secondary additives contamination

[jsulmar]

I'm always careful about sanitizing everything that touches the beer, but I worry when a recipe calls for additives in the secondary such as hops, cocoa, vanilla beans, cold-brewed coffee, etc. Please advise whether sanitizing measures are necessary for these ingredients. How would one sanitize a vanilla bean?

 

[m00ps]

I chop them up, cover them in a bit of water, boil for 2-3min, cool and toss it all in

 

[flars]

Vanilla beans are easily sanitized by soaking in enough vodka to cover. Bourbon if you are brewing a bourbon barrel porter.