"Long" Primary

[beerdeddude]

I've noticed that a lot of ppl on here don't rack to a carboy, but instead let secondary occur in the primary bucket, leaving it in for about 4 weeks. Then, rack to bottling bucket. My local LHBS said that I need to leave no room for air in the carboy. If I'm trying out leaving the beer in the fermenter for 4 full weeks - do I need to worry about that?

 

[noggins]

nope. head space is taken care of in primary when the wort ferments and creates a co2 blanket on top.

 

[beerdeddude]

Thanks! I'm thinking of leaving a stout in there for four weeks. Add a Vanilla Bean two weeks in. Do you see any harm in not racking at two weeks?

 

[Sammy86]

A lot of Brewers don't secondary anymore because of the improvements in yeast cultures...so you should be fine with adding the vanilla bean into the primary...just make sure you are sanitary!

 

[Qhrumphf]

There's really not a point in leaving it in there for four weeks if it doesn't need it either. If you're doing your job right, you can transfer off the yeast as soon as it's ready (dropped clear and no residual intermediaries left), which again if you're doing your job right should only be a couple days after reaching FG (which for your average yeast in your average wort should be ~5-7 days, but can be more or less depending on the beer in question). No need for secondary either. If you're looking for it to mellow, that can happen in the bottle. If you're not doing your job right (underpitching, underoxygenating, and not controlling fermentation temp properly- and I don't mean just stick it in a 65 degree fermentation chamber either, that's not good enough), then sometimes it can take a little longer. But the point is, the beer is done when it's done, not by an arbitrary timeline, and even with a poorly fermented beer, if it's not properly conditioned sooner than 4 weeks it probably never will be.

There's no harm, per se, in leaving it in there for four weeks. But it's not necessary.

 

[Gavin C]

Thanks! I'm thinking of leaving a stout in there for four weeks. Add a Vanilla Bean two weeks in. Do you see any harm in not racking at two weeks?

None that I'm aware of. I'd chuck the vanilla in once fermentation had stopped and the beer dropped clear (1-2 weeks usually). Add the scraped vanilla pod's paste (previously sanitized in a little vodka) in for the desired time (adjust amount added to taste)

Bottle/keg a week later.

The beer can then age/condition in the bottles/keg.

 

[beerdeddude]

I've been adding bean and paste without sanitizing and had no problem. At secondary, won't the alcohol just kill it off?

 

[Yooper]

I've been adding bean and paste without sanitizing and had no problem. At secondary, won't the alcohol just kill it off?

Kill what off? Microbes? No.
Alcohol helps, but unless it's so high that it's not beer anymore (think vodka), microbes still can damage your beer.

But vanilla beans are pretty sanitary anyway. I'd probably soak it, and the paste in a little vodka, and add it all to the secondary. But I may be overcautious, I guess.

 

[jahdub]

Soaking the vanilla beans in a small amount of vodka does a great job of extracting the vanilla flavor from the beans, too. You can soak a bean in an ounce of vodka (or more if you want) for a week and you'd actually get near-maximum vanilla flavor just adding the vodka to your bottling bucket.

Personally, I add the vodka/bean mixture 2-3 days prior to packaging.

 

[beerdeddude]

Interesting. And that little amount of vodka will not add any off flavors?

 

[Sammy86]

Vodka is a clear spirit doesn't impart any flavors unless you add something to it...i.e. You add vanilla to vodka for a few days you got yourself vanilla vodka!

 

[kombat]

Interesting. And that little amount of vodka will not add any off flavors?

I use Vanilla Vodka.

I take one of my 6 oz beer sampling glasses, dunk it in StarSan, fill it half-way with Vanilla Vodka (Smirnoff, I think), then slice/chop/scrap the vanilla beans and add them in. I cover the glass with cling wrap and an elastic band, let 'em soak for a week, swirling now and then, then pour the whole thing into the beer.

 

[Gavin C]

I use Vanilla Vodka.

I take one of my 6 oz beer sampling glasses, dunk it in StarSan, fill it half-way with Vanilla Vodka (Smirnoff, I think), then slice/chop/scrap the vanilla beans and add them in. I cover the glass with cling wrap and an elastic band, let 'em soak for a week, swirling now and then, then pour the whole thing into the beer.

How much vanilla pods do you find you need for a 5 gallon batch? Or other size batch if that's what you are doing. Any preference as to when you add it? FV or keg.

I need to try a commercial vanilla stout before trying this but I like the simplicity of what you are describing. Kind of what I thought would be a good way to approach this but great to hear it from someone doing it this way.

 

[kombat]

I use one "tube" of vanilla beans (I think it's 3 beans) from Bulk Barn.

 

[ZebulonBrewer]

I would go with one pod of beans. To me, vanilla is a flavor in beer that not enough is much better than too much.

You can always make the beer again if you want more!