for the next batch. It has a strong vanilla aroma, but the flavor competes a bit with the hops. Rather than use a distinctive hop like Cascade in the boil, in the future I’d replace it with something a bit more mild, such as Willamette or Kent Golding to compliment the vanilla flavor. It’s also a bit darker than I anticipated, so I’d probably replace the Caramel 60 malt with a Caramel 20 or 40.

I’m not sure what I accomplish by rating my own beer, but (for my own records) I’d give it a B+/A-. It’s a great beer, but there’s still room for improvement.

For anyone interested in making it, here’s a link to the full vanilla cream ale recipe.