Vanilla porter question

[Kayeness]

Brewed my 1st Porter batch.
The plan was to have this be my first batch that I don't move to the secondary. However I want a little a vanilla infused in it.

Can/when do I add a vanilla bean during primary fermentation. (How long?)

Or do I actually have to do this during the secondary stage?

Any and all advice/suggestions welcome.

 

[JohnSand]

There are many ways to add vanilla at different stages. You can use extract, beans or a tincture. They can go in the boil, the fermenter or at packaging. Kegging gives a lot of flexibility, as flavor can be added a little at a time. I just finished drinking a Christmas beer with extract in the boil, everyone liked it. My theory with any spice or flavoring is that too little is better than too much.

 

[applescrap]

There are many ways to add vanilla at different stages. You can use extract, beans or a tincture. They can go in the boil, the fermenter or at packaging. Kegging gives a lot of flexibility, as flavor can be added a little at a time. I just finished drinking a Christmas beer with extract in the boil, everyone liked it. My theory with any spice or flavoring is that too little is better than too much.

I couldnt agree more. Especially if you want more than one a night.

 

[Saunassa]

I made a chocolate vanilla milk stout. 5 gallon batch. Only did primary. I created my tincture using 4 oz vodka and two vanilla beans. I put 2oz the tincture in the primary with the cacao nibs for a week and then 1 oz mixed into the priming sugar solution. Wanted it slightly stronger then I needed so that after two months it would mellow more which it did and just enhance and fill out the chocolate flavor.

 

[SoCal-Doug]

For my Vanilla Porter (5 gallons), I simply take 4 beans and split them long ways. I scrape the schmutz out of the inside of each bean half (it kinda looks like the inside of a fig newton). The schmutz goop and the beans to into an old white labs yeast tube (for the younger folks that haven't seen those, it kinda looks like a fat pudgy test tube with a screw lid). Fill the remaining space with some generic unflavored vodka. Shake it daily while the porter is fermenting.

Having conicals, after primary fermentation is complete, I dump the trub (I guess that means its now a secondary) and add the entire tube of beans and goop. That sits for a couple weeks. I swish around it a little every day.

The little bit of vodka helps extract the goodness from the beans and makes it a bit more sanitary (or at least I like to think it does). It's not enough vodka to flavor or alter the batch.

I also do closed CO2 pressure transfers from the fermenter to the keg. I don't want any of that aroma escaping until it's in my glass

Quite yummy.

 

[Kayeness]

I made tincture.
1. When do I add to primary.
2. How long before bottleing assuming ferment is stopped.

 

[millatime]

I have several pumpkin ales and always add vanilla after fermentation is done. I have had good results using a high quality organic extract, about 2 tsp per 5 gallons, give it a week or so and taste. I'd probably try beans next with vodka, but they are so darn expensive at the moment I would hate to screw it up.