thats awesome wonder if you can get like an oak barrel or something to throw that in to store it.

So I've brewed two stouts with my current setup. One was a chocolate stout, the other was a coffee stout. I didn't add coffee or chocolate, it's just that my steaping grains had similar taste.

I'd like to create a vanilla stout by using vanilla beans. I feel like a hint of vanilla would go pretty well with a stout. At what point do you recommend adding vanilla beans? After the wort is cooked and before fermentation? After a few days of fermentation? Or should I add vanilla extract prior to bottling?

ive only used vanilla bean once and it was in mead so im not necessiarly giving you the best adivce.

id say throwthe beans in a cotton bag and put it in for the last 5 mins of boil.

the vanilla is tightly locked in the beans and takes quite some time to seap out all the way, so id say taste it weekly untill you get the vanilla flavor you want.

because i did this with mead i could leave the beans in the mead for as long as i wanted to get the flavor i wanted, for beer, as the fermentation only takes about 2 weeks, you might not be able to get enough vanilla out of the beans in that time.

what id reccomend for beer is to do a second fermentation where you drain off the beer leaving dead yeast behind, this is done so you dont get as much of a dead yeast flavor in your beer. during this process id add vanila extract, either store bought, or that you made with vodka and vanilla beans. extrace is best here because, A. the flavor impact is almost instant instead of taking a few weeks with beans and B. its sanitized.

This post was edited by Ylem122 on May 7 2013 12:10am

from reading, you can just add em @ secondary. the flavor is soluble in alcohol and does not need to be in the boil. you can chop up your beans which will allow for more of the flavor to be extracted (greater surface area/volume ratio). if you wish to sanitize the beans, throw em in a little bit of vodka for ~ an hour or so and then throw it in secondary - i would then throw both vodka/bean in secondary. i think 2 weeks in a secondary would be plenty to extract the vanilla flavor, especially if you chop the beans fine.

also, i would check to verify how much beans to use - i do not believe you need a lot

/eta i havent brewed anything with vanilla beans/extract, just what ive read.

This post was edited by cialda on May 7 2013 07:13am

Haven't been to this subforum until today, and just saw this thread. Big fan of homebrewing. I've done about 7-8 batches so far, all with ME (no all-grain or dry malt, yet). My favorite beers are IPAs, although I'm a fan of a wide variety, and have brewed a variety, as well. When I have the extra cash to get an extra carboy I can tie up for 6-9 months, I want to do an Imperial Stout.

@AriGold, are you from MN/WI? Curious, as Northern Brewer is where I get my kits from (they're local to me). Or do you order them online?

i am from WI if that matters. i live in madison though and have 2 local brew shops that i go to.

My buddy and I used to do this
For a *Heather Mead* recipe:

* You know those water machines they always have in doctor's offices that have the big plastic bottles that sit on the top to dispense the water? Yeah ~ we'd use this to brew in
* Just a normal small store bought formentor that plugs right on the top of the big plastic bottle with formeldahyde (however that's spelled) on the top of it
* The recipe is very simple and very old ~ amongst the oldest in the world (Heather Mead)
-- Add Water
-- Add Heather Flower (you can buy packs of these at home brewing shops) usually bigger cities have a couple around
-- Add Honey
-- Add Yeast
* Let it sit for a couple of months to forment and it's ready to drink


The coolest thing about this recipe is that it's clean as hell, it isn't like beer or other ales that gives you stomach acid, this stuff tastes good
and Heather Flower actually adds a light narcotic effect to the drink
The buzz you get off this (which is legal, don't worry) is unlike anything you'll get from other alcohol

I highly suggest this recipe to anyone who likes home brewing

Figured id post an update on my mead, first is the most recent picture from my last post and the second from yesterday:

May 1st


July 19th


Probly close to being as clear as its going to get

speaking of meed just had some viking blood. first sip was little wild but
then i got used to it after that first glass i wanted more!



no i order online. i wish i was local shippping wouldnt be soo bad.

This post was edited by AriG0Ld on Jul 21 2013 09:42am

Soo I took half a cup + 1 table spoon of water and 1 table spoon of some of my freinds raw wildflower honey.

9:1

put this in a mason jar and rubber banded a single layer of paper towel over the top. I then placed the jar by an open window and shook it around once a day or so while i let it sit there for 4 days

BAM

Yeast!!!

So yeah, now my goal with the strawberry mead i already posted pics of was for it to be sweet, in order to reach that i ended up using a weaker yeast and it ended up around 4 - 6% and incredibly sweet what with all the strawberry jam and the honey. So the plan is to split the yeast into 2 batches, 1 being a 1:8 honey mixture similar to above, and the other being 1:8 mixture + half a cup of the strawberry mead.

with the plain batch im just going to see what happens, let it grow, try to bring it up to a 1:6, 1:4 and then turn it into a 1:3 gallon batch with an air lock and what not

the strawberry batch im going to let grow, probably add another half cup, see if the yeast lives and then do that up in a gallon batch too.

Heres some other pictures of the wild yeast:





This post was edited by Ylem122 on Aug 22 2013 07:12am