Soaking vanilla

So, after researching on the web and lurking a bit on here....I am confused. The data says to infuse vanilla in (insert your favorite hard liquor), it takes 3 to 6 months. How long do those of you who have done this to add to your secondary let the vanilla/alcohol sit?

I put the cut up vanilla beans in 1/4 cup nice vodka on brew day. Fermented the Dry Dock Vanilla Porter for 1 month. Moved to secondary and added the nice black vanilla tasting stuff in. Secondary for a month then on to bottles. After a week in bottles had lots of good vanilla tones but the flavors were a bit harsh. Two weeks in bottles it started to smooth out.

I made a stout that I left in primary for two weeks, then racked to secondary on top of one bean that I cut up and soaked in vodka for a week. Very distinct vanilla taste at two weeks, but now at 4 and 5 weeks, it's pretty nice.

Also, if you soak the bean in vodka, add the vodka, bean, and the "goop" from inside the bean all to your secondary, not just the bean.

I used vanilla to add to my keg of root beer recently, and I've always had good luck with warming the alcohol to near boiling with the beans in it for a faster method- which I would think would pair well with a shorter secondary as well, rather than the month that's being suggested above. Split them down the middle and scrape the sticky interior out into the liquor so it has a chance to dissolve.
Also, I make my own vanilla extract with brandy versus either the flavorless vodka, or the traditional, but too strong, bourbon. True extract takes months to steep and age, but a lot of the top vanilla notes come out within the first days and weeks. You just won't get the depth of flavor and aroma that quickly.

Of course, you could also just make your own extract ahead of time and add it to your beer as liquid flavoring rather than using new beans.

Keep in mind there are also many kinds of vanilla beans. I found Tahitian beans at my LHBS (Brewers Best packaging), which is my preference for their cool floral notes, but Madagascar will be a bit more of a bold flavor, and Mexican beans have a spicier taste.

OkashiiBrew said:

I put the cut up vanilla beans in 1/4 cup nice vodka on brew day. Fermented the Dry Dock Vanilla Porter for 1 month. Moved to secondary and added the nice black vanilla tasting stuff in. Secondary for a month then on to bottles. After a week in bottles had lots of good vanilla tones but the flavors were a bit harsh. Two weeks in bottles it started to smooth out.

Click to expand...

This is what I do.

Thanks for the replies!....I had already started soaking 2 beans in bourbon about a week ago, but I like the idea of warming up the bourbon to speed up the process. Maybe I'll give that a go before I rack to secondary.