Adding Vanilla

[loxnar]

Was wondering what you guys think the best way of adding a very vanilla flavor to a porter (or any beer i guess)...LHBS gave me some vanilla beans and told me to soak them in just enough vanilla vodka for the same amount of time that the batch of beer is fermenting, i.e. two weeks, and then to strain the vodka into the keg/bottling bucket right before racking the beer. My thoughts are i dont like the sound of vodka in my beer and also that I wont get enough of that vanilla flavor that i am wanting. What do you guys think? should i rack to a secondary fermentor and let it condition with the beans for two weeks or should i throw them right in with the primary fermentation? i guess the vodka kinda makes sense but it just seems like there would be a more efficient way to me....

 

[Danbreeze]

There are a few different ways to add vanilla for flavoring. I made a vanilla stout and was told by a friend of mine who is a chef to cut open the pod and leave it in your bottling sugar for a few days before adding to a bottling bucket. The pod will emit a "vanilla gas", leaving your sugar smelling like vanilla. I recommend this b/c I had added vanilla in a previous batch at the end of the boil and I lost alot of the floral notes of the bean from the heat.

 

[steinsato]

I am drinking my Vanilla Porter right now. I took 3 vanilla beans. Cut them lengthwise, scraped the goo from inside, then chopped up the pods and let it all soak in 1 cup of regular vodka for about 2 weeks while the beer was in primary. I put the vodka and chopped up beans in a sealed mason jar. I also put it in a paper bag and into the fridge to speed up the extraction. I then dumped the cup of vodka with the beans and all into the carboy and racked on top of it. I let it sit in secondary for about two weeks, then "bottled" to my keg. It is delicious. The vanilla very aromatic and mixes well with the porter without being too overpowering. Next time I make this beer I will do the same thing.

I've made a few different extracts for different things and I've gotten into a routine of always keeping it in a dark place, also I hear keeping in the freezer or fridge speeds up the process, why either of these work I have no idea but it's just what I do.

 

[Denny]

When I make my BVIP, I take 2 fresh vanilla beans and split them lengthwise. Scrape out and reserve all the seeds inside. Chop the beans into 2-3 inch pieces and place them and the seeds in a secondary fermenter. Rack the beer on top of the beans and leave for 1-2 weeks, or until you like the taste.

 

[loxnar]

I am drinking my Vanilla Porter right now. I took 3 vanilla beans. Cut them lengthwise, scraped the goo from inside, then chopped up the pods and let them soak in 1 cup of regular vodka for about 2 weeks while the beer was in primary. I then dumped the cup of vodka with the beans and all into the carboy and racked on top of it. I let it sit in secondary for about two weeks, then "bottled" to my keg. It is delicious. The vanilla very aromatic and mixes well with the porter without being too overpowering. Next time I make this beer I will do the same thing.

sounds about what i am aiming for....i had a commercial vanilla porter a few weeks ago that gave me the idea damn thing tasted like a root beer float....pretty much aiming for the same flavor

any filtering you have to do when taking out of the secondary or does it all settle to the bottom and you just avoid picking it up with the siphon?

 

[ChshreCat]

I like just cutting and scraping mine and throwing them in secondary with the beer. But the idea of using vanilla sugar sounds really good too! I've kept vanilla beans in sugar for other uses and the sugar really does take up the vanilla flavor and aroma really well. I may have to try this sometime.

 

[steinsato]

sounds about what i am aiming for....i had a commercial vanilla porter a few weeks ago that gave me the idea damn thing tasted like a root beer float....pretty much aiming for the same flavor

any filtering you have to do when taking out of the secondary or does it all settle to the bottom and you just avoid picking it up with the siphon?

No filtering required, I just racked carefully with my cane, it all settles out pretty quickly.

 

[schristian619]

I do as others have mentioned....split them the long way, scrape the insides and cut into 3-4 pieces, but I add them directly to the carboy, not vodka. Never had a problem with infection or filtering, as they settle out very quickly. I usually leave them with the beer for a week (including at least a couple days of cold crashing), then keg.

 

[bferullo]

There are a few different ways to add vanilla for flavoring. I made a vanilla stout and was told by a friend of mine who is a chef to cut open the pod and leave it in your bottling sugar for a few days before adding to a bottling bucket. The pod will emit a "vanilla gas", leaving your sugar smelling like vanilla. I recommend this b/c I had added vanilla in a previous batch at the end of the boil and I lost alot of the floral notes of the bean from the heat.

OK, so do i make my priming sugar and place the bean in it scraped open? Or do would I place a scraped bean in X grams of priming sugar, let sit for some time and then add water and boil right before adding to bottling bucket?

Thanks...I can't keg so looking to get the vanilla in at bottling to cut down on the time frame. Hopefully have some vanilla porter ready for christmas.

 

[VonRunkel]

I made a Vanilla Oatmeal stout with Tonga vanilla beans from beanilla.com, I did the same length split technique as mentioned here, but I soaked the beans in Wild Turkey American Honey. Not sure the booze imparted a whole lot of flavor to the beer, but I am not a Vodka kind of guy. Fun fact about vanilla, if you rinse it off after you are done with it (even the split pods) you can throw it in the freezer for pretty much ever, pull it out and use it again. I did that with my beans and I reused a bean for a batch of cider im building.... Good luck