Madagascar Vanilla

[SoCal-Doug]

Ouch! What in the hell is with the price on those beans lately? Is there some bad political tariff juju with Africa or something? Is there another vanilla bean that I can use for a porter that wont break the bank but still have a wonderful flavor?

 

[formula2fast]

Not really sure what is going on with vanilla, but it is super expensive everywhere. I just did one vanilla brew and am about to add vanilla to another this week and have a heafty amount of cash tied up just in vanilla beans. I spend days looking for it online and in grocery stores, specialty stores, spice shops, and homebrew shops and everyone had high prices for it.

I found the best deal on amazon. Gourmet Tahitian Vanilla Beans (10 beans) for $28 ASIN: B01CTSU5BE They were really good beans. super fragrant and moist. I use 5 beans split and scraped in each one of my brews and the one that is finished came out amazing.

 

[triethylborane]

Ouch! What in the hell is with the price on those beans lately? Is there some bad political tariff juju with Africa or something? Is there another vanilla bean that I can use for a porter that wont break the bank but still have a wonderful flavor?

Quick search shows bad crop yields and internal issues such as crop theft driving up vanilla prices.

 

[SoCal-Doug]

Gourmet Tahitian Vanilla Beans (10 beans) for $28 ASIN: B01CTSU5BE

Thanks. Maybe i'll give those a try. I haven't done my porter in a long time but got the craving lately. Gave me sticker shock (and some sphincter phactor)

 

[Northern_Brewer]

Cyclone Enawo wiped out half the crop in the summer. Now that prices are higher, farmers are worried about theft so they pick earlier, which means the pods are smaller, which means the yield is lower, which means the prices are higher...

Traditionally Tahitian and Mexican vanilla was the most prized.

 

[philly224]

Not really sure what is going on with vanilla, but it is super expensive everywhere. I just did one vanilla brew and am about to add vanilla to another this week and have a heafty amount of cash tied up just in vanilla beans. I spend days looking for it online and in grocery stores, specialty stores, spice shops, and homebrew shops and everyone had high prices for it.

I found the best deal on amazon. Gourmet Tahitian Vanilla Beans (10 beans) for $28 ASIN: B01CTSU5BE They were really good beans. super fragrant and moist. I use 5 beans split and scraped in each one of my brews and the one that is finished came out amazing.

Wow that seems like a great price! I might try some of those.

How big were the batches you added 5 to? That seems like a lot.

 

[formula2fast]

5 gallon batches. It is a 10% beer, so it needs more to come through. I have used 5 beans in a 6% porter as well and it was just right, not overpowered. I taste along the way and pull it off once the flavor is where I want it, and most of the time that is right around the 3 week mark.

I split the beans, scrape them out, and cut the bean into 1" pieces, then soak them in just enough rum, bourbon, or vodka (depending on the beer) to cover them, then add everything to the secondary (liquor included). It is always a very aromatic, well balanced vanilla flavor that has complimented many porters and stouts I have brewed.

I have used these beans from Amazon for the last few years and have always had great results from them.