I understand there are many ways to impart coconut flavor to a stout, from extracts, to grain bag, or even sabro hops adding coconut-like notes. I also understand the fats can affect head retention, but I tend to do less priming sugars in darker varieties so I will try doing just a bit more to hopefully offset that effect. Does anyone have any experience adding extract at the bottling stage, or would this be a bad idea? I realize there are many reasons and opinions advising against doing a secondary at all, and don’t want to risk contamination or oxidization un-necessarily, if I could somehow just add the extract I made with vodka when priming and do it ‘batch’ style and bottle condition? My thinking is that it might be a good opportunity to boil off the vodka in the water, then stir in the priming (brown) sugar after boil stops? Still planning to let half of a 10gal batch rest in a keg a while, so I will be adding some of the vodka extract to the keg and racking on top of it… Should it be boiled first also? Appreciate any thoughts or advice, TIA!
At packaging is pretty much the only way I add flavorings.
Most if not all bacteria will not survive in a vodka environment. No need to boil if that’s the direction you take.
Are you saying add priming sugar during the boil? Then the yeast will eat it in the fermenter and it won’t be available to carbonate your beer in the bottle. Priming sugar is added just before bottling, so the yeast eat it and make co2 to carbonate in the bottle.
no, i was referring to heating water you mix the priming sugar in to a boil, sorry for confusion. You just brought up another good Q though: If you ferment for 3-4 weeks or more will that now require force carbing in a keg, using co2? Wondering if all the yeast drops out by then(?), and if so- how well the half I planned to bottle will carb 
This is my first time kegging, excuse the newb Qs and thanks !
I was more wondering if it would help avoid any off flavors from vodka but I suppose since both are from grains, ethanol will just add more alcohol profile if anything. Its been in my fridge several weeks most has probably leaked out of the jar lid by now anyway, probably only get the coconut flavors… Thanks!
There will still be plenty of yeast in suspension after 3-4 weeks in the fermenter to carbonate in the bottle. If you are cold crashing during that 3-4 weeks there would be less yeast.
Ok, not cold crashing; have heard of people leaving in primary for 6 weeks or more but I dont intend to go that long, rather let it finish in a keg or bottles after 4 weeks max in primary. Not in a ‘rush’ to get it off the yeast cake but not trying to leave long enough to affect flavors either. But that’s good to know, thanks again!
I just bottled two batches that spent 3½ and 7½ months in the fermenter, and they carbed up just fine. All I added was priming sugar.