I cut my beans down the center just enough to cut through one side so I can peel it open and use a knife to scoop out the seeds. I toss the seeds in the vodka/rum/bourbon and then poke at the clumps to get them to separate a little better, chop up the beans, and throw the pieces in.If im splitting and adding vodka in a container, do i need to scrape the insides, or can i just split and the vodka will go to work. I was just going to pour the whole mixture into either primary or secondary and then do more vanilla/vodka at the time of bottling if i felt that it needed it.
Also, how long does the extract have to sit? The guy at my LHBS said it takes about a month of soaking the bean to create the extract that I can use. I'm reading on here that it only takes a week. Which is it?
I soaked the beans for my stout for a little over a week and the whole mixture smelled divine. I probably could have gotten more flavor extracted if they sat longer since I did end up adding some straight vanilla extract at bottling.
I soaked the beans and spices in Captain Morgan for my Pumptoberfest. It smelled strongly of rum when I poured it in, but it didn't contribute anything to the flavor when I tasted it. Maybe that will change after it carbs up, but it was only 2 oz. in 2.5 gallons of beer.