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ADDING VANILLIA BEAN..WHEN AND HOW
I have a porter that I am gonna add six stalks of vanilla bean to. I want to add 3 at primary fermentation then 7days later pour into secondary and add last three. Do you guys think this will work out. Got any other options? It is only my fourth batch.
6 beans may be too much. hopefully someone who has more experience using vanilla beans will chime in.
if you are talking 5 gallon batches, then yes WAY too much. I have done many batches with vanilla and this is what I know. vanilla will fade slightly with aging. So if you are doing a big beer like an imperial porter and aging it for 1-2 years, expect slight fade, and go a little over on the vanilla. if it is a smaller beer (under a 1.070 OG) and it will be drank within 6-8 months then I would add enough to your liking then pull it off the beans and rack for kegging/bottling when the intensity is where you desire.
For 5 gallons i usually use 1.5 to 2 beans. If you want a strong flavor i would go with 2 beans. Dont bother adding any to primary, just secondary. Because it is a porter i would not worry about needing a long secondary anyhow, really only even necessary just for your vanilla addition.
The best process is to slice the beans in half lengthwise. Then with the back of a knife, scrape all the seed and goo from the inside of the bean. Chop the remaining bean "husk" into 2 inch pieces. Throw all of that into 1/2 cup vodka, and let sit overnight. (I prefer bourbon, but this WILL add bourbon flavor to the beer, vodka is neutral and will not add flavor). Dump everything into your secondary, (vodka or bourbon will have stripped some flavor and made a slight extract, dump that in too), then rack your porter on top of it. Vanilla will take 1-2 weeks to fully flavor, I would check after 5 days, and every couple of days by pulling a sip out and tasting it. When your intensity is right, rack to keg or bottling bucket.
Wow, I just finished my first every brew and this answered every Vanilla question I had. I wish I would have seen this thread before I started.
I brewed a porter from an extract kit and added vanilla bean to it. I added this thread with a question or two, and I included the details of what I did with the Vanilla. Should I add a second bean once I put it in the secondary?
Here's the thread, If you don't mind, read it and I'd love your input.
http://www.brewingkb.com/homebrewing/ju … l#msg38107
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