Vanilla Beans

[BrewBrain]

I racked a porter into secondary over some chopped up run-soaked vanilla beans after 9 days in primary. I want to bulk age this puppy probably a couple months before bottling. Should I rack off the vanilla beans into a tertiary at some point, or will it be fine to leave the beans in there the entire two months? I don't want the vanilla flavor to take over.

By the way, this is a recipe for an excellent vanilla porter I tasted while in Colorado this summer. The brewer has homebrew recipes for their beers on their website.

Here's the vanilla porter:

http://www.drydockbrewing.com/Recipes/UrcaVanillaPorterMaltExtract/tabid/622/Default.aspx I cut the recipe to four beans.

BAH! I can't get a URL to work to save me.

 

[WOP31]

Holy cow that is a lot of vanilla beans. How long were they? A buddy did a vanilla porter and took one bean (bout 5-6 inches long) and split it down the middle and added half of it to a 5 gallon secondary for 2 weeks and it was almost overwhelming. i guess it just depends on your taste though really. But IMO 4 beans is a lot. I would just let it sit on the beans for a bout a week or two, but that is just my thoughts.

Cheers

 

[Iordz]

I did a cherry vanilla porter, that I aged in the secondary with 3 vanilla beans for a month and it turned out great. What I'm trying to say is vanilla beans differ greatly from year to year, store to store, etc., kind of like hops. Just go with your taste, take a sample an taste it at one, two, maybe three weeks and determine what you like. When you are happy with the flavor rack the beer off the vanilla. Another great way to boost vanilla taste or aroma is with good quality vanilla extract.

 

[BrewBrain]

OK, I just tasted the vanilla porter after one week on the beans in secondary. While the traditional beer flavors are rounding into shape very nicely, there is very little vanilla. I'd definitely like more. Is it too early at one week to start adding more flavor? I have two more beans I could chop up and throw in. Or should I hold out for another week or two and see if I get more flavor? I would doubt the vanilla flavor would increase at this point, but I'm just assuming.

If it makes a difference, I soaked the beans in white rum during primary fermentation and threw the whole thing into the secondary carboy - run and all. If I decide to add more beans, should I soak them in rum again, or just toss 'em in?

 

[mr x]

Maybe you'd be better off just adding good quality vanilla extract - that would allow you better control. You can make your own if you want to wait, just don't use rum, soak them in vodka.