Vanilla Porter

[SlickTX]

I'm gonna brew my Porter recipe this weekend and was going to add vanilla. This one will go into the keg to age until the fall.

Would it be OK to add the cut/scraped vanilla beans to the primary then rack over them? Should I sanitize them in any way beforehand?

 

[Pappers_]

Soaking them in a little vodka and adding both the beans and vodka is a tested method.

 

[Oginme]

Seconded! All you need is enough vodka or grain alcohol to just barely cover the beans to ensure you are not introducing any possible spoilage bacteria. Plus the higher alcohol content helps in the extraction of the flavors.

 

[Tbird390]

I put 3 vanilla beans cut and scraped in secondary for 1 week and it was okay

 

[zrule]

I put three vanilla beans cut in thirds and sectioned lengthwise, covered with vodka waited a week. Poured this tincture in secondary. Very good vanilla flavor.

 

[Bosh]

Be very careful about using too much, it's so easy to do since vanilla is so potent.

 

[jjeffers09]

There are arguments out there and I feel like I have finally tasted the xbmt thoroughly enough to atleast advise otherwise. There is no reason a processed vanilla bean from your average grocer would need vodka. Making a tincture, the process in which you are adding alcohol to make a flavored alcoholic extraction, will give you as much vanilla flavor as adding it straight to the fermentation vessel. However, vodka will add its own flavor too. It may be subtle, so I recommend you add a spirit in which you are happy to taste in your beer. For instance if you don't like the flavor of vodka, I now don't recommend adding it to your beer, because you may detect it. I personally have only used a favorite whiskey and rum of mine. Which I never really had a problem with. Then I tasted a friend of mines replica of my recipe, but he used vodka (which I detest, and he used dark eyes which made me want to slap him but I digress) and I was unpleasantly surprised how much I could taste vodka. So it gave me the xbmt for a side by side test. We made 20 gallons side by side of my porter recipe split into 4 5 gal Big Mouth Bubblers. 1 Whistlepig, 1 Black Magic, 1 Absolut, 1 no tincture.

I found that the vanilla flavor and aroma was as strong in all of the tinctured brews. However the vanilla bean alone on the beer was even stronger. I can not say it was the preferred brew. However it was the one with the strongest vanilla character. All of the beers had the vanilla bean chopped and put into a bag tied to the outside of the fermenter. It was left on the beer for 4 days.

20 people tested blind and served all 4 brews but given 6 samples
17 people selected the brew to have the most vanilla flavor, but 13 found it to be overpowering the beer or being 1 noted (I was surprised)
10 people could tell there was a difference between the correct 4 brews
7 could detect different alcohol flavors correctly

 

[Izzie1701]

There are arguments out there and I feel like I have finally tasted the xbmt thoroughly enough to atleast advise otherwise. There is no reason a processed vanilla bean from your average grocer would need vodka. Making a tincture, the process in which you are adding alcohol to make a flavored alcoholic extraction, will give you as much vanilla flavor as adding it straight to the fermentation vessel. However, vodka will add its own flavor too. It may be subtle, so I recommend you add a spirit in which you are happy to taste in your beer. For instance if you don't like the flavor of vodka, I now don't recommend adding it to your beer, because you may detect it. I personally have only used a favorite whiskey and rum of mine. Which I never really had a problem with. Then I tasted a friend of mines replica of my recipe, but he used vodka (which I detest, and he used dark eyes which made me want to slap him but I digress) and I was unpleasantly surprised how much I could taste vodka. So it gave me the xbmt for a side by side test. We made 20 gallons side by side of my porter recipe split into 4 5 gal Big Mouth Bubblers. 1 Whistlepig, 1 Black Magic, 1 Absolut, 1 no tincture.

I found that the vanilla flavor and aroma was as strong in all of the tinctured brews. However the vanilla bean alone on the beer was even stronger. I can not say it was the preferred brew. However it was the one with the strongest vanilla character. All of the beers had the vanilla bean chopped and put into a bag tied to the outside of the fermenter. It was left on the beer for 4 days.

20 people tested blind and served all 4 brews but given 6 samples
17 people selected the brew to have the most vanilla flavor, but 13 found it to be overpowering the beer or being 1 noted (I was surprised)
10 people could tell there was a difference between the correct 4 brews
7 could detect different alcohol flavors correctly

I second the use the grain alcohol you like. Had some absinthe laying around so soaked some lime in it. Definitely made my beer taste more bitter and you could detect it in it. I also don't like vodka but typically use vodka to soak my lime. The exact same recipe made with vodka not absinthe taste way better. Did some research and worm wood is very bitter. I think this is where I brought the bitter in. From what I understand good vodka should add little to now flavor to a beer. For this recipe however a run with the vanilla sounds amazing.

 

[unionrdr]

Don't use potato vodka, but, rather the kind made from grain with no flavor added. I made a tincture from 2 beans, scraped & chopped in 1" pieces & soaked during primary fermentation of a PM robust porter. Then added it to the priming solution. But...the tiny vanilla beans, looking just like celery seed, went through the fine mesh strainer into the priming solution! So I'll pour into into the priming solution through a coffee filter next time.