[69franx]

So I think my next batch will be 11/9/14 and I plan on trying out Denny's BVIP, with the recipe from the wiki here. Any thoughts, tips, or tweaks any of you have made? I know everyone raves about this brew, so I want to make it, just looking for any insight other than what is listed in the wiki

[HoosierBrew]

Great beer, especially during the chilly months. When you add the vanilla beans, I add them to the keg in a bag or strainer and pull them when the flavor is slightly more than I want, because the vanilla flavor will fade fairly quickly. I would use the 1450 if you can find it - it's great for dark beers IMO. Enjoy !

EDIT  -  If you don't keg then obviously you can add the beans to the fermenter after fermentation is done.

[69franx]

Thanks Jon, I have been looking for the 1450, and 1/3 LHBS nearby says in stock on website, but most of them are not always up to date. Going looking for it today. I do bottle, so I'm likely to lose a lot of the vanilla after carbing and conditioning, may use 3 instead of 2?

[HoosierBrew]

Thanks Jon, I have been looking for the 1450, and 1/3 LHBS nearby says in stock on website, but most of them are not always up to date. Going looking for it today. I do bottle, so I'm likely to lose a lot of the vanilla after carbing and conditioning, may use 3 instead of 2?

I would do the same as I do with the keg - add the beans and sample (from your fermenter) until the vanilla is a little above what you want and bottle. It's more of a time thing.

[denny]

Thanks Jon, I have been looking for the 1450, and 1/3 LHBS nearby says in stock on website, but most of them are not always up to date. Going looking for it today. I do bottle, so I'm likely to lose a lot of the vanilla after carbing and conditioning, may use 3 instead of 2?

How much vanilla to use depends pretty much on the freshness of your beans.  If they're big, "juicy", and pliable, 2 will probably be enough.  If they're small, hard, and shriveled (get yer minds outta the gutter, guys!) then it may take 3-4.  You kinda have to just look at them amd make a WAG.

[69franx]

Thanks Denny. I see vanilla beans come up on homebrewfinds.com all the time, so I will look foe something "fresh" locally or source online. The offers he puts up are usually for 3 whole beans so that should work either way. I would also guess those would be better than the sealed jar I found at the grocery thus afternoon that seemed to contain 2 of those hard, shriveled (though not that small) beans for around $8

[Slowbrew]

I've gotten very nice vanilla beans at Penzey's.  The grocery store beans were not as fresh.

Paul

[pete b]

I've gotten very nice vanilla beans at Penzey's.  The grocery store beans were not as fresh.

Paul

I buy vanilla beans by the pound at frontiercoop.com and freeze them.

[69franx]

That's a ton of vanilla, well actually, a pound


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[HoosierBrew]

I've gotten very nice vanilla beans at Penzey's.  The grocery store beans were not as fresh.

Paul

Me too, Paul .

[69franx]

Well that's mighty convenient, vanilla beans on sale today, link from homebrewfinds.com:
http://www.homebrewfinds.com/2014/10/16-bourbon-madagascar-vanilla-beans-11-45-72-cents-ea.html
Looks like a much better deal than I had seen in Kroger, not sure how it compares in general though. Check it out though if you need them