vanilla bean for breakfast!

Thor the Mighty · 02-28-2009, 01:17 AM

I just made a really super thick chunky breakfast stout and decided my oatmeal doesnt have enough sweet in it, so i was thinking of dropping a vanilla bean in the secondary but i was looking for tips to make it go better. is extract or pure bean better? do i chop that trash up? do i leave it whole? do i have to sterilize it first?

thanks!

**ChshreCat** · 02-28-2009, 01:29 AM

I would split the bean lengthwise. The flavor is inside the bean so chopping it up isn't as effective as splitting it open.

**thataintchicken** · 02-28-2009, 01:39 AM

split the bean. scrape out the inside.
place in a small glass jar filled with vodka. Let it sit a bit.
Make yourself an extract.
Add to secondary.
take the outer shell, place in a container with sugar. Voila! Instant vanilla sugar for coffee or whatever.

Thor the Mighty · 02-28-2009, 11:18 PM

thanks to both of you!

**Deuce** · 03-01-2009, 01:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thataintchicken

split the bean. scrape out the inside.
place in a small glass jar filled with vodka. Let it sit a bit.
Make yourself an extract.
Add to secondary.
take the outer shell, place in a container with sugar. Voila! Instant vanilla sugar for coffee or whatever.

Also, you could take the shell, place it in a small glass of vodka for the lenght of your secondary, then add the vodka to the bottling bucket prior to bottling. Some vanilla flavor weakens over time, this way you will be giving it the one two punch.

Thor the Mighty · 03-01-2009, 04:32 AM

so how many beans (per say one bean is like 3 1/2 inches long, right?) should i do this with?

**Deuce** · 03-01-2009, 04:37 AM

Two.
If you overpower with vanilla, it will cover up the flavors of the deep malts. I would just add the inside scrapings to the secondary, then add teh shell concentrate to the bottlikng bucket.