How to get maximum Vanilla flavor??

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by PDXAmbassador, Apr 23, 2018.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. PDXAmbassador

    PDXAmbassador Initiate (0) Sep 16, 2015 Florida
    Trader

    What are your tips for getting massive vanilla flavor in an imperial stout? I'm talking like Fundamental Observation levels of explosive vanilla ice cream aroma.

    I've learned so far....
    • Skip extract, in favor of beans in secondary. Obviously.
    • Obtain highest quality vanilla beans. Real Madagascar bourbon vanilla beans taste proper. But cheaper Tahitian... not so much. It's a different species and tastes a little different to me. You get what you pay for. Tho perhaps using twice the Tahitian might achieve similar results, and still be cheaper??
    • Bottle Logic mentions they dose beans throughout the aging process, which makes me think that, like with dry hopping, maybe adding beans at two or three points in the aging process might help.
    So questions....

    Does scraping out the caviar help achieve best flavor? Should I put in the pods also, or just the caviar (the seedy goey stuff inside)?

    How many 6 inch vanilla beans per 5 gallon batch? Seems like at least 10-20 beans, but I'm afraid much more is needed. Five beans gives fairly subtle vanilla flavor that ages out and pretty much disappears within a year. But having put one large bean into a 750ml of beer for two weeks, I thought that was way too much. Tasted like extract.

    How long do you let the stout sit in the beans? I've heard too long extracts tannins but I've not experienced that during a month or so of aging in past stout's.

    Does it help to soak beans in Bourbon first to extract more flavor, or does the stout's own alcohol extract all the needed compounds without the use of a pre-soak.

    Thanks for your input and experience!
     
    #1 PDXAmbassador, Apr 23, 2018
    TooHopTooHandle likes this.
  2. TooHopTooHandle

    TooHopTooHandle Initiate (0) Dec 20, 2016 New York

    I would say make 2 tinctures. Start with 10 of them soaking in bourbon and make a second 5 bean tincture to soak also. That way if the 10 beans is not enough you can add the second tincture. I split mine open, scrape out the insides, and chop the pod in little pieces and let it soak for about 1 week then dump all of the contents in including the bourbon.
    I used 3 beans in my 11.2% imperial stout and it was very subtle, but you could tell it was there. So I am just throwing out a wild guess that the amount of 10+ would be required to obtain the flavor/aroma you are looking for. I also used chocolate, coffee, and cinnamon stick which do cover the vanilla up alittle bit. So I guess it will also depend on if you are going to use any other adjuncts in this beer or just the base beer with vanilla.
     
    #2 TooHopTooHandle, Apr 23, 2018
    PDXAmbassador likes this.
  3. EvenMoreJesus

    EvenMoreJesus Initiate (0) Jun 8, 2017 Pennsylvania

    [​IMG]
     
    #3 EvenMoreJesus, Apr 23, 2018
    MrOH and Prep8611 like this.
  4. secondbase

    secondbase Initiate (0) Jun 3, 2015 Tennessee

    A quality extract will go further than mediocre beans. I always start with beans that are split and scraped, but add in quality extract at packaging if the character isn't where I want it. 1 bean per gallon is a good place to start for intense vanilla character.
     
    #4 secondbase, Apr 23, 2018
    MrOH likes this.
  5. SFACRKnight

    SFACRKnight Grand Pooh-Bah (3,348) Jan 20, 2012 Colorado
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    I prefer Mexican vanilla beans. They add a leather earthiness that's nice. 3 b3ans, soaked in dark rum for a week and added into secondary for two weeks gave my stout a huge vanilla flavor. The beans were bisected, scraped, chopped, and pitched into rum. Hmmmm, rum.
     
    #5 SFACRKnight, Apr 23, 2018
    rocdoc1, MrOH, Buck89 and 2 others like this.
  6. Buck89

    Buck89 Grand Pooh-Bah (3,782) Feb 7, 2015 Tennessee
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    This is exactly my process and my experience (with Madagascar beans). I would be hesitant to use more than 3-4 beans, but certainly it's a matter of personal preference. 10+ beans would also be expensive. I would consider making a tincture and adding to taste at packaging.
     
    #6 Buck89, Apr 23, 2018
  7. rocdoc1

    rocdoc1 Savant (1,215) Jan 13, 2006 New Mexico

    I split and chop 3 beans on brewday, and put them in 1/2 cup of good bourbon. Then when I keg the beer, approximately 3 weeks later, I pour the bourbon into the keg. Perfect vanilla taste every time.
     
    #7 rocdoc1, May 2, 2018
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.