I am fermenting a russian imperial stout now and am considering tossing some vanilla beans into the secondary. not sure how many of them to use. and for how long to have them in there. due to high abv(8.5-8.75) was considering bulk aging in the carboy. anyone have any thoughts?
vanilla beans in RIS?
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I_B_Mongo
Well-Known Member
For something as strong tasting as a RIS, I'd got with 2 beans to start. If it doesn't have enough vanilla taste after a week or two with the beans, you can always add a 3rd one.
ArtimusBeerimus
Well-Known Member
+1 on the amount. Various factors play into the end result of the beans, including freshness, added whole or scrapped and chopped, soaked in vodka/other alcohol and for how long, etc.
Your mileage may vary.
Your mileage may vary.
worksnorth
Well-Known Member
+1 to both posts, good advice
Thanks for the ideas.......Okay, I have cut, scraped three beans and placed the in a sanatized jar with four ounces of skyy vodka. I will let sit for a few days before adding some to the beer. Am I correct in assuming that the alcohol in the vodka will take care of any bad stuff that could be on the beans? Or are the other steps to take in order to protect beer from infection?
