[kmccaf]

presume nobody is worrying about soaking the beans in alcohol, correct?

Nope, I don't.

ever just leave the beans in the keg?

I have. It was not very different than taking them out after a couple of weeks. Big aroma to begin with, but it faded with time, which wasn't very long.

[pete b]

My guess is an alcohol extraction would get you there with flavor but not aroma. And in a Porter I would really want the sweet aroma mixed with the roasty aroma.

[a10t2]

that's an interesting method. so you use 50-100ml of the vodka vanilla bean mixture and put it in the keg?

Right; add it to taste then rack the beer on top of it.

My guess is an alcohol extraction would get you there with flavor but not aroma.

Isn't it an alcohol extraction either way?

[majorvices]

I just make a vanilla extract with three or four beans, split down the middle, in a pint of vodka. Then I dose a small sample at packaging and scale up. 50-100 mL usually ends up being about right for a 5 gal keg.

This is my preferred method. Not because I'm afraid of infection but I feel I get better extraction. I do the same thing for cacao nibs.

[Wort-H.O.G.]

so got my beans..and curve ball. they are madagascar bourbon vanilla beans! kind of smell like leather and unlit fresh cigars to me. not so sure im going to get any vanilla out of these puppies. i cut some up and put it in a glass of porter to see what it does.

EDIT: little raisin smell like also. yep thats it. chewed on one-tastes a bit like raisin to me.

[Stevie]

Bourbon does not mean whisky. It's a name given to beans from a particular plant grown in the Indian Ocean region (Madagascar). They are reportedly at the top of the quality spectrum.


From Wikipedia - Bourbon vanilla or Bourbon-Madagascar vanilla, produced from V. planifolia plants introduced from the Americas, is the term used for vanilla fromIndian Ocean islands such as Madagascar, the Comoros, and Réunion, formerly the Île Bourbon. It is also used to describe the distinctive vanilla flavor derived from V. planifolia grown successfully in tropical countries such as India.
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[Wort-H.O.G.]

Bourbon does not mean whisky. It's a name given to beans from a particular plant grown in the Indian Ocean region (Madagascar). They are reportedly at the top of the quality spectrum.


From Wikipedia - Bourbon vanilla or Bourbon-Madagascar vanilla, produced from V. planifolia plants introduced from the Americas, is the term used for vanilla fromIndian Ocean islands such as Madagascar, the Comoros, and Réunion, formerly the Île Bourbon. It is also used to describe the distinctive vanilla flavor derived from V. planifolia grown successfully in tropical countries such as India.
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right-wasn't suggesting they were bourbon dipped. but im not sure there's anything at all the tastes like vanilla to me. all i get is that raisin like taste mixed with leather.....is this expected or do i have the wrong thing here?

[HoosierBrew]

 Did you scrape some of that goodness out of the pod and stir in?

[Stevie]

I'm confident you have what you need. You are tasting it straight and it is a very strong flavor.

[HoosierBrew]

I'm confident you have what you need. You are tasting it straight and it is a very strong flavor.

Yeah, those are usually pretty top notch beans.

[Wort-H.O.G.]

I'm confident you have what you need. You are tasting it straight and it is a very strong flavor.

Yeah, those are usually pretty top notch beans.

alright boys- i'll trust ya 

thanks for the info.

EDIT- they better be top notch at $11 for 4!

[Wort-H.O.G.]

Did you scrape some of that goodness out of the pod and stir in?

yessir! thanks for the info-i follow directions well

[pete b]

that's an interesting method. so you use 50-100ml of the vodka vanilla bean mixture and put it in the keg?

Right; add it to taste then rack the beer on top of it.

My guess is an alcohol extraction would get you there with flavor but not aroma.

Isn't it an alcohol extraction either way?
 

What I meant by that is aroma tends to be fleeting and volatile so soaking for a few days in alcohol to make an extract gets you farther away in time from the moment you cut open the bean as opposed to freshly opened beans in the keg or just before bottling. And besides, you might as well just get a good extract rather than buying fresh beans. OTOH I do like the ability to dose a beer in order to get the flavor right in the whole batch.

[Stevie]

they better be top notch at $11 for 4!

While you can certainly find cheaper, that is a good price. Gourmet stores will sell their higher quality pods for $5-10 a piece. I don't know what makes them higher quality, I'm just saying that is a middle of the road price that I wouldn't think twice about jumping on.

[Wort-H.O.G.]

they better be top notch at $11 for 4!

While you can certainly find cheaper, that is a good price. Gourmet stores will sell their higher quality pods for $5-10 a piece. I don't know what makes them higher quality, I'm just saying that is a middle of the road price that I wouldn't think twice about jumping on.

good makes me feel like i didn't get taken!