Vanilla Bean

[supersmo18]

Hey everyone, I'm looking to add vanilla bean to a Nut Brown Ale kit that I've got. Do you think it would be best to add this during the last 20 min or so of the boil or should I add this after transferring to a secondary carboy? I'm still fairly new at brewing but just looking for some advice. Also, this is an extract kit given to me by a friend who had an extra one, so I'm not even sure transferring to a secondary carboy would do any extra magic or not, which would eliminate my problem. Thanks for the help.

 

[popquizkid]

In my opinion there are rares cases (adding fruit / bulk aging or souring) where transfer to secondary is worth the risk of oxidation / infection.

The technique that I would use is:

Chop up the vanilla bean, soak it in vodka or grain alcohol (the higher the proof the better) four a couple weeks, and add some to the beer when you bottle. This will give you a nice vanilla flavor, but be careful on how much you add as it can be overpowering