secondary question

I have a weizen that is in the secondary now with a vanilla bean soaking in it. I am wondering how long I should keep the bean in. Do I have to worry about any off flavors if its left in too long? How long does it take for a vanilla flavor to come out of the bean? I cut the bean and scrapped the insides before I put it in.

I think the beer is done since its sg was down to 1.009 @ 68 degrees and it is a weizen so it doesnt really need to clarify which means the only reason its in secondary is for the vanilla flavor.

When I brewed my Vanilla Bean Porter, I used three beans. I put one in the primary, two in when I racked to the secondary, and even then, the flavor wasn't strong enough. I added pure vanilla exract to the secondary, (about 2 tablespoons) and I still think it needs more vanilla.

I guess the porter tastes are just way to dominant for the vanilla to shine through. With a weizen, I would think you can get good flavor with less vanilla, but I'm not sure that one bean will do it.

Regardless, I'd let the beer stay in the secondary for at least two weeks. The vanilla bean should be fine in there.

hmm.. although I didnt follow a kit, one I modeled the recipe after said use 1 large vanilla bean. Maybe I will let this one sit until Sunday (1 week in Primary), take a sample and add another bean if needed.
This is a weizen so the vanilla shouldnt have as much to compete with compared to a porter, I would think.

I've found in my first two brews that I get a nice secondary fermentation after the transfer. So while your SG may be where you expected, there may still be fermentables that need to ferment before you bottle. I've never experienced bottle explosions, but I suspect there would be some if you bottled after only 10 days.

If you split and scraped one large plump bean, you should get plenty of flavor.....Just curious, did you heat/boil the bean and pods before you added them? I know this will bring the flavors out considerably.

its almost a waste if you dont open up the bean and scrape out the love

yup definately split it open and scrapped all the goodness out. I then soaked it in a glass of vodka for about 20 minutes or so then dumped it all into the secondary and racked the beer on top.

not sure if you would consider this a LARGE bean. It was about 5 inches long but rather thin. Didnt get a chance to test this weekend but am planning on doing it tonight. Sunday is bottle day so if I need more vanilla, another bean will go in tonight for the rest of the week.