Vanilla Beans for Porter

I am thinking about doing a Vanilla Porter next. I have searched and read several posts on the process of using Vanilla beans. I think I am going to split two beans and soak them in Vodka for a few weeks.
My question is, would I still get a good vanilla flavor if I just dumped my vodka soaked beans (and the vodka) in the bottling bucket at bottling time, instead of racking my Porter on them in a Secondary?
Wouldnt the flavor of the two mix well, while in bottles, since I wont drink them for atleast a month anyway?

Makes sense to me. I have a buddies vanilla porter recipe that all his friends love... he does a soaked bean in primary and into secondary. You would still get flavor going into the bottling bucket, it will just be different. And it depends on how much vanilla you want in there. How about soaking the beans now, put the bean parts in the primary and reserve the extract vodka for the bottling?

This is a recipe on my winter list.

ive done this kind of recipe with extract. i added it when i kegged. came out really well.

BeerCigars said:

My question is, would I still get a good vanilla flavor if I just dumped my vodka soaked beans (and the vodka) in the bottling bucket at bottling time, instead of racking my Porter on them in a Secondary?

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Yes but you're going to be getting all your flavor from the extract in the vodka and the bean at that point are just along for the short ride.

I brewed Denny's Vanilla Bourbon Porter a while ago and it was fantastic. I used two vanilla beans, split and scooped out the black insides, and dumped right into secondary. The vanilla flavor was perfect at first, after 4 weeks in the bottle, but after that it was barely noticeable. I'd use 3 beans if you want to taste it, and porters do better IMHO with 8 weeks in the bottle.

mattmcl said:

I brewed Denny's Vanilla Bourbon Porter a while ago and it was fantastic. I used two vanilla beans, split and scooped out the black insides, and dumped right into secondary. The vanilla flavor was perfect at first, after 4 weeks in the bottle, but after that it was barely noticeable. I'd use 3 beans if you want to taste it, and porters do better IMHO with 8 weeks in the bottle.

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Good idea. I doubt my porter wouldnt last longer than 4weeks after bottling anyway. I drink alot of beer
How long should I leave it in Secondary with the beans?

I am going to bottling a porter tomorrow night and have been debating if I should add any flavoring at bottling. Any suggestions on how much vanilla extract to use in a bottling bucket?

Try adding hazelnut...really good

Start small and keep adding till its good....its a very precise technique!

How long should I leave it in Secondary with the beans?

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I did 7 days in primary, 14 in secondary with the beans.

Bump... I have a similar questions and am looking to see if anyone has some more recent experiences. I have a porter that I put into primary last weekend and I am already looking forward to next month when I rack this bad-boy into a secondary and toss in some beans.

I am leaning towards three beans (they are old, so i am concerned about their potency - they have been in the spice cupboard for about 3 years in their original sealed glass tubes). what is the current thinking on vodka soaking?

I do a 3 week primary, no secondary, and soak the beans in rum instead of vodka. Just add the soaked beans 1 week before bottling for a nice background flavor. If you want in your face flavor add 1 of the beans split and scraped to the last 2-3 minutes of the boil. Then add another bean via the soak and dump method a week before you bottle.

I had good results splitting 2 whole vanilla beans and then soaking them in a glass of Glenlivet scotch for 3 days. I racked straight onto the scotch and beans. After a couple weeks it had a really nice soft oakish vanilla taste. I guess it depends on if you want the soaking to add flavor or not. If not i would use vodka.

I did 2 beans scraped and soaked in vodka, added them to secondary for 14 days, then tasted and decided I wanted more
And added another soaked bean for another week. Turned out good, but I still would consider another bean. This was with a pretty big beer though, around 8.5%.