Thinking About the Holidays

As the "Summer Without Sun" winds down, my thoughts turn to Holiday Beer. I served Charlie's Holiday Cheer at last year's company Christmas party, and the boss offered to buy the ingredients for this year's batch. I also want to brew Hookarms Dark Holiday Ale again. That one, I'll have to pay for.

I don't think I will make any changes to Charlie's Holiday Cheer. But I am going to change Hookarm's Dark Holiday Ale. The last time I made it, I used three vanilla beans added at the end of the boil, then strained out and 1 tsp cardemom. I am going to omit the cardemom. After a little Googling, I ran across a couple other ways to add the vanilla:

Option 1: Add more chopped vanilla in secondary fermentation.

Option 2: Cut the bean lengthwise, scrape the insides with a knife blade, and add both the husks and the interior matter into a glass. Top off with just enough vodka to cover it all, and let it sit for a day. Then add to my secondary fermenter.

Option 3: Soak 4 oz. of American Oak Chips in 8 oz. of Bourbon for a few days with two chopped vanilla beans while the beer is in primary, then adding it to the secondary fermenter.

There are drawbacks to all of these options. I want a smooth, dark beer with just a hint of roasted malts and a lot of vanilla in the finish. Option 3 let's me add bourbon to the flavor, which I like, but I don't know that I want in this.

Ahhh. Decisions. Decisions.